A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa Coleman

At the beginning of October we had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Coleman. We were so excited to see them! We may have worn them out with all the gatherings we squeezed into three days...

The girl cousins decorated a cake for dessert

Some serious game playing going on

Seguin Heritage Days

The town of Seguin hosted a Pecan Fest and Heritage Days over the weekend. The kids and I went to check out the crafts, pumpkin patch, hay ride, animals, games and etc.

The festival also hosted a baking contest. Gabriel, Katrina, and Abagail worked together to make chocolate chip-pecan cookies to enter. They won first place in the "youth-cookie" category! They were so excited about their blue ribbon.

Grins & Thumbs & Silly Tongue

Amelia is such a happy baby. She has HUGE smiles that are hard to catch on camera. Anyone who has come to visit will attest that she ALWAYS has her tongue sticking out...always... You would think it would dry out except she also has an ample supply of saliva.



Amelia used to love the pacifier til she became coordinated enough to catch that elusive thumb. Now she prefers her own digits to anything silicone. Sometimes she'll catch a thumb. Other times she'll catch a few fingers. The funniest was the time she was so desperate she caught three fingers, a tip of the thumb and the last finger was stuck up her nostril.
(Amelia is 2-3 months old in these photos.)

Allen's Trip

Allen enjoys a website where people write about motorcycle trips they have taken. They will take a weekend, a few weeks or months and travel areas in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa - all over. Then they post their pictures and stories on the website.

It's pretty cool to see the sights and hear their adventures. It's also amazing how they can pack all the supplies they need on their motorcycles - sometimes you can't even see the bike and you wonder how they can possibly balance...

So Allen has a training weekend up in Dallas. He decides this would be a great opportunity to take his motorcycle, sort of a practice for a longer trip.

He loads up his clothing, computer, personal items and heads out for the 4 hour drive. His report: Very pleasant drive on a bike. His only real negative feedback was that his hands got tired - He suggested that a touring motorcycle would negate that problem. I suggested he just take my motorcycle next time...

Ahhhhh...

Ah....blustery days! I love fall in Texas. The days are warm and sunny and it actually gets cool at night. The wind starts to blow, or I should say that the COOL wind starts to blow again. We open up all the windows and can finally turn off the air conditioner. I forget how soothing it can be to listen to the wind blow through the trees and hear the birds sing and play.

We are spending tons more time outside, running, playing, stargazing. We light up the tiki torches and hang out on the patio at night - the kids laughing and playing in the flickering firelight until past a respectable bedtime.

This time of year is a Balm of Gilead to my soul. I miss the beautiful colors of the mountains in Autumn, but after a hot, dry summer this is wonderful and I choose to enjoy it for what it is.

Ah....blustery days....

Amelia Loves Her Blanket!

(3 months old)

Amelia received a darling blanket as a gift from her big cousin, Hailey, who lives in Utah. (Hailey just turned 12 this month.)

This is the story I heard: Hailey went babysitting. With her earnings she went to the store and picked out some cute, soft, purple fabric. Then she sewed it up and picked out what she wanted Grandma Coleman to embroider on the blanket (and the colors of the thread). Lastly Hailey sent the blanket to Amelia, with love, care of Grandpa and Grandma Coleman.

The blanket is so cute. Hailey had Grandma embroider "Amelia" on one corner and "Grace" on the opposite corner - with flowers by the names.

Thank you Hailey for such a sweet gift. Amelia loves her blanket and uses it all the time!