Our first day in Virginia we went to Norfolk Botanical Gardens. I would have loved to spend an entire day strolling the grounds with a good book or a bit of poetry.


A sweet moment captured between my mother and father.

Jamestown

The entire time we were in Jamestown I couldn't get the Disney "Pocahontas" soundtrack out of my head! I haven't seen that film since I was a child, but I still remember nearly all the tunes. The "Virginia Company" song repeated endlessly in my mind throughout the tour.


My sister-in-law, mother, and nieces and nephews. I really miss these guys and wish they lived closer!


Pocahontas Statue

Colonial Williamsburg

Flowers were blooming everywhere and the weather was perfect throughout most of our trip.

This picture was taken right before we attended a Witch Trial reenactment. It was my favorite thing we did in Williamsburg.



In front of the Governor's Palace

When Being a Mom is Just Plain Hard

It's been a week of snot, tears, barf, and suffering for little Persy. When we returned from our trip to Williamsburg she was in a rather sad state and things only got worse until we met with the doctor and learned that in addition to a fever, coughing and stuffed up nose, she also had been plagued with 2 gnarly ear infections. Ouch!

I think one of the most challenging aspects of motherhood is taking care of a sick child and watching them suffer. I hate that I can't explain why she must take the syrupy antibiotic that makes her gag, or that she thinks I'm torturing her when I drop pain medicine into her ear. I hate the worry, concern and lack of sleep. It's hard to know that this is just one ailment among many that she will have to face in her life.

Despite a full week of misery, I still find much to appreciate. I love that my child looks to me for comfort, (doesn't she know how clueless I still am?) I love the extra snuggles and rocking. I appreciate the way I've been left to contemplate the Lord's own love for me and how He must hate watching me suffer in life as well.

Hopefully we can put all this bodily discharge behind us soon and I can share the fun experiences that Persy and I had on vacation. Until then, wish me luck!

Wicked on the Weekend

We had a blast attending the musical "Wicked" with my folks last night. The set and costumes were amazing! I'm so glad I got to see the production. I really feel like a could see it a dozen more times and not absorb all there was to see. I've been listening to the fabulous music for a couple years now and the musical was every bit as good as I had hoped. It was also fun to be part of such a high energy crowd. People began cheering wildly when the lights went out and the musical hadn't even started yet! A very fun night!

Inspiration

I find simple pleasure in perusing fine yarn stores. I am new to the art of knitting, but have been meandering through knit stores for a couple years now. I find a strange joy in seeing all the lovely little skeins of yarn in their many bright colors and textures.



This is a picture of the next knit project I want to attempt. It is a pair of cute alligator mittens, (in an adult size! :) I boldly bought the material before reading the instructions and now realize that the project is a little out of my league. Fortunately, I have a few knitting friends that I can call upon for assistance.

Mini Expedition

Gabe had some work in southern Utah on Monday, so Persy and I enjoyed taking a little road trip with him. While he labored away, Persy and I enjoyed a fun day of hiking in Zion's Park.

I felt adventurous going on our solo expedition. I reflected on the fact that when Persy was just a couple of weeks old I took her down to the Farmer's Market by myself and that seemed like a really big accomplishment. I've certainly grown more comfortable in my role as a mother over the past 9 months.


Persephone was mostly happy, but on our longest hike of the day she got incredibly fussy and sounded, according to one fellow hiker, like a baby bear.