Vacation in Granby, Colorado

This picture was taken from the balcony of the house we stayed in. I love sunsets and this was beautiful. I love the beach the best, but the mountains come in a close second. I hope we get stationed in Colorado some day. It is so beautiful in the mountains and I would love for Keara to grow up close to cousins.

This is part of the Windes Family. We met up to celebrate my mother and father in-law's 40th wedding anniversary. We also got to meet our niece, Madeline (Maddie for short). She is off to the side dozing in her stroller in this picture. She is 3 months old. Keara really liked her and kept petting her like she was one of our cats. She also liked to share toys by dropping them on Maddie. Next time we get together Maddie will be big enough to play with Keara a little more.

Keara had such fun running around at Winter Park. It was nice to see her having fun with her dad. He leaves soon for Iraq and I want her to spend as much time with him as possible. She is such a mommy's girl and usually only wants me. Maybe that will change when he gets back.

Brandon and his brother with their daughters. It is crazy to realize that we are the middle generation now instead of the youngest. Where did the time go, 30 is just around the corner.......

My niece Maddie. She is so cute and adorable. I am glad that Keara has a cousin so close to her in age.

New Header Picture

I know I already posted this picture on my blog, but I love it!!!!!!! She is just the cutest little kid. I think I am going to send this picture in to the Pottery Barn Kids photo contest. They select one picture a month. The winners are posted on the website and they have their photos in the next catalog.

It is so amazing to watch her grow and see all of things she is learning. It seems everyday she has a new noise or gesture. She is quite competent at walking now and never crawls. She gives high fives, and makes a humming noise when she gives kisses. When I sing her lullaby's before bed she sings along with me sometimes. Now of course she isn't saying words and she is usually monotone, but it is just so sweet to hold and rock her and sing together.

Fay's Leftovers

We got back from Colorado on Tuesday night to the remnants of Hurricane Fay. It rained all night and all morning long with lots of lightning and tornado warnings. (Yet another reason I don't care for it here. Give me an earthquake, but keep the hurricanes and tornado's!)
Our pool was okay, but my neighbors didn't fair so well. Water drains from the new houses next to us through our backyard and into the neighbors yard which is a little lower than we are. This is the 3rd or 4Th time their pool has flooded and it is an expensive pain to get it cleaned out.

This is the house that borders our backyard. It is empty right now and I hope the people who move in get warned about how their backyard floods under heavy rain. There is a long sheet of plastic, about 2 feet high, between our yards that helps to divert the water to the drain and mostly out of our yard.
The drain is under 2-3 feet of water just past where the small trees are.

Pictures in the Park

We went to a park near the downtown today. It was fun, Keara got to run around and I got some good pictures. She really seemed to like being able to walk around and explore. And as usual, finding something to eat she shouldn't. This time it was a leaf, but her dad got it out of her mouth before it was swallowed. She did make a funny face, so it probably didn't taste very good. Her newest facial expression is wrinkling up her nose when she smiles. She still likes to snort a lot to. It is a greeting for her, and she snorts pretty much at everyone that talks to her. By snort I mean a quick exhalation of air through the nose that makes a blowing air sound, not a snort like a pig.

She managed to keep her shoes on the whole time we were there.

She loves to clap her hands when she is happy and having fun. Especially when her dad is playing with her.
This is now one of my favorite pictures of her. I just love her eyes.

Tooth Number 2

Keara now has two, slightly crooked teeth. And she likes to practice using them on fingers and noses. And pretty much anything else that fits in her mouth.



Yum, Yum!! Open wide. She gets so excited when it is time to eat, and she opens her mouth as wide as she can possibly get it.

We played a little in the grass when we got home today. It wasn't too bad. I only got 2 mosquito bites. Keara is still not so sure about the grass. Plus, our yard is on a slightly downhill slope and she kept falling down when she was walking. I am trying to get her used to wearing shoes so she can walk around outside. She almost always walks now and only crawls a little. She is getting so big, she turns 1 year old in a month!! Where has the time gone? Seems like yesterday I was sneaking out of the hospital to go to the opening of Patch Multi Crafts.

More Myrtle Beach

Sunrise
Yum Yum...apparently sand is quite good tasting. She even tried to eat a shell!

We let her play at the edge of where the water would come up. Occasionally a wave would get her. She was fine in this one until the wave started going back out and she lost her balance. She was fine, didn't cry, plus dad got to her right after she fell over and tossed her up in the air. That always gets a smile and a laugh out of her. Over all she had a blast and she loved to be in the water. Yay!!! I have a little beach bum. She even got a bit of a farmers tan on her arms, despite 60 spf sunblock. At least she doesn't burn like me.

Sunrise - Sunset

Sunrise at Myrtle Beach
View along the beach at Myrtle Beach.
Sunset at Nor Cal Beach near Ft. Bragg.
Same beach during the day.


If anyone were to ask me my favorite place I would invariably say the beach. I have swum in the Pacific, the Gulf, the Atlantic, the Adriatic, the Mediterranean, stuck a big toe in the freezing cold North Sea, and walked the beaches of Normandy looking out across the English Channel. I love it! No where else do I feel as close to God and at peace as I do at the sea. Since moving to North Carolina I have been to Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach. I have to say I was disappointed. They were far too commercialized. I much prefer the ruggedness of the Northern California Beaches. In many places there is not a high rise hotel in sight and there are maybe 10 people on the beach, instead of hundreds and where the view is nothing but hotels. The water may be colder, the fog may sometimes block the view of the ocean, but it draws me. It reminds me of my childhood, camping out with my grandparents and building sandcastles on the beach with cousins. My mother once told me that she could see the ocean from the hospital where I was born. It has been in my blood ever since. I hope to pass this love down to my daughter. So far she seems to like it. Especially the taste of the sand! I spent far too many years landlocked and hope to avoid that again.

Myrtle Beach Sneak Peak

Here are a few photos from this weekends trip to Myrtle Beach.