Our Love Story: Part VI

Goldilocks pokes her head out of a cabin not her own to bring you the next installment of the ever-intriguing, memory stretching saga of the Newman lovebirds.

Enjoy...

Seeing Chris in the doorway of the park pavilion, my recently exed boyfriend, made me waver. I was shocked, I felt awkward and scared…especially knowing that Matt, the man that had stolen my thoughts and visited my dreams, might be coming. For these two men in my life to meet would be tragic and would quickly dispel all my hidden thoughts about a future relationship with this single, handsome and ever respectable man.

I had just recently broken Chris’ heart, right? Why was he standing there smiling? Why was he HERE at all? Was he checking to see if I had been lying about ‘that guy from church?’ Was he hoping to get back together with me? Was he just trying to torture me?

I stood there, looking dumb and not trying to hide it. My mental fingers were all thumbs and if I couldn’t even put it all together in my head-how was I supposed to TALK or know how to ACT? Eventually I welcomed him and quickly added the inevitable question. My attempt was at friendly nonchalance, I tried not to sound like this; “WHY in the WORLD are you here?!?!” But perhaps I did. I don’t really remember~I think I squashed this memory so far down that it now resides in my little toe-a good place for it, if you ask me. All I remember was how worried I was that Matt would show up and see Chris.

Chris reminded me that he had been invited for the party BEFORE we broke up and that he saw no point in us not being friends, just because our relationship was over. Could it be POSSIBLE that a relationship gone awry could still end up on good terms, even staying FRIENDS? Of course, the idea was exciting. I did like Chris. He was a great guy! To leave a relationship amicably would be wonderful…to leave it as friends would be amazing.

I was happy to invite him in then, as long as I knew what he was thinking, but I must admit I was OVERJOYED when Matt never did show up that night.

~ ~ ~ ~

In the next few weeks Matt was becoming a better friend, though at a snails pace and Chris had BECOME a ‘friend’ so my life was happy, simple and busy. It was about this time that the whole rye dip, recipe creating, manhunt ensued. My life was going pretty smoothly, considering.

Smoothly, that is, until the night when Chris asked if we could get together “Casually, of course.” He came over to my house that night…my parents had gone to bed and we were sitting on the couch chatting about our respective college lives, jobs, families, etc. All was going pretty well, until Chris started getting all sentimental on me. He started talking about the good times we had had…how he missed them and wanted them back…how he couldn’t live without me.

Then, he got right down on one knee and held out a box. A tiny one. One that couldn’t possibly hold anything more than a tiny piece of folded paper, a piece of candy, a coin, or say…a ring. The words that came next took my breath away.

“I love you, Rebecca, and I will become the man that you want me to be. I will change in any way you want me to. I’ll do that for you because I love you and can’t imagine my life without you. Just please, give me the chance.”

With that, he popped open the box and revealed a shining glittery and oh-so-sparkly ring cascading with diamonds.

My eyes soaked up the sparkle. My heart stopped. My breath wavered.

“Rebecca, will you marry me?”

Music to your ears?

By the time you read this, the children and I have no doubt already left and I thought that you might, at some point throughout the week Mattie, miss we three and the noises that we fill the house with when we are there.

I thought perhaps you might like to hear a bit of that noise every now and again-so you don't forget us. Or that we love you. More than anything.

So~ we made you these videos.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

One of your boy and one of your girl.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

And for the voice of your lady...call me tonight! ;-)

ILUMM

Your Sugarbear <3 and childer two

Our Love Story, Part V

It wasn’t long before I realized I had made the right choice. Once the hard part was over (actually breaking things off with Chris), it wasn’t that difficult to imagine my life without him. I don’t even remember missing him, which leads me to believe I had prepared my own heart for the break long before it actually happened.

I think I might have known all along that, had I continued on with Chris, I would have “settled” for less than the Lord wanted for me. Perhaps I had already begun to sub-consciously *hope* that the Matt who had outwardly reflected my inner desires might be single and be able to offer those things to me. But mostly, I think, I knew that I had been trying to ‘force’ something just because I wanted it so badly. Just another example of how oftentimes God plans to give us things far greater than we would even imagine for ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy at times.

