You Capture - Winter

First of all I'm glad (and not surprised) that my daughter is too smart to drive while taking winter pictures. That said, here are some pictures of what winter means to me.

First of all it means that the koi pond that I enjoy so much in fair weather becomes a source of stress in winter because even when there is the required hole in the ice to allow gasses to escape and even though I'm sure all the koi are in a sleepy stupor at the bottom of the pond, you never really know what's going on down there until everything thaws in the Spring. Here's how unpleasant and worrisome it looks now.

And look at the birdbath where there's no room for birds.

And look where I like to sit. There's certainly no room for me now even if I wanted to sit out here.
It's all so black and white, isn't it. Winter has taken over. We're locked inside (except for the snow shoveling and who wants to embrace THAT!

But I found some beauty. I just don't know if I captured it. Here are my efforts.

And the thing I love the most about this winter is that I'm retired from being an all-walking mail carrier. I'm starting to think my timing was exquisite.

For more You Capture or to join in the fun and post your own winter shots, visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry.

David Michael

Twelve years ago today this beautiful baby was born at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.


I was thrilled when his mother invited me into the delivery room and the moment of his birth was dramatic, heartwarming, and beautiful.

David is such a special boy. He is very tall and strong for his age so he's a natural athelete. He's creative and artistic. Six years ago he gave us a cd for Christmas that was filled with songs that he played on the piano.

Now he plays the trombone.

David is also very sensitive and caring toward everyone that he encounters including his three younger siblings.

He loves his entire extended family as well and treasures and appreciates the times when we can all get together. He's serious about his studies, is responsible, and gets good grades. All in all David is a pretty spectacular boy and we're very proud of him.

But with all these amazing attributes, do you know what one of the most impressive things about David is? He's twelve years old today and he's been a faithful reader of my blog since I started it.

Therefore I'd like to take this opportunity to say Happy Birthday, David! You rock!

Not Just An Ordinary January Weekend

Despite the terrible weather we've been having and were having on Saturday morning, we ventured out Saturday afternoon on a brief sojourn to Louisville, KY to see out brand new 18th grandchild and his family.

You'd think going 300 miles South would reward us with bare, cold ground instead of snow but no, that wasn't the case. There was a solid ground cover of snow from here to there and back again.

On the plus side, Trey Cooper is growing and even more beautiful than he was. Who would have thought that was possible. You'd better have a peek:

What do you think? One of the cutest babies ever?

Of course, we got to spend some time with his older siblings and that was wonderful. Here's a peek at them:

And then there's the customary family shot that I always try to get when we part from one of our beloved children and their families:

Aren't they a beautiful family?!

So we breezed down and back and didn't encounter any really bad driving conditions. We spent about 10 hours on the road for about an 18 hour visit including sleep time.

I have two thoughts about that. I'm so glad that I'm at the stage in my life to have the kind of freedom to do something like this. AND..

it was worth every minute of it.

You Capture - 2009 Favorites

It's so nice of Beth to give us a chance to include the pictures that we took and loved in 2009 but that didn't fit in the week's assignments.

One set that I was excited about included the sunset pictures taken at the beach while we waited for the fireworks in July.






Others that I loved included some nature shots that I took back when I used to walk religiously:



And finally some sunset pictures taken of a wild sky with a brilliant sun. We happened to be traveling West and the constantly changing sunset was incredible. I probably took almost 100 pictures of it. Choosing the ones to include was almost inpossible and I'm still not sure that Mr. Right and I got it right.





Oh and the zoo pictures! I can't believe I almost forgot them. Just a couple okay?



Oh and Garden of the Gods. I almost forgot Garden of the Gods. Just 2 - that's all then.


For more favorites of budding professional and dedicated amatuer photographers like myself, visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry and if you've got some favorites, this would be a great chance to join in.

Our Christmas House

It started on December 26th. We moved many of our Christmas decorations, all our cookies, my special very hearty beef barley soup and ourselves into the house our family rented for a week because it was big enough to accommodate everybody.

For one week, I saw a beautiful grandchild's face every time I turned around. I got to see one of my children and his or her spouse any time I wanted. I made ice cream cones every night. We took 14 of our grandchildren shopping so they could pick out their own presents. We feasted on Beth's tea ring every morning. One night I heard my sons laugh together for hours like I hadn't heard them laugh in years - a deep, hilarious belly laugh that makes me smile to remember it, sharing a bond that's been part of their lives since they were born. You can see how hard they're laughing in this picture:


We all went to lunch together. I watched my grandchildren play together and interact with cousins they hadn't seen for a year and I appreciated what wonderful children they all are. Despite the fact that two of the kids couldn't make it, for one week I was overwhelmed with happiness and joy. And, I got to talk with the new mommy in our family everyday while she kept us updated on our eighteenth grandchild's progress.

We may not get together as often as many families but when we do, it's complete and intense and lasts for a solid week and it doesn't get any better than that.

Then, suddenly, all too soon, it was over.

Trey Cooper

Beautiful perfect blessing, Trey Cooper, was born December 21st, 2009 at 4:56 Eastern. He weighed 8 pounds 14.6 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. He came out looking like a perfect baby who had been around for a few weeks. He was strong and robust and you couldn't look at him without falling completely in love.

Just look at this baby at the ripe old age of 6 minutes:

And here he is at exactly 2 hours of age.

The most recent pictures I have of this beautiful boy were taken at a little over 18 hours old. It doesn't seem like it would be possible but I think he's getting more beautiful by the hour.

And now I can't stop praying and thanking God for this gift. At my age and with my experience, no one knows better than I do that these miracles can't be taken for granted. Trey is here. That makes the grandchild count 11 boys and 7 girls. And one great grandson for good measure. We are truly blessed.

Best Early Christmas Present EVER!

I'm back. Back to Indiana, back to my blog, and back to my old routine - at least for a couple of hours. That's when some of our Christmas family will start arriving. But that's not what I'm here to talk about at all. (Although having the kids and their families come home IS the GREATEST on-time Christmas present ever.)

Friday we went to Louisville. Sarah, our youngest was having strong, regular contractions off and on for several days. We (Beth and I) just couldn't take a chance on missing the labor and delivery that we felt so honored to be invited to. We spent the weekend walking and shopping and timing contractions that came and went at the whim of Somebody with a great sense of humor. We were relaxed, though, knowing that Monday would be "B" day since, at 1 day short of 41 weeks, she was scheduled to be induced.

Monday morning she went in and even the machines clocked regular, close and strong contractions. The doctor broke her water and that was the closest she came to be induced. One thing about Sarah...she labors beautifully.

Here she is at about 4 centimeters. (She was 3 to 4 centimeters and 80% effaced when she arrived.)
Here she is in the throes of the greatest agony she had experienced ever ... and at 5 centimeters:

And here she is about a half hour before the birth but an hour or so after her epidural.

And here she is with the greatest early Christmas present EVER 13 minutes after he arrived:

And again at 39 minutes post birth:

Does my daughter know how to have a baby or what!!!