Remembering Family

Summer is here! Having a baby brings a whole new reason to love summer.... It is so much fun to include them in doing all the things you love most!

Rachel is such a busy bee, but we feel really lucky to snag some time with her here and there. She is lifeguarding again this summer, getting ready for another semester at University, and still playing in the Razorback Marching Band, though she does have a bit of a break from that right now.

Harbor really loves being creative- 18 months is a great time to break out the finger paint, sidewalk chalk, and crayons! He has really enjoyed "writing" on the driveway. Being outside doing anything makes him happy, and sidewalk chalk is actually really relaxing for me, too!  : )

Harbor William is such a water baby! He gets really excited about taking showers, washing his hands, seeing lakes and ponds, and swimming outside. We have been spending lots of time in swim diapers and Walmart is making a bundle on the amount of sunscreen were using!

Besides sidewalk chalk, Harbor is really into coloring. It keeps him busy whenever we eat out and I am always thankful to eat at restaurants now that have crayola packets available!  : )

One of our favorite things to do as a family is walk in the evenings. We recently walked a three mile loop on a local bike-path in town to feed the ducks. I didn't even change out of my dress from work.. just threw on some rocket-dog shoes! Ha, ha! It was fun and actually fairly cool since it was later in the evening.

And more swimming... I think we have been in the pool, either at home, David's mom's house, or the local aquatic park every day for two weeks... 

Swimming at Grandma McCash's house.....

Over Memorial Day, we took a whole day to honor those in our family who have gone on to their Heavenly home with Jesus. I love having the tradition of decoration and can't think of anything better to teach Harbor about honoring his family.

 

We first visited the National Cemetery to pay respects to my granny's husband, Jim, who served in the service and also my granny's brother. The flags were so pretty!

Just in the last two weeks, Harbor has started to say "ladybug", though it doesn't come out quite that clear. It sounds more like, "luddle-luddle", but we know what he is saying. We found several and Harbor was pretty much mesmerized.

We then visited a small, country cemetery about 30 minutes away where my dad's father is buried. My granny's parents are both there, as well.

Four generation pose- steps away from my granny's mother's resting place.. We like to think she is with us in spirit, so I joked it was really our five generations pose.  : )

We then drove to a different gravesite to pay respects to my dad's brother. This cemetery has a duck pond that is teeming with ducks who are used to being fed. I'm not a big fan of geese- I think because they hiss and charge too much for my liking- but I tried to be a good mom and let Harbor feed them anyway.  : )

Our last stop of the day was a small graveyard in our hometown where David's father and nephew are buried. David was only 20 when his daddy passed and he is sorely missed. Our nephew was two years old when he died.. It was very tragic for David's family to lose such a little boy. David and I were dating when Christian James died and it had a profound effect on David. I think he and Harbor would have been good playmates. It felt good to talk about them and tell stories about each of them on the drive there.

David's daddy, Ed.

And our little nephew, Christian James.

This life is only a short passage through time... I try to remember that my heavenly home is what my eyes should be set on. Honoring those who have gone on ahead is something that I would love to instill in my children. Death and life are both a part of God's plan and that we should not fear the unknown, but trust in Him who is our sustainer, constant provider, and ever-lasting hope.

School is out for summer! Monday will be my first officially week without my students. I do have to report back for several workshops, but I am looking forward to turning off my alarm, wearing as little makeup as possible, and spending time with my boy. I just started working on next year's Christmas cards to get them done while I am off and have the time to devote to them. My plan is to whip a dozen or so out everyday during Harbor's nap times. I love knowing that when the craziness of Thanksgiving/Harbor's birthday/Christmas hit, all I have to do is stick a stamp on them and be done! 

Happy June!