The OBX

Last week we were fortunate enough to go on vacation for 9 days with my family to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I grew up going to this beach every summer. A lot has changed, the beach has been severely eroded, cottages we played in as kids have been torn down or washed away....but still, for me there is nothing quite like going to that beach. It is truly good for my soul to go there! And it was so fun to be there with my family. Mom, Dad, Ryan, Owen and I were there for the whole week and 3 of my 4 brothers were able to make it down at different times with their families. There are too many of us to all be in the cottage together now, but we made do. 

Owen's first day at the beach--not the biggest fan of the sand and loud ocean. But by day 3 he was having a ball. 

Playing underneath one of the abandoned cottages we played in as kids (we befriended all the out-of-towners). It is now a sad sight but provides great shade and fun place for the kids to play out of the sun.  

Clay, Madeline, Dad, and Jack

Owen and I hanging out on my favorite spot on the boat as we cruise around Manteo.

Dophins.....and lots of them.....really close! What a treat. 

What a beautiful sight!!! We would often get up early and take a walk before breakfast. There is something so rejuvenating about being on the beach early in the morning with the waves crashing and the sun rising! I loved showing this to Owen. 

My sister-in-law got Owen a matching crab shirt for our trip to the beach. We HAD to document 

it. 

Singing "The Itsy Bity Spider" to keep the kidos happy.

Loving the song.

"Out came the sun"....Owen's favorite part.

Just love this look.

Showing off his muscles. 

His first time on e big kid swing.

Clay's, Will's and Ann's kids. 

Just the boys...

Owen's new buddy, cousin Enoch! They really took to each other. What a blessing for both Owen and I to have Enoch there. Thanks E!

When I was young, once a week, we would go down to Oregon Inlet to see the big chartered fishing boats come. I really wanted to share this adventure with Owen. As you can tell, he's loving every minute of it.   

Apparently he likes the bigger fish, Dolphin. 

Yum.....Tuna anyone! 

The vacation was amazing! It was so great to be with my family who I do not get to see enough living so far away. It was wonderful to relax with my feet buried in the sand, a great book (The Help) in my hand and the sun on my face. I love it! Can't wait until next year! 

Do you know anyone considering adoption?

Then mention Rachel and Ryan!

Rachel is the sister of my dear friend here in St. Louis. She and her husband Ryan are hoping to adopt a baby and they have been told that the best way to get chosen by a birth mother is to have some sort of connection or recommendation. To that end, they are trying to spread the word to all of their family and friends in the hope that some of you will consider mentioning Rachel and Ryan if you know anyone considering adoption. The adoption agency that they are using is affiliated with our church, but the birth parents do not need to share our religion, nor do they need to live in New York. Also, Rachel and Ryan would love a child of any race or background.

For those of you who don't know Rach and Ryan, I would like to share a little with you from those that know them best. I have met Rachel and can verify that she is truly a kind and gentle soul. I've seen her with my friends child, and she would make a fabulous mother!

A note from my friend:  "Rachel and Ryan are truly two of the most remarkable human beings that I know. They are loving, lively, intelligent, accomplished, spiritual, and FUN! Ryan is a dental student and hopes to specialize in pediatric dentistry for children with disabilities. He is also an accomplished athlete and loves to get outside and play, especially snow sports, soccer, and tennis. Rachel is a high school English teacher, but she is looking forward to being a stay-at-home mom and hopefully writing a book some day. She is a fabulous singer, a great connoisseur of sweets, and gives 110% to everything that she does. They have both volunteered extensively at the Hogar Del Nino, an orphanage in El Salvador for persons with disabilities, and Rachel runs a program through Help, International where she recruits and trains volunteers to live at the orphanage for several months at a time to enhance the lives of the residents. I can not imagine two people more suited to being parents, and any child would be blessed beyond measure to join their family!"

Please take a minute to head to her blog and read her post about this, which includes more details, or to check out their adoption profile by following this link. We would greatly appreciate any help in spreading the word about Rachel and Ryan via blogs, Facebook, etc. If you are willing to put a "button" on your blog that links to Rachel and Ryan's adoption profile please let me know and I'll get the appropriate information to you.        

Thank you all for your love and support in helping this unique and outstanding couple get a baby!

Beautiful Sunday at the Park

Ryan, Owen and I spent a few hours at the park today. We walked through some of our favorite spots...across a creek where Ryan and I took our engagement pictures 3.5 years ago, by the Muny-an outdoor theater where we have camped out and picniced many times for the free seats, the gazebo in front of the Muny where we picnic often and watch the ducks and swatting away the aggressive pesky geese, and a final stop by the World's Fair pavilion and the big fountain in front. We have absolutely LOVED Forest Park, and are very sad to think this is our last year to enjoy all it has to offer...but we vow to do just that while we are still here!

Ryan and I were trying to feed the ducks that were pretty stand-offish by throwing the bread out to them, but Owen's little throw lacked the umph it took to get to the ducks, and it just plopped over the edge right into the water. Little did we know he was luring in a rather large snapping turtle who after about 10 minutes surfaced and ate up all of Owen's offerings. 

After he ate up all the bread and swam away we moved on to the fountain to cool off. Even at 7:00pm it was still pretty toasty in the sun. 

After the park adventure we came back and had a late but traditional dinner of pancakes with strawberries, eggs, turkey bacon and grits! Can't beat that! What a wonderful Sunday!