A Week in Texas

Shepherd and I returned from Texas Saturday, but it has taken us several days to get adjusted and caught up enough for me to post. Here is a brief pictorial history of our trip. (It wouldn't be quite so brief, but I kept grabbing Mom's camera instead of mine. Oops.)

First stop on our trip was in Abilene where me and my college girlfriends (we call it our Fat Tuesday group) had a little reunion. This reunion looked a good bit different from our last get together 3 years ago because we've added two babies to the bunch, Shepherd and Emerald's precious daughter, Lily. Of course, no trip to Abilene is complete without a walk down memory lane on ACU's campus. Unfortunately, it was too hot to walk, so we road the golf cart 'taxi' instead. Here is Brittany and Erin holding Shep for the ride. (excuse the poor angle. it was bumpy.)

We spent a lot of time hiding from the heat in Emerald's beautiful home. This is a photo of Shep and Lily getting acquainted soon after our arrival. Of course, 'getting acquainted' mostly consisted of Lily telling Shep what he should do and Shep blissfully ignoring her. It really wasn't that different from mine and Shep's own dynamic here at home.

The next day, we went out for dessert. Lily was very relaxed.

Shep was flirty.

At the end of Saturday, it was group photo time. These girls are sooooo pretty. (inside joke)

In Menard, Shep met a whole slew of my uncles, aunts, and family friends. Here he is checking out Uncle Edwin.

One of his favorite activities was crawling all over his Pap.

Sometimes, he was more graceful than at other times.

Mamm had all sorts of fun trying Uncle Bro's old baby hats on him. It's a grandma thing.

Of course, there were tons of more things we did, but they are all on Mom's camera. And I'd better go right now. Shep is about to eat some paper, and I should probably try to stop him.

Torn

Tonight, I'm posting from Menard, TX where Shepherd and I are visiting my parents. I've spent this weekend reuniting with my college girlfriends, watching my parents fawn over Shepherd, and taking my little guy around town to see and meet many of the people who were part of my childhood. It has been a good weekend, but I can't help but feel torn about being here.

Tuesday afternoon, BJ's grandfather passed away. The viewing and funeral were Friday and Saturday. My initial instinct was to cancel my long-awaited trip and head to Indiana, but BJ's family, with generosity and love, encouraged me to keep my plans. They reminded me that Shepherd and I had been there when it mattered, two weeks ago when Grandpa was able to see us. So while I'm having a wonderful vacation, I am living in the tension that is so often a part of life. I am rejoicing with those I love who are rejoicing and mourning with those I love who are mourning. The two are existing at the same time, and that is okay. It is not taking away from this trip. If anything, it is reminding me just how precious the moments are that we share with our family.

When I get back to Kentucky, I'll post pictures from mine and Shepherd's trip. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for BJ, his grandfather, and his family as they have gone through this loss.

A Fun Way to Spend Sunday Afternoon

First, look innocent and sweet so that Mommy takes her eyes off of you for just a second. It will only take a second.

Then, crawl over to the kitchen hutch, pull out all the pretty, brightly colored place matts,...

...and bang on the metal bowls until Mommy comes to see what you've gotten into now.

Last but not least, flash a big ole' winning smile. That way, she'll be too busy taking pictures of you to get on to you.

BJ's Parenting Techniques: Part 3

It has (finally) warmed up enough in Farmington, KY to go for a swim. In anticipation of this moment, I bought some swimming diapers for Shepherd. While cooking dinner Tuesday night, BJ said he was going to take Shepherd for a swim. I told him where I had put the Little Swimmers, and he promptly let me know just how pointless he thought diapers for swimming were. According to him, they aren't going to keep any urine or anything else out of our pool, and they basically served no purpose whatsoever. The next thing I knew, this was the view from my kitchen window:

In his characteristic, no-nonsense style, BJ decided going commando was a much more sensible option for Shepherd.

I joined BJ and his little skinny dipper the next evening. But as soon as swimming time was over, I wrapped my baby in a fluffy towel.

Although Shepherd will most likely one day be glad I wrapped him up quickly, he'll probably never forgive me for this blog post.

For my deprived mother...

Since BJ, Shepherd, and I have been on the road so much, my mother hasn't been getting her typical dose of Shepherd photos every few days. She emailed me this morning requesting I remedy this. Here are some picture of Shepherd over the past few weeks.

Here he is getting into my art. As soon as the photo was taken, he was re-routed.

Although every parent thinks their child is a genius, this picture gives me pause.

The only way Shepherd can get within two feet of Gus without Gus running:

He was only happy here because he had yet to realize that the luggage was out because we were about to be on the road for another 6 hours.

"That dog is big, Mom. Really big."

I took this picture to demonstrate just how big his eyes are.

Playing with Daddy:

Mommy (aka designated family worrier) did not entirely approve of this.

Getting into Nana's yarn (he did make just as big of a mess as you would imagine):

So there you go, Mom. Hope you enjoyed!

Why it has been FOREVER since I posted last

Sorry everyone for the dry spell, but BJ, Shepherd, and I have been on the road. To make a long story short, BJ's grandfather has been diagnosed with cancer, and it is a very serious situation. BJ and I have been married almost five years, and it turns out that is long enough to really love your in-laws like they are just plain old family. All of my grandparents have passed away, so it has been a pleasure having BJ's grandparents as my own, and his grandfather is truly an exemplar of what a family patriarch should be. He loves his family fiercely, and he quietly takes care of them behind the scenes in a way that is truly humbling. Please keep him and the rest of the Gensics in your prayers. They are special people.