Day 190, Friday, July 9th, 2021
Cuddling with the Cousins
As Anna got to know her cousins more, she became less and less anxious and was able to interact more and more each day. Both Isaac and Caitlyn enjoyed sitting with her on the couch and watching cartoons, as well as coloring and playing baby dolls. Curtis and I were so proud of her! Daddy even said if she could try hard all week to engage that he would take her to Mexia to see Uncle Bill for a day trip. That was some great motivation! Look how well she did!
Day 191, Saturday, July 10th, 2021
All the Peeps
Friday evening, Lisa and Pam picked up Gabe from his summer camp and on Saturday, Jenny came down from Georgetown. We swam all afternoon, then did some group photos, then Dominic made everyone steaks. What an amazing, loving, remarkable day! One highlight was getting to do Lisa’s hair with my Dyson AirWrap. She french-braided my hair earlier in the week and it was such a sweet sister moment to return the favor… I had always wanted a sister with whom to play hair. <3
From left to right: Pam, Dominic, Gabe, Shirley, Isaac, Curtis, Holly, Caitlyn, Lisa, Anna, Andy, and Jenny.
All the Cousins
What a treat to get all of our children together in the same space at the same time. This was the first and hopefully not last time!
From left to right: Dominic, Gabe, Isaac, Caitlyn, Jenny, and Anna.
The Sisters
It had been 28 years since the three of us were together. There were tears, there was shared pain, shared joy, healing, and laughter. I learned that at various times, each sister felt like she didn’t belong and that we all longed to know each other better. Both of my sisters have experienced so much pain in their lives, I wish I had been there for them. There is a renewed sense of connection and a promise to never let anything tear us apart again.
From left to right: Pam, Lisa, and Holly.
The Renshaws
The Renshaw family is so sweet, braving their souls to share emotions, and taking chances to grow more love in their lives. I love reading to the kids and having their weight in my lap. I got a little teary-eyed when I begged off reading due to fatigue and they both said, “Sure, Aunt Holly!” Andy is so smart and a super interesting guy. Did you know he’s a published author?
(Side note: Gabe didn’t want to take a photo without his dad, Gregg, to be there by his side with Pam so we honored that request. I do wish I had gotten a shot with just him and I. <3)
From left to right: Lisa, Caitlyn, Isaac, and Andy.
Caitlyn and Issac
I’ve already described my niece and nephew in detail so I’ll just say that i’m super impressed with how well Lisa and Andy are parenting these kiddos. Well done, guys.
Day 192, Sunday, July 11th, 2021
The Beetle and the Bird Poop
So we go from “awww” to “ewwww”… that’s what I do! Lisa and Andy had just left with the kids to head home and I was outside on the back patio. That’s when I noticed this large beetle having a disgusting snack. Of course, like I always do, I asked the beetle for permission to take a picture, then got to work. So so gross, right? You can even see some seeds in the bird poop. Barf!
Day 193, Monday, July 12th, 2021
No photos today.
Day 194, Tuesday, July 13th, 2021
No photos today.
Day 195, Wednesday, July 14th, 2021
Boys Play Pool
I needed a couple of days to decompress after Pam and Gabe left early Monday morning. Man, I love those two people so much already. Pam and I have so many similarities that it’s like I found a part of myself I didn’t know was missing. Dominic was feeling a little lonesome for his friends, so we invited Cole and Gavin to come over Wednesday through Friday. They were sweet enough to let me take some photos. Though the title is a bit of a misnomer… Dominic and I played a game of 9-ball while Cole and Gavin watched.
Day 196, Thursday, July 15th, 2021
Green Lynx Spider
Thursday was a nice day outside so I went out to wander in the backyard with my camera. Everything is blooming. I found this small, semi-transparent green lynx spider on the rose bush. Unfortunately, his body was in shadow and his limbs were in the sun. I had to do a bit of dodging and burning to get his face to show at all but I did manage to capture some cool details on him.
Thanks for looking!
