Happy Birthday Ruth!

July 29th was Ruth's Birthday.  She is already 2 years old!  

Not sure how this happened, but she turned out in this lion costume for the gift unwrapping.

Last year, the fire really scared her, but his year, she handled the candles like a pro.  They were gone in one blow!

From lion to princess: much better.

Cousin Alexa and Ruth became great buddies during the party.  I think that playing with Alexa was her favorite part of the day.

We sure love our little Ruth.  She is literally my shadow all day long and gets quite sensitive when she can't be involved with what I am doing.  I enjoy her little presence.  While the boys play star wars, we play with baby dolls.  It is nice to have a touch of femininity in our home!

Happy Birthday Joseph

So begins a summer of birthdays.  July 20th: Happy Birthday Daddy!  

Family time

This is the final chapter of our vacation to Louisville:

Great swimming with grandma and grandpa

My mom made me laugh when she asked me, "how did the tradition of painted toenails get lost on you?"  As I looked at my sisters' and neices' feet, I realized that I was the only one without beautifully painted toes.  Good thing Ruthie had grandma to help to take care of things.

Katie and her kids drove 8 hours from Virginia to be with us.

Katie and Emily's kids with mine

Heather and her 6 kids also drove a long way to visit. My favorite memory from the trip was when we all crowded onto this bed to facetime with Joseph.  It was so fun to laugh and talk together.  I am happy that the kids joined in with us.

Heather, mom and I took the kids to some beautiful gardens and then out to icecream.  I literally ate Graeter's icecream every night of my trip.  It was wonderful, but at the same time horrible for my arteries.  Nothing beats midwest icecream.  The frozen yogurt that we have in California just doesn't compare.

James and Julie renewed their old friendship.  It was sweet.

I can't seem to resist this little face

It felt so refreshing to be with family.  I am so grateful for wonderful parents and wonderful siblings.  I am grateful that a few of my sisters made an effort to spend time with us while we were out east. Nothing beats the uplifting and supportive role of family.

Touring around Louisville

Louisville Slugger factory and museum.  

Babe Ruth

Baby Ruth

James, our future slugger

three happy kids

Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby

James is all dressed up for his debut as a jockey

Down on the Farm

Vacation Part 3

These pictures are from my sister, Emily's farm.  She is outfitted with cows, horses, chickens, and a dog.  All she needs to complete the setup is a fat pig.  We had lots of opportunities to visit the farm and taste the delicious homegrown milk, icecream, yogurt, and eggs.  My favorite feature of the house was the drinking fountain near the laundry room.  

The Tennesse Walker: I rode the horse for 10 minutes and then got nervous and got off.  I guess I am not the equestrian that I imagined myself to be.

James was terrified of everything except the tractor.

David with cousin Lucy.

This is Dove the cow.  She was my favorite animal on the farm... so sweet.  I would've packed her in my suitcase if I'd had room.

The highlight of the farm was Emily's cow milking demo.  This girl loves her cows.

Kentucky

Part 2 of our summer trip..

Diamond Caverns.. a bit scary for our James

Lincoln's birthplace... David discovers Lincoln Logs

Beautiful setting with lots of trees, grass and walkways.

Monument for Abraham Lincoln.  Inside the building is the a small log cabin on the actual location.

Oh, I love these trees!!!  I must add that Lincoln's birthplace was my favorite stop on our trip.  The feeling on the grounds and at the monument was so beautiful.  It felt like sacred ground.

Summertime

I love the lazy days of summer.  Though we have been busy with outings and vacation, it has still seemed very relaxed and non-hurried.  

We kicked off summer with a trip to Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY.  Our first day in Nashville was HOT!  We landed right in the middle of a huge heat wave with record temperatures at 100 F and above.  Here we are on our first morning at the Waffle House, a staple of the east coast.  Surprisingly, it was pretty good.

Afterwards we ventured for a tour of the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home.  It is one of the best preserved presidential homes, as everything is in its original.  Even the wallpaper is still intact.  Squelching hot, but we survived.

Our second tour was to the Opryland hotel.  This place was gorgeous... waterfalls, gardens, and streams all within the hotel.  James especially loved it and ran around "his forest".

We ended the day with a carousel ride.  I wish I could say that it was fun.  Two of the three threw massive tantrums from beginning to end and we made an impressive scene as we dragged all three from the carousel to the car.  It was parenting at its worst.