Picnic

Tonight we had a really nice time at an all church picnic. A member of the congregation owns a farm with lots of land to run and play....and work, I'm sure!

Emmy walked and wandered and checked out every corner of the place....as you can see she was movin'.

Here we were approaching the cows. And suddenly, we stopped.

As you can see, she wasn't so sure about those cows. And when they started to bellow, well, she was even less sure. We got up close, but not enough for her to feel comfortable to touch them...in due time, I'm sure since she is such an animal lover.

Thankfully, there were some chickens that she didn't mind walking right up to. More her size, I guess!

We really did have a beautiful evening. I think Emalyn would agree the hayride was the best part! Well, she was pretty excited to hang out with her friends Carly and Clara! (This is Clara, she's 4 months younger than Emalyn.)

Here is Emmy after church this morning. One of her favorite things to do it pick up the rocks from the rock bed and throw them, of course. We're working on keeping the rocks with their other rock friends.

Off to another week! Enjoy!

She's a Lover

Saturday we visited Oma and Opa to catch up on birthdays we missed over the summer. During our time, Emalyn showed off her kissing skills and tried to smooch the cat, Mac....repeatedly.

She tends to try to kiss, or hug, any animal within reach. And if they are out of reach, you will repeatedly hear, "mmmmuah, mmmmmmmmuah!"

People walking their pets get a real kick out of it. She's so funny... :)

Friends

This is a couple we know from church. I have posted their photo on here before as they are dear friends. We decided to go to the zoo with them and had a really wonderful time! We were in the butterfly exhibit when these shots were taken. The butterfly's are definitely my favorite part of the zoo...too bad I can only enjoy them in the summer!

Just one photo!

Before daycare today, I tried getting a photo of Emalyn because I thought her outfit was so cute....

Not too bad....and then we had a meltdown.

So I thought I would get IN the photo with her...

What a face!!

That one turned out a bit better.

At bathtime that evening we decided to try to comb our hair. Too cute!!

Good Light

In my effort to regroup, I came across the author Annie Dillard.

(Words do me good. A lot of good.)

One of the things that bothers me...a lot...is the lack of "good" that I see in the world.

Peope can be so unloving towards one another.

Sadly, I am right in there with everyone else, NOT showing kindness to others.
Sidenote: This is why you should NEVER cut me off in traffic!! :)

And here I am, trying to raise a daughter how to live like a good girl in this world.

How to forgive. How to be kind. How to be nice. And, we can't forget, polite.

All the while, I want her to be REAL. Genuine, you know?

There are just so many negative outside influences.


The Bible uses the word light often to describe purity, goodness, and love.

Darkness describes all the other crap....

I wish I could see/add more light to the world.

**********************************

"I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of it's beam."

Annie Dillard

treading water

have you ever just felt like any way you look, there's an obstacle course right in front of you? Or you're running as fast as you can only to see other people passing you and all your efforts are useless?

I feel like that right now. And it has been awhile that I have been feeling like that, hence the lack of posts. I think I am just spread too thin...

Time to regroup.

Here we are at the pool:


She's LOVING it. Cant you tell?


Here we are at Daddy's work on Family Day.






Have a good week! (I don't know what is up with the picture quality when posting; these look great on my computer and then they turn all grainy....gotta figure that one out otherwise this is useless!!)

Some Aussie Highlights

Skywalk at Sunset over looking Darling Harbour.
Darling Harbour houses the wildlife world and the Aquarium along with a mall and a bunch of other shops, tour guides and the Maritime Museum (almost forgot about that one!).


The Promenade in Manly
Tourist-y attraction with lots of shops and a small town feel.


Taronga Zoo
The harbour is between the zoo and the city. The views were spectacular as you can imagine.


Sydney Wildlife Park
No one is allowed to hold a koala outside of Victoria or Queensland, one of the two. Basically they want to make sure the koala's stay healthy, so no touching!


Canberra
Australia's Capital. This is the Parliament building.



Sydney Aquarium
A dugong above left and none other than clown fish above right. This place had some amazing aquariums that you could walk through and the fish (sharks, tortoise, and sting rays) swam above you(the three small sharks are pictured here (bottom left)). The bottom right photo was the last aquarium you walked through when leaving the place...see the shark?


Opera House tour
I kinda had to push getting to go on this tour. I mean, how can you go to Sydney without seeing the inside of this saweet building? Totally worth it, and my sister-in-law Melanie thought so too. Unbelievably, I think we might have been the only ones!!?


The Entrance, NSW
We got to watch these pelicans get fed...these are some big birds people. And of course, the audience is lined right up on the edge of the steps leading down to this platform where these WILD birds are going to be "fighting" for the most fish. Really smart...although they probably got some better shots of the birds than me. However, I am completely satisfied with the shots I have!

A beach between The Entrance and Newcastle, NSW
I love the beach. Can't say much more than that.


Three Sisters at Echo Point in the Blue Mountains, NSW


Surprise sunset dinner cruise and night's stay at the Sofitel in Sydney from Cameron (which was won.der.ful!).

Bridge Climb
Because we weren't permitted to take cameras, I don't have shots of us on the bridge climb...but I did it! And it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought! Loved it and recommend it, highly!

I have to go back and see other sights outside of the Sydney area. Australia's huge, so a day trip to Ayers Rock or the Great Barrier Reef isn't really possible. I think we made most of the days trips that we could....there's always next time!

Cutest EVER.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattlogelin/3772792898/

Check this out.

Matt Logelin is a single dad raising a daughter in California after his wife unexpectedly passed away 27 hours after giving birth. He composes a blog outlining his life sans his wife and mother of his child, and believe you me, his writing leaves you speechless.

And here, in this video, you can see just how adorable his daughter, Madeline, is.

In honor of his wife, Liz, he has created the Liz Logelin Foundation. If you want to check out his Blog, the address is www.mattlogelin.com

Thanks Blogger friend, L, for the link on your blog....eventhough Matt is from MN, I somehow missed the newpaper article on him and only just found him through you! (well, a couple months ago.)

A Collection

Playing with Grandpa (7-18).


With Q in the porch (7-20).


In front of the door that wounded her (7-23).


This is how I walk now...(7-24).


This is the cushion from one of the patio chairs. For some reason she loves to pull one down and lay on it....cat nap, I guess? (7-25)


Thanks mom for taking these photos while we were gone...it is nice to see what you both were up to and how much fun she was having with you (and Grampy too of course!).

Down Un-dah

Australia, that is. That is where I have been. Sorry to have left such a vacant hole between posts....I have been a tad bit busy! Will post more shortly! Cheahs, mate.