Caledon State Park
October 2022
Why haven’t I planted any Autumn crocus at our house?
An attempt at a group photo.
What is on Silas’s fingers? There’s no telling…
A failed attempt at knitting by the water while the children play.
Jamestown, VA
October 2022
We stopped in Jamestown for a few hours on the way to Keats’s first concert in Norfolk. I got confused about the time and almost missed the concert! Well, not almost, but had I not realized my mistake right when I did, I would have missed it! Jonny took the kids fishing while I went to the concert. I didn’t take any photos because I left my camera in the car (to Keats’s relief.) He is assistant principal violist, so he was right up front where I could see him though!
That stage when the baby always has a beat-up face from all the tumbles and falls!
Another group photo attempt…
Silas playing the fiery preacher.
Ambrose, the super cute baby preacher.
Well, I’ve been trying to get one more set of photos uploaded here for the past week, but I guess my files are corrupted so I have to give up. (I was able to upload some of them on Instagram.) October 23rd was our 24th wedding anniversary and we took a day trip to celebrate with our younger kids. If you are in Virginia and haven’t visited Pope’s Creek, you should! It’s free to walk the grounds, and it’s so beautiful, particularly in the fall. It’s also in such an out-of-the-way location that I don’t think it gets very busy there. We almost had it to ourselves this day! I’m sorry I can’t share with you the photos to prove how lovely it is!
Speaking of weddings, we are preparing for our oldest son, Seth, to get married next month! It will be a small wedding, with the reception at our home. It feels almost impossible to think that we will be able to get cleaned up and ready while chasing a destructive toddler around! There are lots of little things to take care of in preparation for the wedding and we are slowly ticking those off the list. I will be the photographer as well, so that will keep me focused on the wedding day. I do best when I have a very specific job to do. Seth and Phoebe and I met with our music director at church last week and they chose their music for the ceremony. Our music director is a talented organist and our church has a really fancy pipe organ. It’s going to be so beautiful! The trick now is to keep the excitement above the stress of preparations. Hopefully, we can do it! What a finale to one of the more stressful years of our lives. I’m grateful to be ending with something so special, and can hardly believe that Jonny and I are moving into the next phase of our lives.
Congratulations! What a beautiful blessing.
Congratulations to you and your son too!
WHAT?! There’s no way he’s old enough! I mean, I know he is but really…..he’s not old enough! He’s just a wee thing yet!
Then again, my oldest turned 12 last week so I’m all wound up about that because that can’t be right either.
Congrats to Seth & Phoebe!
What wonderful news! God bless your dear family, <3
Happy anniversary and congratulations to the bride and groom! How wonderful to have the reception at your home! It will be so special.
How wonderful, congratulations to Seth! I think simple us the best way to have a wedding. Ours was fairly simple but if I go way back and have a redo, it would have been even simpler. Enjoy your special day!
Oh gosh, the typos! Sorry
My goodness, Seth getting married .. seems like just yesterday he was so young. As always, love hearing from you, about your family and all going on you share. You don’t know me but it seems as though we have been friends for a long time.
Take care, slow down so you can enjoy all the wedding, love and your family.
love,
Helen
Congratulations on your anniversary. You have been through a LOT in those 24 years. And what an adorable bunch of littles (and not so littles) you have.
And congratulations to Seth and Phoebe. I hope you can enjoy the wedding while taking pictures.
Happy anniversary to you and Jonny and congratulations to Seth and Phoebe – how exciting! How lucky they are to have you taking their photographs – they will be gorgeous I am sure! Good luck in the last stages of preparing for the wedding 🙂
Hi Ginny;
The boys and Mabel seem to have grown over night. Ambrose is getting big also. Congratulations to Seth and Phoebe. Keats is so talented.
Have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.
Marion
Oh wonderful news! And happy 24th anniversary!! May God bless you all 🥰🙏
Wasn’t Seth just a 14 year old with a metal detector?? Time really flies. So happy for you all! Hope we get to see a few pictures!
Thank you Ginny for sharing your family outings.
Congratulations to Seth and Phoebe
Happy Thanksgiving
Joan
Hi Ginny, Your updates are always a treat. Glad you made it to Keats’ concert. He is such a talented young man. Congratulations to Seth and Phoebe. Wishing you and your family a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.God Bless.
Marilyn
What a gift with the addition of a daughter in law, Phoebe!! Blessings all around!
Oh Ginny – such a delight to see any post from you. You feel like a long-time friend, and this, like a letter, catching up. Thank you for adding beauty and freshness and real life to this spot. Hugs to you and yours. ♥️
Oh my goodness, seems hard to believe Seth getting married! I have followed you since you started blogging and Seth was so young. Well, time does move on, I know. Congrats to Seth and Phoebe and praying for a beautiful, family, fun filled wedding/day. Can’t wait to hear all about the wedding and hopefully some pictures.
Congratulations…how very exciting🤍 All your photos & family are as lovely as ever♥️
My husband, of 25 years, and I moved very suddenly into “the next phase”. Our daughter (who is still in college) got married in May. Our oldest son came home on leave from the military for her wedding, got engaged to his long time girlfriend and eloped before going back. Our third child, a son, got engaged two weeks ago and is getting married in the next few weeks…in 2022, we have added two daughters in law and a son in law.
I guess this is what happens in a large family with kids close in age. At first we were out of sorts about it, but now we’ve embraced it all and are excited for our kids.
These pictures are so lovely, as are the ones on Instagram :). That one of Silas and Mabel is so sweet!
I remember seeing Phoebe in pictures a while ago, when you guys all had COVID (I believe – unless I’m mixing up posts now). She seemed like she fit right in :).
All the best to her and Seth!
Congratulations. And I can’t get over how big the 2 little boys are. I still think they should be the size of Ambrose.
Oh my!! Congratulations! May our dear Lord bless Seth and Phoebe always!
Many congratulations to Seth and Phoebe!! I was thinking of years ago, when Seth, Gabe, Lark, Keats and Beatrix were smaller, and how they grew up together, and now these younger ones are in another group, growing up together. I know it isn’t quite like that, and there are in-betweeners, but it seems that way.
Lisa, It does seem that way! We have the same thoughts. Our first “group” is nearly all grown up and now we have this other one and while there are similarities, they are really very different!
Just so beautiful. None of my children live in Virginia any longer and I am SO SORRY; it is lovely there. Can’t believe you have a child getting married… My goodness!