The most precious hug

Summer-Land with some people we love...

Say what you will... I do believe it!

Even the most simple things done in tandem are just cute.

Another daughter I have to fight for watermelon...

Dinner in the MS Delta with GanGan at one of Clarksdale's finest BBQ/blues/banquet halls/tattoo parlors (no joke). We are all about some culture!

Ballet practice with Nana

Evie's oldest friend - sweet Gabby!

My date with Jackson at an Arkansas Travs game

I just love this one...

One of my oldest, best friends Lori with her four (and a niece)

and me with just one!

First trip to New Orleans, on the Mississippi

Jumping at the NOLA Aquarium (where is Jason Lee?!)

Stealing ice from Uncle Owen in Clarksdale, MS

I don't know what's going on here...

First sitting-up bath (pre-wash!)

Evie with best buddy George on Texas vacation

If you've made it all the way through the pictures, this was my attempt to capture some of the highlights of our summer (minus most of the TX vacation pics that are currently held hostage on our old computer). We've had a great three months and spent time with so many people we love (my and Kendal's full families, the Jankowskis, some of my oldest friends and their kids, Lori, Elizabeth, Emily, Brittany) - and soaked up the summer in so many places we love (Texas Hill Country, Hattiesburg, Arkadelphia Aquatic Park with best friend Will, VBS at First Pres and more). These are just a few pics as I have literally taken hundreds but are among my favorites... Our thanks and love to everyone who made this summer so memorable!

FPC Softball Party & Martin Send-Off

We are so lucky to have great friends in our church, both old and new. Kendal and I played softball this season with many of these friends. It was a great experience - this was one of the first summers I have not been pregnant, so I didn't have a good excuse to sit out :) We had a great season (minus my unfortunate accident when the batter slammed my hand with her bat) and got to celebrate tonight! The whole team gathered for a pot-luck with burgers and steaks prepared by Richard and Nathan.

We also used this time to send-off some great friends, Courtney and Brent Martin and their girls Adalaide and Madison. We first met the Martins when Courtney worked at the twins' first daycare. They soon began attending FPC and we've been friends since. Brent has been the softball team's MVP (pictured in red below) for three years now - he played baseball at Henderson State and served as one of their assistant coaches. The family is moving to the Jackson, MS, area for Brent's new job - we with them traveling mercies and the best of luck as they settle into their new home. We'll miss them! I know our kids will, too.

We also got to give "Coach Richard" a big thanks! Our friend is the one who pulled the team together originally and has been both coach and cheerleader since. He's been the catalyst for a lot of great friendships and great memories :)

Land Family Choo-Choo

This morning as we were getting ready for church, I heard a whole lot of grunting and scraping the kitchen. Evie and I ran in to find that Carlisle had dragged all six of the kitchen chairs into a long row. Carli and Jackson were sitting patiently in their seats, waiting to take a ride, so I popped Evie (and Cheerios) into her high chair, put on my Conductor hat and off we went! Jackson's first request was Wal-Mart, then school, then we went to Sodor (anyone who keeps up with Thomas the Train knows about this magical land of frightening trains with terrifying faces). It was pretty fun! I stuck Evie in a seat to take a quick picture. She LOVES playing with the twins and is so ready to run around with them! They are pretty sweet to her, as long as she doesn't get too close to C's babies and any of JC's trains, toy cars, monkeys, little doggie... okay, any toy!

I also got a few cute ones of Carlisle and Evie playing in the kitchen. I love the matching outfits (thanks, Mallory M!) and was excited they both fit :) I am praying the girls will be close friends - there's just something so special about sisters, as well as big brothers! Evie looks up to the twins so much and they are already protective of her, love to make her laugh and always ask about her if she's not within a few feet of them!

Guess who's walking?! Well, one step...

Sweet Evie begin standing up ALL BY HERSELF late last week! She's been pulling up and cruising for a while, but this is a full-fledged stand! She likes to give a big "V" for victory sign when she stands up, too, to increase the drama!

Today at church, she showed us how she could stand for quite a while (I counted 25 seconds on one stand). Then, she took a tiny step toward me! Mary E. is my witness - she took a step! I am expecting her to take off on a dead sprint tomorrow :)

Three Land babies under three all walking?! Heaven forbid!

Watermelon Fest, Backyard-Style

We sadly missed the Hope Watermelon Festival this year (I teared up a little, despite the 115 degree heat!) but we salvaged it with the perfect Land Watermelon Bust in the backyard.

Kiddie pool - check. Hope watermelon fresh from the fruit stand - check. Hungry dog to lick up the excess juice - check.

And now... let the wild rumpus start!

A few quick favorites

Delta Dawn

In mid-July, my dad's side of the family gathered in the Mississippi Delta to celebrate the life of my grandmother, Elizabeth Smith. We spent the bulk of time in Clarksdale, home of the blues and Morgan Freeman. We stayed at the "Shack Up Inn" - literally, in somewhat refurbished sharecropper shacks! I loved it, though it was a little rustic for some tastes. The kids had a blast, especially when it was time to meet and play with their Atlanta cousins!

Skipping around a little bit in this post, one thing that was really important for me was to spend a little time at my dad's old home in Drew. We spent many holidays in the old house - though my dad's parents moved from Drew in the late 1970's, they maintained the house and it was an ideal gathering place for the siblings and families. The house was torn down several years ago (it fell victim to a vicious ice storm) but a few things were still there. One, the magnolia tree where my cousins and I spent too many hours playing "war" with magnolia pods that all too closely resembled grenades. The old barn is also there, as well as the dirt driveway that once led to the house. Those are some of my best memories - my mom and aunts huddled around the ancient stove earnestly trying to defrost a turkey, my dad and uncles taking us out to shoot coke cans, creating original scripts and gathering props for nightly family plays in the formal living room, eavesdropping on the adults as they laughed themselves silly with childhood stories, hugging my grandmother, building blanked forts with my uncle who soon afterwards passed away... Too many to give justice to, but that's just a small glimpse of what that old house meant to me.

My grandmother's memorial service was held in Drew at First Baptist Church. Kendal gladly took on the responsibility of leading the service. My cousins and I got to read my grandmother's favorite scripture and a poem she recited at a reunion gathering at her alma mater, Blue Mountain College. Carlisle even joined us while we read :) The kids were so well behaved, it was a miracle! Afterwards, just the family went to the graveside. Kendal led us in a prayer, my uncle David played "Amazing Grace" on his harmonica and we began walking to our cars. The next thing I know, the twins and cousin Amelia are taking handfuls of dirt and placing them gently over Tit-Tee's urn. They gathered the dirt and let it slip through their tiny hands time and time again. It's a sight I'll never forget and one that really made the whole day just right.


*These photos are posted opposite of how I planned and I can't figure out how to fix it so - if you are one of about four people who read this blog, read top to bottom and view pics from bottom to top :)