Top Secret

We've been on the Island since Wednesday. My husband locked me in the computer room (in which I'm supposed to be napping on a comfortable futon), so I decided to quickly slap some pictures here while everyone thinks I'm footing it to Slumberland. I don't have much time for preamble or commentary. Snapshots, ho!

To begin, here is my new favorite picture of myself (and the pickin's are slim in this time of 20-pounds-still-to-go...no pun intended). Millie said she likes it when I smile with my teeth, so I did. She just barely caught the teeth.

Manwaring Blood

John had to work, but the girls and I headed to the country for the annual reunion at my uncle's pond. I didn't take many pictures. Instead I filled my time with talking and swimming and eating...but mostly eating.

The annual frog/tadpole hunt commenced.






Millie recklessly bit into a lollipop and caused her first loose tooth! It wiggles! (This excited me almost as much as it did/does her.)



Susannah was making "happy cake" in these pictures, which is either cake that only happy people may eat, cake that makes grumpy people happy, or, most likely, a happy birthday cake.





One of the best parts of this year's reunion was the tractor tire tube. Oh, yeah, and my brother Luke who drove down from New Hampshire to float inside of it.



Nephew Ethan in the tube.



Brother Joel's head by the tube. (I'm telling you, the tube was a definite highlight.)



I wish I was swifter with the camera draw. Debbie was walking Susannah to the van, and I turned back to see them looking beautiful in the light. I only got two pictures, though, before they walked into the tree shadows.



See, they're beautiful.

Wildflowers

On our way down Mt. Hunger, I stopped the van next to a field because Millie exclaimed over its beauty and asked if they could run through it. They didn't run, but they waded through golden color and came back all dusted in pollen.

And on the other side of the road, Millie spied Black-eyed Susans.

So Very Very Plump and Pretty

I realized I had nearly no pictures of Piper for the latest edition of shotsnaps, so I propped her up after church one day. This is the exact order of the snapshots as I took them. A little old man in a pink dress, she couldn't decide if she was tired or tightly wound. I love her funny, little face.

Abundant Sunday

We arrived home from church, and the girls plucked green, yellow, and orange bits of goodness.











It's too bad, really, that Susannah picked mostly green bits.





She was pretty pleased with herself, too.



AND she knows her colors. When I asked her what color these tomatoes were, she told me without skipping a beat. For our color-blind readers, they're "gweeeeeeeen."

Cleanliness

Like little birds, they gave themselves dust baths. (And, no, I don't know which twin joins Susannah here.)

Yurty Yurt

Heidianne(e) and the Squirrel live beautifully. We were able to see them-- and the Beckley's! and Alice!-- several weeks ago. It was wonderful. I wish we visited more often.

I have two pond pictures.
Heidi uses her crocs as floaties.



Squirrel scuttles along toward a jump while Amy teaches Millie how to swim. (She's good! Amy, that is, as a gentle, patient, skilled swimming instructor. Millie, not so much yet.)

From Here to There

Snow White and the Angel Cowgirl waited at the train station. The station was on "Chestnut Street, which is six blocks away."



Millie's stack of luggage made me think of this short.

Follow Those Boots

What is this thing used for?

Oh, yeah. It's for this.

I followed those yellow boots to the swing, where she tried to grasp the mystery of Cassie's ability to swing while standing up.


She snooped into the little house, too, standing on tiptoe like a Peeping Tom.

High Society

Gossips on the phone...





And smiles graciously for the newspaper photographers.



Low society takes the leavings once high society finally leaves.

Monkey Papa

John caught his baby monkey when she jumped off the bars.

Glowsticks

Grandma Owen gave the girls a king's share of glowsticks on her last visit north, and we just got around to enjoying them outdoors.








Surprise, surprise. After I'd put them to bed, Millie utilized hers indoors, too, as a fluorescent reading light.