Bailey Family

Gideon's most repeated words when we first went to the beach this year were "I wike it" as he struggled to get out of our restrictive grasps so that he could run free and experience this awesome adventure he had never experienced before (at least not to his short memory of toddlerhood). He wanted to run into the ocean, run out of the ocean, sit and let the low waves splash right up to his chin, and not hold hands! The second time we went this week he found some caution, and even said "scared*" once or twice. Still he didn't want to hold hands, but he did more running from the ocean than into it this second visit to the beach. (*Actually what he said was "scared speedo" because I had called his swim diaper a speedo, but what he meant was "uncomfortable speedo" but he doesn't have that word in his vocabulary yet. His swim trunks were in the laundry, so we'd just gone in a diaper and tshirt. Consequently, he got sand betwee...

We began our summer break with a trip to my parents for my grandfather's funeral. Daddy Tom had suffered a stroke 6 months earlier, and it had been a hard half-year for him, for my grandma DeeDee, and for others in the family helping take care of him. So, although death is always sad, we were at peace knowing he was free from his physical suffering. We enjoyed time visiting with family we don't see often enough, remembering good times and funny times, and taking pictures. My brothers have the best memory. I laughed with them, but struggle to remember things like they do!  The house was a little full with our family (Mom, Dad, 5 kids and their families) Later that night it got really full when my aunts and uncles and as many of their kids and families that could join us were there! Jacob's on a quest to get Gideon to like him. Gideon (like several of mine) is not the crowd-loving type, and was not happy about the noise. Kristen's a favorite and he f...