happy florida birthday

This is a picture Kirsten took on a night flight coming into Minneapolis.

Yeah, I swiped this from facebook, and that ain't Florida.

 Friends:

 Here's a picture from James' graduation, Kirby right in the middle of nine of our kids.  Heidi wasn't there because she had a newborn baby, but we picked up a few friends along the way.

 Baby days, Kirby sacked out on her dad:

And now, living in a beautiful place near the ocean.

Kirsten Elisabeth?

It was fun to facetime today, and in a matter of weeks, we'll be together again.

I hope Florida is everything you're hoping for.

This whole big, loud family loves you and was wishing you happy birthday today while we were partying at Grandma and Grandpa's.

We could not love you more.

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Girl.

love forever, MOM and DAD and EVERYBODY

a great week

I started my new job this week, all good.

And we spent last weekend in Babytown, also good.

These three little girls.

Oh my goodness, cousins!

Onward!

This has been a beautiful fall.

love, Val

babysitting day

love, Val

dragging that dock out

love, Val

being at the lake in the fall

 We don't even go over to the water much.   The wind across that lake is refrigeration.  In the back field in the sun it was warm and lovely.

 The babies are hard to get good pictures of sometimes.  They're cute as can be, and then the light isn't right and the pictures turn out blurry.

Trust me, the babies are adorable.

 Those big brown eyes, and curly eyelashes.  She looks like my daughter in law as a baby.

These two hadn't seen each other in a week, though they normally spend all day, every day together.  Julia's the aunt, and p.j. the niece, but they interact like sisters, both the closeness and the scrappy, rude parts.  The storming around and waving arms.  But then they end up back like this again shortly.

 This dog.

I called the vet today and left him a message about her meds.  Her allergies have gone into overdrive this week.  I was going type here that the itching is some kind of human suffering, but she's not a human, even though she's a good friend of mine.

This is one itchy friend.

 This gang.

 And these two.

All y'all?  I love you very much.  Love, Grandma

good night, cabin

 That's the littlest brother over at John's, in a leaf pile.  He's so grown up and sassy these days.


Autumn in the woods is beautiful.

Beautiful October.

Sleep well.

love, Val