Each Sunday, Matt made it a special point to find me and to say hello. Though I had just freed myself from a relationship-I was at a loss at how to act around the opposite sex-or at least, this FINE specimen of them! I blushed like the schoolgirl that I was, couldn’t find anything intelligent to say without stuttering, and found myself giggling uncontrollably. I hated that. I hated how I appeared and thus, I tried to avoid him to save myself from becoming a blabbering idiot.

I remember one particular Sunday, I successfully avoided him several times. If I saw him heading my way, I would make my way to the other end of the room and start a conversation. If he looked my way, I made myself look busy. I felt so ill at ease around him, I thought it best to avoid him altogether. After several successful detours, I noticed him walking my way. I was blocked in by people so I couldn’t run. All were in deep conversations, so I couldn’t join in. I was stuck…and he was approaching. I didn’t know what to do, where to turn, so I slipped into the children’s Sunday school room. I hoped he hadn’t seen me. I prayed it was so…because if he did-WHAT would he think of me locking myself in the Sunday school room, all alone and for no particular reason?

He came in. Well, I guess he saw me.

“Hey! What are you doing in here?” He asked.

It was a logical question. But what was I to say? “Oh, you know…you scare the bajeebers out of me so I hid.” No.

I said the only thing that would come: “Ummmm..Oh, nothing.” So Eloquent, Rebecca. In that moment I felt as young as I was.

He chuckled. I cannot recall ANY of the following conversation, because I was too flustered to pay any attention. All I could do was feel the heat radiating from my neck-creeping toward my face and turning crimson its path-all the way up the part of hair on my scalp. Nope-I don’t remember a lick of the conversation…which is probably a good thing. I can only imagine how refined I must have sounded.

Each week we spent a bit of time chatting with one another and each time it got a little bit easier. We spoke of nothing important and only spent just a few moments with one another. It was all very casual. He spoke to me just as he spoke to the Pastor’s wife, the widows, and the men of the congregation.

While Chris wore his emotions and intentions on his sleeve, this man was elusive. You never knew what he was thinking. I never knew if he actually WANTED to talk to me, or if he was just being his pleasant self.

In fact, Matt and Chris were entirely opposite in every way. Matt was strong and masculine, his tanned skin revealed his love for the outdoors and his thick hands and chiseled biceps proved he was accustom to hard work. Chris had pale skin, was tall and thin and worked hard to make himself look ‘cool’. His muscles were in his fingers-as the only thing I ever remember him ‘working on’ was calling people on his cell phone or reaching to turn the dial on the radio. Most importantly, though, while Chris would have started dating me by now, Matt was just saying Hello.

When Matt and I spoke, he was always looking down and never made eye contact. It infuriated me!! If only he would LOOK into my eyes, I might know if he enjoyed these conversations as much as I did. I would know if he replayed them in his head during the week or if he tried to soak up the memory of my face, as I did his, so that during the week, my thoughts would actually ‘see’ him. But he didn’t and he never suggested any interest except that he would make it a point to chat for a moment with me. But then again, I thought, he did that to everyone else.

Graduation had come and gone and my graduation party loomed. I knew that I might be brazen to do so, but I invited Matt to come along. The whole church was invited, so I wasn’t going out on a huge limb. Really, I just wanted to visit with him in a setting outside of church and for, hopefully, a greater length of time. Though I tried with all my might to act casual when I invited him, my face betrayed me by turning a bright shade of fuchsia. He said he would try to be there and that made the lobster-red all worthwhile.

The day came~ the pavilion was decorated, the food set out, the music played in the background, all the guests were trickling in and I was trying to greet everyone. I was so nervous and excited at the same time, it was hard to act calm. After a while, the flow of people arriving lessened and yet, still there was no Matt. I chatted along but my eyes often glanced by the doorways, checking to see if he had arrived. Suddenly, a shadow in the doorway caught my eye. It was a man, I could tell, and he appeared to feel a bit awkward. I let out a little gasp and tried to coolly walk up to him. I was SO excited that he had come! I couldn’t WAIT to see what he was wearing (up til now he had only dressed in his Sunday best) and have a chance to talk to him in a natural, relaxed setting. I could wait to drink in that handsome face and those deep, brown eyes.

But when I came closer, I realized…it wasn’t Matt. It was Chris.

To be continued…

A Cloodle

Here is a little clue about the costumes for the children this Halloween.

