And another...

...the paw-crushing hold!

2 points for a pin!

Timo has been working on his wrestling moves (and I'm serious, this kid loves to be tackled and rough-housed). I had placed him seated on the blanket near Gemma's doll, and then I turned away. A moment later I heard him grunting and snuffling - and this is what I found. If only great-grandpa Jack could have seen this!

Don't worry, the doll was fine. And so was Gemma (she was still napping, so she couldn't protest).

Chalk-time on the patio/driveway

Ready, Gemma? Set, go!

Weekend road trip to Augusta

We took a long weekend for a delightful, relaxing two and a half days visiting Byron & Lauren Morris - and almost-2 Emma and baby boy due in August - down in N Augusta, SC/Augusta GA. (Their house is near the Savannah river, the border between the two states.) Lots of time to catch up on each other's lives, see a bit of their hometown, eat good food and talk about good food, relax at the house, attend Sunday morning services at 1st Presbyterian of Augusta, and even hit up a few yard sales.

It was great to continue the friendship with Byron that began when Jim meet him at Orientation Week as freshman at Wheaton, and in recent years as we have gotten to know Lauren (since their 2006 wedding in Merida, Mexico, which Jim 'stood up' in). And now these two guys have two little girls!! They quickly became good buddies, with Emma happily calling for "Gemma" (or "Dora", as Gemma insisted) and "Timo" throughout the days, with her sweet smile and disposition.

taken in front of Byron & Lauren's house

Much of Byron's family lives in N Augusta, and his parents graciously offered to host us all for the weekend. They were so kind and easy-going with us all there - and we loved being in their barn-converted-house: simply amazing!

view of the side patio of the house, adjacent to the pool

A Saturday afternoon "nature walk" on the family's property (70 acres next to the Savannah River). Gemma kept checking to make sure that the dog stayed close to us. "Where's my dog?" she would say if she got out of sight.

nice self-portraiture, Jim (4 people!)

Emma bringing some flowers to her mommy

Isn't the moss hanging from the trees incredible? It was hard to capture on camera. I like this photo below because it shows Gemma's energetic, confident spirit.

A family pic of us! Huzzah! Thanks, Byron, and thanks for making a joke so we adults would laugh.

I must note that this was Timo's first road trip for vacation purposes. Obviously we also did the trip from Indiana to North Carolina when we moved, but I'm not counting that. He did pretty well in the car (with fussy spurts), and was very happy & flexible throughout our visit, and enjoyed chewing on blocks while the girls played. He had no trouble staking out a closet to sleep in - and took longer naps than he does at home!

On Sunday afternoon, Mr Morris Sr. spotted a turtle on the driveway and we all trooped out to see it and put it in a bucket (for a cousin who requested it for culinary purposes...). Great entertainment for the kids. Well, all of us.

Pool time! The water was still pretty chilly since it has been a mild spring, but the kids didn't mind much. There's Mrs Morris Sr in the background, in addition to two other grandkids/cousins who live nearby. (Gemma loved playing with the older girl cousin and hasn't stopped talking about her since we got home.)

Wow, Jim, you've got two kids in your arms!!

Sunday night we four adults were able to go out for dinner & dessert while the grandparents babysat. Awesome!! Downtown Augusta was interesting to see, with historic buildings and contemporary businesses and a variety of restaurants. We ate at one that served their food tapas-style, and so shared the plates. Yum.

 

Thank you, Morrises, for a wonderful weekend together!

Afternoon tea at Duke Gardens

On a sunny afternoon last week we met up with Dad & Mom and some grad students from Indonesia for teatime at Duke Gardens - celebrating the end of the school year! We hung out in one of the newer sections of the garden, the White Garden, with its pond (and 11 ducklings), terrace, and well-coordinated flowers and bushes (all white of course). So beautiful! It was too sunny to get great pictures of the plants, but Jim took some of the group. Mom brought thermoses of tea and the students contributed some Indonesian food, like gado gado (veggie salad with peanut dressing) and fried veggie patties and tofu and lentil chips. Even Timo enjoyed chomping on the veggies. So much to enjoy and explore in these gardens. Fun times!!

Grandpa and Gemma saying hello to the ducks.

Timo got passed around a bit - and was quite content.

Our group (Jim took the photo) included Dan (left, also ISI staff), students from Indonesia, and Dad & Mom