Merry Christmas!

Christmas day started off kind of quiet here... just us three.



Then Teddy, Teresa and Reese showed up



And last (but not least!) we all piled in the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for extended family madness and joy.

(Uncle Edwin always falls asleep.)

The Tallahassee girls and their families were sorely missed... but I guess it's only fair to share them with the in-laws. If we have to. (We get 'em back next year!)

'Twas truly a Merry Christmas 'round here...hope your Christmas was filled with good friends, good food, and good times too!

Canvas!

Remember the "What I Did This Summer" essays? Well, it's not September anymore- but this is what we did last Summer.




August 3rd.

We started at home with yards and yards of fabric. This is the "Stackpack"- A protective cover that the sail drops into when you're at anchor (not sailing!).







September 4.


Then onto the screen enclosure- and the machine moved to the boat. We usually worked there twice a week- from dawn to dinner.














Ted did all the planning- I was the seamstress. Worked perfectly- usually. There was a lot of

"This is what I want."
"But that's not how it's done!"
"But why can't you do it this way?"

Somehow we muddled through.








September 19.

So now it's kind of like a back porch... Strataglass windows on the sides, screen across the back- and we made huge panels of clear vinyl to velcro to the back in case of rain. (It all rolls up while underway). There are sunshades that extend to the solar panels for extra added protection while sailing in the sunshine.








Kind of a far away shot, but it's the finished product!

November 2nd!

And it won't line up on the actual blog like it does in the preview page- but I'm tired of trying- so here ya go!

Thanksgiving Week

So good to have us all together!

Lots of good food, two sick babies, beautiful weather, many many dishwasher loads, a stress-free Thanksgiving (Teddy and Teresa hosted), a crowded house, lots of laughter in between all the nose-wiping and dish-doing... pretty much sums up our week!

Family Times Rock.

Ouch!

Today's Lesson:
Papaya trees don't bend.




Today's Question:
Do you think these will ripen?

We're Sailing!

This post could also be titled "We Eat A Lot Of Chips"... anyways, Morning Glory's back on the water!- And our first guests of the season were the people in our Homegroup. Ted's got chips. Stan and Grace have chips. There are chips all over the table (behind the Halloween Candy)... And the people on the trampoline have all just finished their chips (or they blew away). Another great day in Paradise!

Tallahassee Time!

So we went for a little visit...

To say "Happy Birthday" to Kailee,














To be there at Kinley's baptism,


















To see the Newlyweds...














And so Cap could take Avery to the playground (and teach her a new word..."Pardon?")

Saturday Morning

Reese came over to hang out with Ami today...

The newest toy...

OK- so now when we pull into port we can just head to the grocery store!

Just gotta find one more on Craigslist!

(or Ted's going to have to walk.)

Making Up For Lost Time...

While it's true that fb is way visited way more than this blog, and it's a whole lot easier to post pictures and quick thoughts on said site, it's also been brought to my attention that not everyone looks at facebook- and some people just might like a word or a picture or a run-on sentence here or there. So I'ma gonna try a little harder here. And there.
So...where do I start?
June got a little crazy with wedding preparations-
This is the night before...stuffing cookie bags...



And then a wonderful wedding! (June 13th)
I feel badly for not posting any pictures... but then again, we're still waiting for the professional ones...I do have one favorite:
And will post the "real" ones as soon as we get some!
Jamie was a beautiful bride- we love Josh- and we had a lot of fun celebrating with friends and family. The happy couple is back in Tallahassee, enjoying married life. Sounds like Jamie's doing a lot of cooking... she's gonna spoil that man if she can! She's also getting ready to start a new job- working for the FL department of elections.
We combined the wedding with a family reunion... we were able to join the rest of the clan for Sunday and Monday- a much needed getaway for all of us!



While Jamie and Josh honeymooned on a cruise ship, we sailed with T&T and The Grulichs...





At the end of the month, Teddy and Teresa's new home was ready for them to move in. We asked Reese what she thought about leaving Cap and Ami, and this is what she said:


So now it's getting a lot quieter around here. Bonnie's still home, but works full time and hunts and fishes when she's not working. Life stays busy-we both got to volunteer at VBS, Ted had a brush with a little smoke inhalation (He's ok now!), I worked a week at Shepherd Care, we're sewing sail covers and assorted canvas items for Morning Glory- We ain't slackin!
And now it's August...

I Confess....

This is a lame and neglected blog.  All I can say is, go to facebook!  

We're on the move...

In April we sailed to Key West...

In May we celebrated Jamie's graduation...

Can't wait for June!

sailing day w/ the familee!

We enjoyed having Jamie and Kailee and the girls for a whole week!  It was a busy one, but oh, so fun! We zooed, we sailed, we shopped...a wedding prep trip combined with fun stuff we just had to cram in.  

Now life is back to normal... and my newest kick is back to a very old kick... the sewing machine is uncovered, and I'm making baby shoes! 

Our Baby's 21!!!

Happy Birthday, Bonnie!...
We used to call her the little squirt... I guess she's grown up a bit!
Our feisty, funny ball of fire- we love you, Bonn Bonn!

And Now There's Reese!

Hey, let me just say... home births are pretty amazing! Teresa spent the day in early labor, hanging around the house, walking around the neighborhood, then the grocery store... we ate dinner, then she called the midwife. Things picked up by around 9 or 10...then really picked up around 1 a.m.....and Kathryn Reese Cook was born (upstairs, in their bedroom) at 3:41 in the morning. Mary, the midwife left at 7 in the morning, and then we slept for a couple of hours. And now it's just life as usual (plus many visitors).
It was an awesome experience- quite an honor to be a part of it- (and this is not all about me, but lemme just say, I should've been a lay midwife!) All those years as a Labor and Delivery nurse I was the "natural" lady...the one who didn't believe in Pit or Epidurals...they'd assign all the Bradley method hippies to me... so it wasn't a stretch at all to do it at home. Quite the opposite, actually. It was wonderful-beautiful-amazingly great.
And, by the way, this newest granddaughter is pretty great, too!