Any guesses what they might be?


Ps...Our Love Story, Part V comes tomorrow...so be ye prepared. You'll never guess what will happen next...

For a Chance

I normally hate to post contest 'stuff' on blogs, as my blog serves also as my family 'memory book'. This one, however, was worth it. Kim is hosting a Vision Forum contest that will award five participants $150.00 worth of merchandise from their 2008 catalog. Go to Kim's blog to see rules of participation...and hurry. Today is the last day!

Here is my wishlist...please Kim! Make it come true!

A Church in the House ~ $12
Family Man, Family Leader~ $16
Elsie Dinsmore Audio Book Set One~ $30
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Children~ $10
Home Making~ $20
Ten P's in a Pod Audiobook~ $30
Suffer the Children~ $10
Missionary Partriarch, The True Story of John G. Paton~ $24

*Edit~ I realized I had 'wished' for a few things that didn't have the VF emblem next to it, so I switched those items around. On the off chance I am one of the blessed five... :-)

Bookbrained, bird brained. I am both.

Deep breath. It seems like there is a WHOLE lot on my plate today. Come to think of it: there was yesterday too and will be tomorrow, this week, and for several months ahead. It seems like I am trying to do entirely too many different things at once, and my nightstand is a prime example. Look at all the books I am CURRENTLY reading. Yes. Every single one of them. If I can't even reign in the BOOKS on my reading list, how am I EVER to reign in all the OTHER stuff?!?!

There are so many books, it was hard taking a picture that would show all of them with titles still readable. I wanted to share them with you, along with a few of my thoughts on them and I would LOVE to hear what you have thought of them, if they too have graced your nightstand. As you can see, I got my 'homeschooling books' in the mail recently. I have been having lots of fun reading them and working on a lesson plan for our Rynnie Roo. I am not done but I have a good plan in my head-now I just need to jot it down before my memory fails me. Again.

So-here is my plan thus far. I am going away from Monday to Friday of next week, the children and I going BACK up North to visit with family again and some friends that we have missed the last few visits. Primarily, so we can celebrate Halloween with my sisters' family, a tradition since the kids started coming. Besides, I am making the childrens' costumes this year and want to show them off! ;-)

Anyway- when we get BACK we will start right in on schooling. No more dawdling, no more excuses. I now have in my ownership everything necessary (maybe not the most beautiful wonderful programs that I still spend entirely too much time coveting) but working methods, nonetheless.

Naturally, with a four year old, first things come first. So the primary focus for schooling right now is going to be reading and character traits.

I am using the methods in The Writing Road to Reading ( minus the silly stuff that is totally unnecessary, like fingering letters in rice ...) Each day we will work on her phonograms; writing them, saying them, hearing them. We will start with six at a time, and when she gets those down pat, I will add six more and so on. We will do these five days a week and perhaps 'quiz' with the flashcards on Saturday too.

Along with this we will be focusing on biblical character traits, all of which I found here. Hubbard's Cupboard is an excellent resource for young children and I HIGHLY recommend it. I have been implementing ideas from there for Corynn since she was two years old. Each week we will focus on one character trait; we will read related stories that exemplify the trait or the opposite trait-both from the Bible and from other resources. Each week we will also be memorizing a verse or selection of verses pertaining to that particular trait.

Each month I am also going to work on teaching Corynn a psalm by heart. Even I, having grown up with psalms, could use more help here.

So that's it. Once she begins reading, I will begin First Language Lessons by Jessie Wise. An EXCELLENT book, one which I highly recommend. I will also begin the Story of the World Book 1. I expect those books and lessons will come with her first official year of homeschooling and so, I have a while yet to worry about them.

We are going to be teaching using the Ecclectic Classical approach...and yes, I just made that term up. Basically, I am just allowing myself some variation from the strict sense of the word Classical.

I have read and am REreading the book The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Overall, it was an excellent book, however, I found it to be lacking in several areas. The main objective of the book, in my estimation, was to raise brilliant children and the NEWMAN goal is to first and foremost raise Godly children, secondarily they can be brilliant. ;-) I know that the Mother/Daughter authoring pair are Christians and it was even written within the book that they had to 'de-religionize' (yes, I am famous for making up words...) the book at the demand of the publishers they purposely chose to use. So, I give them that. I was, however, hoping to find a book that covered my needs more specifically.

