Grasping at the straws of summer....

I am now a few weeks into the semester and as the weather shifts from the dramatic heat to a crisper chill I just don't want to forget summer quite yet. Here's a few highlights...

Beaching it in Florida

This one loves the beach

Loves loves loves the beach

She slept with me the whole trip

And we stayed in paradise (also known as Jim and Julie's house

Working on getting around 

gardening with Mimi and Grama Great

checking on the tomato plants

In the zoo in the rain

chewing on papa's chain

lots of strawberry jam

potty training.... a big summer project

beaching at Titi Laur's

Our favorite kind of selfie

A big star of the summer, the water table

Swimming in Florida

Baptism

on her baptism day

working on my garden

Adventuring

chillin at Whitefish beach

baby friends

this is polar bear, we also have little bear, big bear, terry bear etc

playing

she really does like swinging

picking tomatoes, note the Dora bandaid

Raining in Waterton

probably our best family photo of the trip

eating, messy

playing in lake mcdonald

on top of Big Mountain

enjoying a cool day

encountering big dogs

cutie

Ahh summer, in a few weeks it will be a distant memory. Sigh, fall is always a good start but summer was good to us.

The waters will hold you up!

Right before Simba got a bit wet

All smiles.. at 8 months old.

Pastor Dad splashed Simba pretty good but she was unfazed by all the water!

Simba and titi

Simba and Grandma-Great

Mama and Simba

Today we had the pleasure of standing up in front of our community and making public our intention to raise Simba in a certain path. It was a good day, similar to Nemo's baptism a few years ago. What I wrote then is still certainly true. I see baptizing babies as a way to form a covenant with God and to be held accountable to that decision. Our community welcomes in adults, adolescents and children warmly. But is also true that we are making a decision for our daughter, one that she may choose to embrace or reject as she gets older. Which will be her choice, hopefully guided by God's presence in her life. I look forward to seeing what decisions both of our girls make as they get older. I'm sure that they will be interesting!

Through generations...

Grandma-Great and Simba

I already posted this picture on instagram and facebook but it's worthy of more adoration. It's one of those captures that makes me pause and just look. My daughter with my grandmother. 

It's as though I am looking through time. I have pictures of my grandmother looking at me just the same way. And Simba's face is just delightful in this picture, she is doing her thing enjoying life. 

I love how it captures these two people, so special and important in my life. 

Welcome Simba!

On a crisp, sunny fall day in Chicago...

We welcomed Simba into our family!
(not her real name, hers is much less Disney)

We think she's pretty awesome

And so do most of her admiring fans!

Many more pics and stories to come. But for now I will say that Simba is fitting nicely into our family and we are incredibly grateful for her!