Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Here are some recent photos. I guess you all know I'm never at a lack for photos, especially of Josiah. On Sunday we're off to a wonderfully unexpected 10 day Christmas trip to North Carolina where Tim and Stephanie now live. Tim and Stephanie still haven't met Joe so I'm pretty excited about them finally meeting. Mom and Dad will be there too. We're bummed Tommie couldn't make it this time. It just won't be nearly as fun without her!

Let's see, what's new lately? It's been hunting season for a while now and Casey is responsible for managing the wildlife here on the ranch and this year the goal was to get at least 15 doe. So far he's at 8. We'll be glad when hunting season is over because he's leaving pretty early every morning to get out there before the sun rises. I'm sure he's enjoying it more than me! :-) He loves it out there, and he has great time to spend with the Lord, while he's sitting there waiting for the deer.
I've been taking more pictures lately, of more than just Josiah. I love getting out with my camera! You can check out saltandlightphotography.blogspot.com if you want to see some of my work.
Josiah is wonderful. He's crawling all over the place. While I'm doing the dishes or something he'll crawl into the kitchen and just sit there and jabber on and on. He's so funny. With his new mobility he's quickly learning what no means, and we're seeing a little stubborn streak in him. Casey says it must be from me. :-) He's probably right.
Well, I better get going. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! This is our prayer for you-
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2

Happy Late Thanksgiving

Joe's first Thanksgiving. He loves sweet potatoe, and of course the little bits of whipped cream that the grandparents would sneak in while I wasn't looking.
We took Brenda to the park for her birthday.

Me and a friend were out with our cameras. You can see how Josiah feels about it.

Hi! Well, it's been a few weeks, but I'm back. Let's see... here are some photos from the last few weeks.

Where did our easy baby go?

Josiah is now pulling up on the coffee table, so there's no stopping him! And he thinks our concrete floor is way cooler than the blanket I have layed out for him, so there's no stopping 'til he gets to it. He managed to get to Casey's Bible and rip a page out of it before we realized he had it. I guess it's now time to rearrange. :-) And, he used to just lay there and babble or smile or whatever when we changed his clothes, well, not anymore. He's a little wild guy! BUT, of course, he still makes us smile and laugh every time we turn around! He's so fun.

Home again.

At home in sunny Texas before our trip.

At home before the trip. Just trying out different shots.

Josiah at Manitoe Park in Spokane.

Joe in dad's paint hat.

Mom carrying Josiah in the sling. Both very happy!

Me and Josiah at Manitoe.

Four generations!

Well, we're home. Actually, we've been home longer than we were even there. It was a wonderful trip, but too short. Joe traveled like a little pro, hmmmm, maybe he takes after his mommy in that area. On the flights it was like he thought the whole plane full of people were there just to make him happy. It worked! We had a great time with Mom and Dad, Granny Connie and Grandpa Tom. I don't think Mom set him down the whole time! Josiah also got to meet my grandparents in Seattle, which was so important to me because it's rare that we get to go up there any more. It was a quick trip but at least we got a few hours with each of them. And ohhhh, it was so beautiful! The fall colors were amazing, and the mountains, the clear rivers, evergreens, etc. Mt. Ranier was beautiful and awe inspiring as always. When I'm up there I'm always reminded of how God created it all for us to enjoy, and if that's so beautiful, what will heaven be like! I guess I need to start seeing His beauty in the mesquites and oaks and dry creek beds here, since it seems that this is where the Lord has us for now. Anyway, I rambling now and no one wants to read me chattering on. It was a GREAT trip and I am SO VERY GREATFUL TO MY PARENTS FOR MAKING IT HAPPEN!

Now back to normal life. Joe's got 6 teeth, sitting up, pulling up to standing with the help of the furniture, almost crawling, constantly making us smile!

Okay, well, I'm writing for a second time. Here's a photo from Casey's horse show this weekend of Josiah in the sling I carry him in.

I can't seem to get the photos at a good size so they don't look choppy.

These others are just me practicing taking baby pictures, I have the perfect baby to practice on!

Joe and I are going to Washington this week to see my family. I'm sure I'll have more photos and things to write about when we get back. Bye for now.

Can I really do this?

Well, I'm about to find out if this is really as easy as it says it is, and then later we'll find out if I keep up with it. I'm still not quite sure why this will be better than just emailing, I guess I'll find out.



These photos are from Joe's first camping trip, a couple of weeks ago. He did great and we had a wonderful weekend of swimming, hanging out with Kelly, Jenny, and Connor, relaxing, hanging out with other good friends from Bowie, swimming, strolling through the woods, and oh yah, swimming. I've been feeling somewhat "confined" so this camping trip, although short, was a huge blessing for me! Thanks to all who made it great, especially Casey and Josiah!

Well, that's all for now. We'll see how long before I do this again.