I found the book Teaching the Trivium, Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn and immediately snatched it up-assuming it would be ALL I would want. Unfortunately, again, I find it to be lacking. Now, admittedly, I have only read to about page 50, leaving me about 600 more pages to change my opinion, but these are my thoughts thus far. While I WAS looking for a Classical Approach reflecting more Christian goals and this book certainly meets that requirement, it seems this book is far too much so. The Bluedorns speak of raising our children in Holiness (which I proudly affirm for myself), but that the only way to do so, is with HOLY resources. They reject studying anything from Greek and Roman literature, they refuse to study and take heed to anything from Classical Humanist Authors. I feel this is in excess, and that MUCH good can be gleaned from reading these works. No Homer and Plato, Cicero and Caesar for them. God has given even the 'reprobate' talents...common grace, people. We would be foolish to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Wouldn't it be MORE prudent to USE the information learned from them FOR HIS GLORY?

I will continue to read this book in its entirety, and will hopefully get an abundance of God-centered works to include in our studies...but I am quickly losing hope that there is one particularly wonderful book out there that represents, line for line, the approach I plan to use. I am thankful, though, that I have BOTH resources so I can glean the BEST from both worlds.



Now, enough about schooling. What about the FUN ones? Keeping House, The Litany of Everyday Life is just fabulous. I have learned mounds from such a small book and again, I am not even halfway through it. Here is a quote I found particularly interesting:

"Of course, housework is about making a home, but a Christian home, properly understood, is never just for one's own family. A Christian home overlows its boundaries; it is an outpost of the kingdom of God, where the hungry are fed and the naked are clothed and there is room enough for everyone." pg.12, 13 in PREFACE

See? Riches are in there.

The Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook is another one with great riches. The kind of 'Richness' of Scotch Shortbread and Brandy Sauce Superbe. It is a New England recipe book, illustrated by one of one of my favorites: Tasha Tudor. It is a collection of recipes specifically for special occasions. It this little tiny square of a book, I have already realized my need for a 'Butt'ry Cupboard' in my some-day house. ;-)

Let's see....I think I covered them all. Ah yes. One more. Little House in the Ozarks by Laura Ingalls Wilder. How could I forget?!?

It was discovered that the married-woman Laura, wrote for a Farm magazine and was quite the well-rounded individual! While she lived tucked quietly away in the country, she was surprising up to date on politics, government, and 'current' news of her day. This book is the collection of her rediscovered writings and so, is filled up with many smallish articles covering topics from the Goverment US Dept. of Treasury to how to have a successful orchard. Nearly every article has at least ONE particular quote I would love to share with you all, but again, my time is so LIMITED these days, I haven't been able to do it but once. It is a delicious book, that I savor, even if only in small increments, each and every night.



Those are the books that have been keeping me entertained lately. Now, for the activities? Well, it seems just as we got back from going away for a weekend, I will be going away again. There was time enough to unpack and do laundry, just to repack it all again. I have been trying to tie up all the loose ends that have been dangling from my shirttails this last month, all before I leave. The costumes are not quite done, the baby gifts aren't either. The quilt I had been working on still needs to be whipstitched, the quilt blocks need to be mailed, the apron is all cut out and waiting patiently for me to be free from all other responsibilities. And the afghan? The one for Mattie's birthday come February? It is not further ahead and hasn't even been picked up for nearly two months. *sigh* Ah well.



Remember last week when I spoke about sharing my books, recipes, and sewing projects with the world? Well, two out of three ain't bad. I have just finished boring you all with book details and if you hop on over to Kitchen Riches, you will find a few more updated recipes there...INCLUDING one for Granola. I remember too long ago someone asked for a recipe and I only just was able to find, test, tweak and adopt one as my own. I hope that, whoever you are (I am sorry I have already forgotten) and whereever you are, you discover this and go check it out. I do hope you try it and like it, and tell me then what you think. Psst. That goes for all of you. If you try a recipe, let me know what you think! Makes me feel like I am not wasting my time! Also...thank you mystery person for the Granola request. It was fun and made me go outside my comfort zone and do something I hadn't done before. I do very much like requests and I want to encourage anyone and everyone to make them, if they would like. I can't promise you'll get a recipe the next day (as I like to post photos with my recipes) but I can promise one will come! As for Mandie's request for freezer meals: I am working on that. Again, I want to post photos with the recipes but here are few ideas that I will cover as soon as I am able.

