He Leadeth Me

Disclaimer: This is the very unscientific way that I write our annual Christmas ABC letter.  #1  I look at all the pictures from the past 12 months  in my computer photo album. #2  I start picking ones I like, and match them to letters of the alphabet.  #3  I get all the letters filled in and realize that I have only gotten to March and almost all the pictures are of grandchildren. Oh, well, welcome to our very happy world. And forgive us if we have left out an important occasion that included you. A is for ALL about Family. Thank you Lance White for taking this four generation picture when we were visiting Houston.   B is for BUSY. Cora is one busy little girl and has no trouble at all keeping up with her brother and cousins.  C is for CHURCH. The ladies of our church had a wonderful retreat at Glen Eyre Castle. Thank you Ashley and Jeana for all your work and planning.   D is for DISNEYLAND and of course for Ducca.  We ha

Cora loves to fold laundry--and who am I to deprive her? My favorite part is how she narrates what she is doing.  "Now do this, then..." So proud of herself. Nana found her a new jean vest. This was the 2 seconds she wore it. Like her mama before her, she has her own ideas about clothing. Snack time is serious business.   She loves doing art. Those hands! She got the hang of stickers very quickly. But swinging is probably her favorite thing. One of her cousins thought of this chair contraption for her. And on the tire swing she just kept laughing and saying "Faster, Faster!" I'm not sure who enjoys Nana School the most-- Nana or Cora.

As some of you might have heard, we had to cancel our trip to Oregon for my nephew's wedding and for our annual sibling trip because my sweet husband had another kidney stone surgery last week. As you can imagine, I was just a little bit sad about being home while my family was celebrating. Jeremy knows how much I love the Labor Day Balloon lift off in our town, so he and Caleb and Aaron picked me up at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, Mandy was working and David was recuperating. We parked in our traditional spot across the lake and enjoyed the sights. My friend Brenda Brizendine got a terrific picture of a balloon and its reflection in the lake. That's what I was going for in this picture.   Mine doesn't compare to hers. No, this little girl is not part of our party, but our grandchildren make friends wherever they go. Darth Vadar was a huge hit with the boys. Yoda was also impressive. The Mardi Gras clown was