the Rays: Catching Up: October, 2010

HAPPY OCTOBER...I know, on Christmas night. Well, back in October (although I really want to be writing about snow and evergreens) we went on a roadtrip. If you look closely at the above photo you CAN see mountains very faintly peeking out from behing the tree line. Those mountains are the Blue Ridge...and within the first week of October we headed to Charlottesville, VA...our home for 5 years and the place where our first born was born! WOW! Charlottesville also has a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains which I think our girlies missed because they were asleep. A beauty in and of itself.

We traveled to Charlottesville mainly to visit friends and introduce these same friends to our second-born. This was Sophie's first trip out of utero.
This sunset welcomed us at our place of rest on Stony Point Road. A delight.

Our first morning we went to visit a dear friend who had traversed the road of first pregnancy right along with me. This sweet lady and I shared a lot of time on the phone figuring out what we were supposed to do with these little babes we had birthed...and now these little babes seem all grown up and are flourishing in their roles as older brothers and sisters!!! Time flies! So grateful for you, Vaida, and our time!!!

Michaela and L, reconnecting after munching on Bodo's.

FLASHBACK: The same two kiddos at age about 4mo!!!

...And at age about 20mo!!!

We had such fun! Tickling, snacking, playing, walking, a sunny morning with a beautiful family...Grateful.

We returned to "home base" in time for naps and then our dear friends, Mark and Kelly, came over to play and eat and chat.

First we played! (Then ate and chatted!!!) The girls loved the swingset and Sir Mark (who was a great motor.)

Michaela got all the slide-encouragement she needed from Kelly!

All in all, a sweet sweet time. As I've mentioned before on this very blog, Michaela and Kelly have had a serious bond for the many (3 1/2) years of her life. It is an amazing thing to have people that I love be an integral part of my very own children's lives. Another taste of heaven.

Here is M with Kelly in March of 2009. LOVE!!

On Sunday, after adventuring to church (and it was an adventure!), we had some more precious friends over for a Bodo's picnic lunch out on the porch. (Yes, we ate a lot of Bodo's Bagels)

Sharon (the L&D nurse who delivered Michaela) with her newest Ray aquaintance!!

Andrew with some of "our" youth group boys...who are now amazing young men!!!

Those same kiddos, their senior year of high-school with M (age 1!!) Oh, SO SWEET.

After Sunday lunch with the Fickley's, we had our dear friends and mentors, the Copelands, over for dinner.

This smiling man, holding M, not only gave the charge at our wedding, but also let M come and live in his house...FOR A WEEK...when she was only a year old and Andrew and I were in Honduras with 14 teenagers!!! True. Story.

M loved reconnecting with Unca Bill and Aunt Sherry....and so did we!

Sherry (of course) had a few delightful little gifts for the girlies...books, espadrilles (size 3), and a feather boa...(more on that in a minute)...Sherry and M engaging in their favorite activity!

FLASHBACK: These happy two in March of 2009. Can you FEEL the love? I can.

Somehow the boa ended up on Unca Bill...I just know there will be lots of laughter like this in heaven. LOVE to you TWO!

And the next day our gracious hosts returned! We'd been staying in their house...without them, but then they were back and we THOROUGHLY enjoyed time: cooking, chatting, eating, chatting, playing, and chatting. There was a lot to catch up on!
Dear Miss Anne including M in the meal prep!

M brought her ballerina outfit to C'ville, but didn't break it out until "the boys" got home!

I've never seen such pride in performance! (Thanks Michael and Nate!)

FLASHBACK: M sprinting with Michael down the hall, March 2009.

Such a delightful time with you, sweet Colbergs!. Thanks for being family!

I'll be honest, it took us some solid time to recover from our Charlottesville galavanting. Sophie hadn't slept a single night through while we were there...and so we were tired. We also (definitely)...(never) socialize in such concentrated bursts, so there was much to decompress from and process through. Really quite a great catalyst for conversation. Fruitful.

Anyway, once we caught our breath back in Philly, we decided to do a photo shoot, one bright sunny Saturday morning, with our family and two other families we've been getting to know over these past months. It was fun. These types of events are always fun when you have really cute kids, which we happen to have... (in my completely biased opinion)

:-)

Melt.

Michaela with an answer to prayer...I've been praying for friends for M...and this sweet girl is one VERY definitive answer...

And this sweet girl is another...answer to prayer, that is! GRATEFUL.

Oh, by the way, Sophie started walking...while we were in Charlottesville...she felt like 10 1/2mo was the right time to get up and GO...and she hasn't slowed down since.

Here I come, World.

"This world does still confuse me, sometimes."

Michaela in the SAME (amazingly, wonderful) elvish cozy suit, circa Jan. 2008. Thanks Auntie Jo, for THE BEST suit-EVER!

Mmmm, I do looove cute, cozy things. Oh yes, but in the same breath, I'm mourning the loss of summer. We had another gracefully warm day in mid-October where we actually went apple-picking again! There were different apples ripe, of course, but an apple's-an apple-an apple to this girl...YUM.