Strawberry Pickin'

Last week I took the kids (crazy to say kids) strawberry picking at a farm close to Athens. The weather was divine! We met my good friend. Beckie and her cute son, Henry. The boys promptly broke every 'rule' they had at the farm.... no tasting (yeah right... it's a strawberry patch) and no crossing the aisles... a few strawberry plants may have gotten trampled by excited little boys. Nora was a dream and actually slept most of the time. 

Here are some pictures of our adventures...

Us tasting the fruits of our labors (I am so funny, I crack myself up sometimes :-) )

Me stealing a kiss from my little man.

Andrew thoroughly enjoying breaking the rules. Enjoying his strawberries... stem and all.

Hmm... maybe one more.



We ended up picking a gallon for us and a gallon for my parents. What did we do with all those sweet berries you ask?

Strawberry muffins...

Strawberry Jam...

Strawberry smoothies, salads, and just straight up strawberries! YUM!!

Mimi and Papa Visit.

Morgan's parents came into town the weekend that Nora was blessed. It was SO great to have them in town. We thoroughly enjoyed having Mimi and Papa here. Andrew sure was crazy over them. He has a great fondness for his Papa Stinson. 

We tried out some great restaurants in Athens, had a wonderful time visiting... and Mimi and Papa soaked up every minute they could with Andrew and little Nora. 

Nora showing off her skills to her Mimi.

Morgan's parents took Andrew to the little Zoo here in town and to the park. Andrew was on cloud nine having SO much attention!

I'm not sure who's expression is better! Papa and Andrew got pretty into the swing.

They were also very sweet to watch the kids for an afternoon so Morgan and I could sneak away to a movie (Hunger Games) and dinner (Last Resort... a must if you're in Athens!!)

It came to a close all too fast. We can't wait to see them again!

Easter 2012

We had a wonderful Easter. It was nice being about to teach Andrew more this year about the importance of Easter and the wonderful gift Christ has given us. We had a simple celebration with my family. We had an Easter egg hunt with all the McKinney Grandkids (minus Nora and Brooke!). I thought our kids looked so cute. Morgan's mom had sent me Nora's dress and I made a pink tie for Andrew so they'd coordinate.

P.S. Doesn't fatherhood look great on Morgan? I swear he gets better looking as the years go by :-)

Nora's Blessing Day

Our little Nora Jean was blessed today in church. We were lucky enough to have a large group of our family there. It was a treat to be able to have my sweet husband, my Grandpa, my dad, my father in law, and one of my brother in laws to be able to stand in the circle and give her a name and a blessing. It was a beautiful blessing. She has a lot to look forward to in her life!!

It was so great to have Nora wear the dress and baby bracelet that I wore when I was blessed as a baby. My grandpa made the bracelet. It was a special treat for me to be able to see my daughter wear it! My mom also made a blanket for Nora. I'll be excited to be able to get some more use out of it, too!

Here's a group shot of all the family together today.

Nora and her mommy and daddy.

This picture sums up our life so well. Me with little Nora... and Morgan with crazy busy boy Andrew.

Doesn't she look so sweet!?

This was such a special treat and surprise. Nora is named after my Great-Grandma Endres. I was never able to meet her, but I have always felt a closeness to her. (I too am namesake of her, her name was Lora Lenora "Nora", my middle name is Lora.) I have only heard such wonderful things about her. She was a very loving and giving person. My mom has such wonderful memories of her and often speaks of her generosity and what a wonderful lady she was. She was a wonderful seamstress and cook who taught my grandma, who went on to teach my mom, and then me.... If my grandma is anything like her (which I know she is), I'm positive I would have loved her just as much as my mom did. 

Anyways, this framed embroidery is from a set of dish cloths she made, one for each day of the week and a chore that went along with the day, except for Sunday which is a day of rest. This is the only cloth that remains and shows her use of it from years of cooking. 

My mom framed it for little Nora so she will always have something from her namesake. She recorded on the back of the frame the history of it along with a picture of my Great-Grandma. Its such a treat and blessing to have something that was made by her loving hands. I know it will be treasured by me, and Nora. 

I'm so glad when daddy comes home!

The kids and I have been at my parents house this past week to allow Morgan some time to complete some big school assignments. We all missed Morgan big time this week. I thought that I missed him the most, but obviously little Nora missed him more than I did...

... Look at that big smile!! She sure was happy to see her daddy!!