Shredded Pork/Beef BBQ
Chicken Potpie
Waffles
Meatloaf
Soups
and
Lasagna

Also-it is always super handy to have ground beef pre-browned and frozen. You can pop it in soups, spaghetti or anything requiring ground up beef.


For quick company treats, check out the Company Icecream, Biscuits and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to reiterate, one more time, that I would LOVE to hear feeback on the books from above. Let me know if you agree/disagree with my thoughts, if you liked/disliked the books mentioned, or just general thoughts. I would love to hear some thoughts on the subjects. Just remember: be kind! ;-)

Our Love Story: part IV

Click on the OUR LOVE STORY label for all three previous parts...


Chris had this teeny crackerjack box of a car. It was a two-seater convertible and it was awkward (for my six-foot tall frame, anyway) to get in and difficult then, to get comfortable. Not to mention, I imagine I looked quite comical in it.

The next day, the soonest he could come was the evening, so his black ‘cool car’ squealed to my curb after dark. I don’t remember where we went exactly…all I remember were the streetlights we passed, the lights from the houses, stoplights, stars. I knew just what I had to say, but I hadn’t a CLUE how to say it. So, I just dumbly stared at anything that would break the silence of the dark outside.

Chris piped up, “You seem a bit distant.” And he put his hand on my knee, reassuringly. “What’s the matter?”

I just sat there, in silence. My lips simply would not part. I couldn’t do it. But Gosh. I HAD to say something! I mean, I was the one that asked that we ‘talk’ in the first place.

There was so much on the line at this point. This was the first man that I had opened my heart to. He loved me and had certainly THOUGHT of marrying me. I would break his heart and a piece of mine, too. I had just turned 17. I was graduating high school in a few weeks. This was too much for me to think about right now! I seriously contemplated putting it off. Maybe, the Lord would work in Chris’ heart in a deeper way and he would become all I want in a man. Or maybe, I was just procrastinating.

I said a prayer, hoping that I would make sense to him. Hoping that my words would not hurt him. Hoping that he would mutually agree, we would shake hands and thank each other for the time we had spent with one another, then happily part ways. Hoping for a miracle.

I drew in a breath and then slowly let it back out. False start.

So I tried again. This time, what escaped with my breath was a torrent of apologies, compliments, explanations, and concerns. I explained that I had loved our time together and appreciated so much how he had been the one to open my heart to the idea of a relationship. I told him that he was a wonderful man and would make a wonderful woman so very happy, as he knew how REALLY be tuned in to a relationship, how to sacrifice and compromise, how to spoil and make someone feel cherished. I loaded him up with compliments so that when I told him that while he WAS all those things-they weren’t GOOD ENOUGH for me, it wouldn’t break his heart or worse, make him lose control of the car and kill us both.

Once the conversation started, (well, conversation implies two participants and at this point it was all me talking..) the words flowed pretty easily. Eventually I got to the point. To the heart of it. To the knife. “I don’t want to be in this relationship anymore Chris.” As much as I didn’t want to, the silly, stupid clichés that women still use today spewed from my mouth… “It’s best for us BOTH.” “Staying in this relationship would be unfair to YOU.” Yada yada yada. Now that the dam had been broke, I filled the air with words in order to avoid the impending reaction.

He was shocked. And quiet. He just drove. His silence shut me up completely. While just moments before I wasn't allowing him to talk and dreading with my entire being his response-now I wanted to reach over and strangle him so that he would say SOMETHING. ANYTHING! Eventually, something did come. One single word. “WHY?”

Now, I don’t know if what was spoken next was the right move or not. Might I remind the audience I had just turned 17 years old. Might I also reiterate that this was my first real RELATIONSHIP so this was new territory for me…

“Well, Chris. These men came into my church on Sunday and, for some reason, I saw what I wanted my husband to be. I was impressed in the reverence he showed during worship, in the great desire to learn and heed the words of scripture, in the compassion and mutual respect he showed ALL manner of people, even the elderly, in the great passion in which he sang. Don’t get me wrong-I don’t know the guy. I mean, I just met him. It isn’t like I want to date him or anything. Not at all. But-I do very much like the way that he IS and whoever I marry NEEDS to have those things. I don’t see those things with you. I see you…doing quite the opposite in fact.” Then, I began to list his related ‘failings’.

