Easter in WV

My dear Dad and Mom with Ross. My parents still live in the home of my youth. We have a tradition (pictured) of making cinnamon rolls for holidays.

Wrapping up a fun day at the Clay Science Center in Charleston, WV.
Pictured: Dad, Me, Russell, Barrett, Skye, Lydia, Christina (neighbor) and Ross (in the back).

Quickly assembled out front on our way to church.

Dad and Mom with our three kids.

June McCain Beach Trip to North Topsail Beach, NC

We missed the Bishop girls. They were away all month serving at a Young Life camp.

Early Christmas and New Year's in Greensboro

We celebrated our first McCain family Christmas away from Charleston. It was great to have everyone here for a family-filled weekend visit!

The east coast had a record-breaking snowfall and so we headed out to go sledding in the middle of Brassfield Oaks Dr.

We spent New Year's Eve at home with dear friends and family.

A memory: At the last decade end, we also celebrated with the Churches. They had a bash in their home and we put 4-month-old Ross down to bed in a pack-n-play in their closet while we rang in the new century.

Thanksgiving 2009

Lydia's 2nd grade class (she's in pink)

Russell and Daddy pose in the teepee.

Great friends, family and food!

McCain Beach Trip

Cousins: Russell 3, Anna 15, Ross 10,
Bethany 12, Lydia 7, and Fre 18.

We were delayed in joining the McCains at the beach this year due to a virus (plus poor Aunt Liz, who got it from us). When we were finally cleared to roll out, Russell buckled himself in his car seat with his blankie and bear before we had even eaten breakfast. He was READY to see his cousin Barrett (with Russell above) and his grandparents!

Reflection on the photo above: How many years until you all will walk away to college and your lives beyond that? We savor our long days and short years of raising you. Our goal is for you to 'fly' successfully.

Nice sand pile, bro.

Fun to stomp on.

JT notes this photo is reminiscent of Newton's concept of himself as a rapt child wandering along the beach, picking up a pebble or a shell, while the vast ocean of truth lay undiscovered before him.

My brother-in-law (Bill), DadDad, and my brother's baby Skye.

MiMi playing ball with Russell.

Our first year in this adjoining duplex.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

We had a super-fun beach week with the McCains. We missed Uncle Jim and Aunt Pat, as she had a terrible fall last month in Arkansas. We were in a different duplex in North Topsail this year. The best accomodations so far: the adjoined duplex gave us space and privacy. This place had a covered porch on two sides with seating for 15 outside, so we enjoyed dining al fresco each night! Our new neice, Sky, was a delight- just like her older brother! We enjoyed time with everyone, including Yahtzee with Anna and Roller Skating with DadDad, Russell, Ross, Lydia, Jen, Anna, and their precious, adopted Ethiopian exchange student, Fre.

Spring 2009 Photos and Quotes. Easter trip to WV, Meeting Skye McCain

For Easter, we continued our tradition of spending Spring Break with my parents in WV. The highlight of the trip was getting to meet my brother's new baby, Skye. She is beautiful and our nephew (now 3) is, of course, a fabulous Big Brother.

Lydia wrote this journal page about our trip. It begins, "Soon I am going to my..."

Here are a few other stories:

Russell (3) to Lydia (7): Your bedroom door is locked. I did it because there were mons-ers in there.

Russell called the store's 'elevator' an 'allivator' (sounds like alligator).

Russell walked up to me while I was checking e-mail and said, "I need to do some things on the re-puter. Do you have any Spiderman.com on there? "But how do you get P-iderman to fly? What if he runs out of battery?"

Lydia (7) was bargaining with me about a crucial girly party she might miss due to a trip: "Mom, I'd want you to make it up to me like you did that time you took us out for ice cream. The trip (itself) won't work. Shoes would work."

Lydia is pretty dramatic. For example, asking her to pick up her socks might lead to this cry: "I'm being tortured. TORTURED, I say!"

February 2009