Hayley's quilt

Last fall Hayley asked me to make her a quilt.  She is coming (with the rest of her family) on Friday to spend the weekend and to go to an Auburn football game (that's the birthday gift she asked for).  I told her that no matter the outcome of the game, she'll have her quilt to take home with her.  Happy 12th Birthday, Hayley!

End of August

This month has been different from what I was expecting. I thought we'd enjoy lazy, slow days up to Labor Day, then dive back into activities and schoolwork. Instead we've all been non-stop busy - but it's been very very good!

Tom and Jacy are back in school at Auburn. Sarah and Joan are in classes at a community college and at a church in Auburn. Joan had her 16th birthday (and got her driver's license) and Karin had her 21st birthday. Amy picked up the keys for their new house on base in Mississippi, and moved some of their things into it already. Hayley started 2nd grade. Sarah began working at the library (and is reading a book a day - I'm so jealous!) and David went back to work at the high school filming the football practices and games. Steve made several trips for work this month, the most recent one being a trip to the Gulf of Mexico to take a client out fishing on a 55-foot boat (what a job, huh?). I filled out reams of paperwork for school/doctor's office/dentist's office/field trips. And I did knit, crochet, and read when I could.

We tried a few new recipes, but I'll admit we also had a lot of meals consisting of cereal or sandwiches (Steve was away a lot, remember?)

Today we went to the lake after Hayley came home from school.




The babies were so excited and they played non-stop.





Amy was excited about her new phone and played with it.





The older kids and the dog swam and jumped off the dock numerous times, built sand castles and forts, and stayed active.





Joan plugged in her iPod and napped.





Sarah found a quiet spot far from the madding crowd and read a book.






And I crocheted and read.

Dryadettes?

If dryads were the nymphs of oak trees in Greek mythology, what would we call nymphs of oak hydrangeas? (Marley and Sam covered Abbey and Mady in these leaves and they reminded me of the dryads in C.S. Lewis's Narnia books.)

Madyson is 2

Madyson turned 2 on Monday. Joan made her birthday cake and we went out to the lake to swim and eat cake. Happy Birthday, Mady!

Shopping at the Piggly Wiggly

Several times today Abbey told me she needed to go to Piggly Wiggly. Each time I replied that no one needed to go, as I had done the grocery shopping yesterday. She was persistant. Finally, late this afternoon I agreed that Abbey and Madyson could walk to Piggly Wiggly with their Aunt Sarah. They grabbed their bags and went shopping for miniature M&Ms.

The lake is full now

We went to the lake today for a few hours. I sat on the beach warmly dressed in sweatshirt and sweatpants, but the children and the dog all went in the water. This was not a stellar day in the nutrition department either - I fed them pizza, coke, and powdered sugar donuts. But they had fun and I enjoyed watching them play.

It's spring

David took his schoolwork outside to do, and Abbey tagged along.

And the cherry tree is almost in full flower.

David and the babies

Geej sent the girls Valentine books and David read one of the books to Abbey and Mady.

Fresh flowers

The doorbell rang. The FedEx man handed us a box. Amy opened it to find lovely roses sent to her and the girls from Glenn.

Ponytails

For years Glenn kept his little sisters in pretty hair styles. I didn't have the patience or inclination to do anything other than brush the girls' hair, but Glenn would make them braids or pretty ponytails for church or just when they wanted to look special.

Last night Joan put Abbey's hair up in a ponytail on top of her head. Madyson immediately started saying, "Me, too! Me, too!" Mady's hair is maybe three inches long - on the top of her head, and nowhere else. But Joan figured out a way to scrape a few hairs into a ponytail for Mady and we took a picture.

The girls and David

David is a good uncle. He cheerfully allows Abbey to use his ears as reins when he plays that he's a horse.

Glenn is on the plane to South Korea now. He should get there around 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. our time, but it will be 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. there.

We're hoping to hear from him soon after he gets off the plane.

Feeding herself

Several nights ago, while we were eating supper, Mady helped herself to a serving spoon and proceeded to eat with it. After we noticed what she was doing she hammed it up for a few pictures.