At that point, he got angry. I found myself at my very own doorstep not long after. Of course, tears had been flowing the entire car ride and that didn’t stop once I was in the safety of my room. Was what I had done the right thing? Or had I just thrown away the best (albeit only) relationship I had ever had, one that promised MARRIAGE, because of some super high expectations that suddenly revealed themselves to me in the last month?

It was over and I might have made the worst mistake ever. Or maybe, I just did the best thing for me. I didn’t really know. But I still grieved. Not just for me, but also for Chris. The man who had shown so much kindness to me, and whom I had just so deeply hurt.

to be continued...

Weekend Review: Ithaca Farmers Market

We are back from our short weekend away. So much happened, so much to show. I have just spent the morning (no exxaggeration!) posting all the photos from the few days away and my time has all been spent up-but I will spill forth a few choice words (heehehe) just to set the scene.

Friday I worked my tail off in preparations for our trip. I was determined to make a new precendence for trips...that is, to leave the house LOVELY and in doings so-make it more welcoming to return home to. How many times do we STRUGGLE to finish last minute packing and then leave the house an absolute disaster? If you are anything like me, that is just what has always happened.

SO, I made small goals. "If nothing else, I MUST get this done". Then, I did it -and said it again "If nothing ELSE gets done, THIS must get done." Then, off I would go to finish the task and so it went. After just a few short hours I had:

watered the plants
emptied ALL garbages
cleaned the bathroom
washed, dried and folded ALL laundry
made three loaves of pumpkin chocolate chip bread to take with us as gifts
cleaned the desk in the kitchen off
paid the bills
cleaned the childrens' rooms and my own
made all beds
vacuumed

and then did all the packing and such.

When we returned home last night~the house was immaculate and stepping into my clean home (that I had forgotten WOULD be clean) was SO burdenlifting. I was 100% more at peace with coming home, knowing that I could just RELAX. So, while I HAVE wasted much of the morning posting these photos, I COULD! ;-)

By far, the most photo-worthy happenings of our trip was our visit to the Ithaca Farmers market.

If ever you happen to be round the parts of Ithaca NY during a weekend, you should seek it out. The culture there! The BeAUTY! The as-big-as-your-face cinnamon rolls! The HARD CIDER and wine tastings! The locally made Gouda Cheese! Delicious!

You could tell the loyal customers by the gorgeous baskets they carried about, filling up with goods. So many people had them and surely, had there been a stand to buy them, I might have had to. But, thankfully, there wasn't so I wasn't tempted to buy something I don't really need.

Oh mannnn.....YUM!

These little peppers were just so cute...and very dangerous, I imagine.

rich colors

Onward Ho

How much can one person take of photos pertaining to food and wool? I guess not many. *Yawn*

I'll stop now with the 'goods' pictures.

But, you see how BEAUTIFUL it was there? Oh me oh my.

Loved it.

Now-onward ho we go.

The Twins

Inside Joke. These boys are not twins.

In fact, they aren't even brothers.

But I am betting they will grow up to be good friends.

Farmers market offers more than just veggies:

Look at this- A Gnomekin house!

Isn't this the most amazing tree? I love it so!

These are for you Jessamyn:

A crazy, eccentric and very outgoing man came over and began a hearty conversation with the Panda and Samuel. Since my Panda is huge-he apparently was the same size as Samuel-who is a year older almost exactly. I suppose that caused him to mistakenly identify them as twins. On and On he went about being a twin-it was all tame by now, but then he began talking about Startrek, philanges, and male Geisha's. I say Jessamyn: this picture cracks me up. You are extending kindness and feigning interest well above your call of duty so as not to make the guy feel bad, and Corynn is giving him that full stare. "Why exactly are you so wEiRd?! and WHY are you talking to US?!"

Priceless.

And I am still laughing.

Baby Cassandra and Corynn

Little Miss was quite taken with her almost-cousin Cassandra.

It will be fun to see them grow up together.

From G&L's house