catching up

It's been busy around here! The last few days have been full for us. There have been hospital and pastoral visits, Ken is now a trained volunteer for Alive Hospice and has his first "client," our daughter and family were here for part of the day on Monday, and I've been nose to the grindstone preparing for some PC events. Well, and then there's been the usual church work! I've had limited time at the computer and hate when that happens.

The standout time from the last week has most certainly been the time with our family. The boys are growing so fast! We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Luke's favorite, Cracker Barrel, then headed to a local park that is a wonderful place for families and kids. The large playground is full of things on which to climb, slide, navigate and test balance. It also includes a small "zip line" that captured Luke's attention and proved a great opportunity for the shutterbug in the family to capture some fun shots.

Cross has a new accessory. The helmet he wears is to correct plagiocephaly, a flattening of the skull that can occur during this stage of growth in infants. The helmet allows for more normal and symmetric development of the skull.  

This is only the second time we've been with the family since Luke was six weeks old (I don't count Kenneth and Trisha's wedding, when there was so much activity and no one-on-one time with them), so Luke is still a bit reserved with us, and doesn't quite know who we are. Ken, the extrovert, wasn't the least affected by this, but it was a little different for me. I am so grateful that we have turned a corner after some difficult years and are moving into a more comfortable and trusting relationship with Ashley and Travis. I am beginning to feel like a grandmother, though I think that will really happen when one of the boys initiates a "moment" with Nana!

Not to dwell on that: Luke loves being in the water, so I rolled up my pant legs and got into the wading pool with my camera. As he splashed around there was so much joy on his face. It was hard to capture those precise moments of elation as he spun about quickly, bu I managed a few good shots, and am happy with those.

Would love to show you more pictures, and maybe will another day, but this will suffice for now. Today I'm buckling down with other tasks on my plate, basking in the glow of growing Nanahood.