So now my 'littlest' brother is married. It's hard to believe.... I felt rather emotional all day. And forgot to take tissues.....

First dance...
Dad and Mom with their baby. :)
Not sure whose arm is whose in that jumble!
All the little girls were so excited about having their own goblets and could hardly wait to drink their grape juice.
Adorable babies that we don't get to see often enough! It was just so good to have everyone home again but the time went so fast, after everyone was gone again I felt like I had hardly connected with any of them!
LeAnn and Tia taking a moment during rehearsal for some chocolate. ;)
Doesn't this just make you laugh?! Her soft little open-mouthed chuckles were too cute. I have no idea what was funny. It's interesting to look at all the different expressions on faces in a family picture of 40+ people!
Lisa and Regina...

School starts tomorrow. We've all been counting the days, for opposite reasons! Up at six to get them on the bus at 6:55. Will we make it through the year without missing the bus? My fingers are crossed....

~ellen

I had the privilege of taking pictures of my cousin's kids a few weeks ago. It's been awhile since I'd seen them, so I was picturing 'little' kids in my head. :) They are quite grown up! Here's just a couple for you Sheila.....
I love black and white...
And of course, since it was at our house, there was a considerable breeze blowing and Mallory's hair didn't want to stay in place!
Thanks for the opportunity Sheila- I had fun and I hope you'll be happy with them!

~ellen

Just playing with some pictures... This one is before...
and this one is after...
From iheartfaces.com.

Steve and I did something we never did before. At least not since we have kids. We went camping, just the two of us, for a long weekend. It was so absolutely wonderful- I can't describe what it did for my mind, body, and soul! No schedule, no internet, tv, phones, etc. Lots of reading, campfire, talking, and laughing. We've gone on vacation before without the kids, but somehow, this time was different. Life slowed down, we could relax and breathe deeply....
Steve read an entire book. :)

Oh yes, and peanuts and LOTS of tea. And Solitaire.
The sun shining through the trees...
Cool mushrooms...
Bacon over the fire anyone?
There was a 'Rails to Trails' close by so we went biking one day. Packed a lunch and biked until we came to this 'snack shack' along the way. It started to rain just as we came out of the woods so we sat under the roof at the picnic table to eat.

He had drinks, snacks, candy bars, ice cream and I'm not sure what all in there!
It's a good thing you can't see just how hot and sweaty we were! We biked about 23 miles that day...
We came across these steps going down over the bank, so we took a break and went and sat on the rocks and listened to nature. :)

And even if you're camping, you must still have popcorn on Sunday evening. We did a little more sight-seeing on Monday before heading back to real life.
Thank you Babe- for thirteen years of being the lucky one! I'd marry you all over again. :)

~ellen

I would love to cuddle this little one again. She was so soft and chubby and baby smelling.... :)
For anyone who missed the Miller Reunion and would like to see pictures, go here- MILLER REUNION
My camera was passed around a bit, so I can't tell you who took all the pictures!

Last weekend, after the Miller Reunion, Kalei went to Lancaster with Jeff and Larissa. Then on Monday Cameron left for Ohio, Steve left for West Virginia/Kentucky and Victoria, Antoine, and me headed to Lancaster with Steve's mom and sisters. They talked me into going to their house for part of the week since Steve was gone anyway. :) I felt a bit lost for a little bit there with my family scattered 'to the winds'. When we finally got to mom's house, Kalei was waiting for me with these beautiful roses that her and Larissa picked from Larissa's Grandma's garden. They were so beautiful and smelled so good! And I forgot to bring them home with me....
yummy picnic food....
We had a lazy week. Carolyn spent so much time playing with the kids and going on walks with them. I read, shopped a little, slept in, and had a wonderful surprise from MaryLou. :) We went on a picnic one dayand saw this baby miniature horse at a farm along the way. On our way back, we stopped and asked the girls who were outside if we could look at their horse. They said we could and even went out to the pasture to bring the horse over to fence so we could see it better. It was unbelievably small! Like the size of a lamb. The kids were in awe!



Lots of coloring.....

And campfire time. Marshmallows, toasty toes..... :)
And this was my delightful surprise from MaryLou. Two blissful hours devoted to my feet with absolutely no effort on my part. My feet never knew what hit them. I read and ate grapes and cheese and pound cake. And sighed with happiness.... And like a fool, I could not find the words to properly express my thanks to MaryLou.
I still smile at my toes at random times throughout the day. ;) (forgive me for posting two pictures of my feet!)
Being in Lancaster helped the time go faster, but the week was still loooong. I couldn't even talk to Steve because they hardly had any cell service where they were at. But the week did finally come to an end and Steve is back where he belongs. Cameron is coming home tomorrow (finally) then we shall be complete once more. :)

~ellen

Happy 4th!

We actually got to see fireworks down at the lake again this year. The last few years it rained and they canceled. The lake is always full of boats. We'd love to be able to be on the lake sometime to watch them, but we don't own a boat or know the right people. :) Kalei was sick, but she still wanted to go, so we left and before we got there, she threw up a couple times. (I was prepared for that, so all was well!) Then she felt better, so we went on and had a good time. I got the best fireworks pictures I've ever gotten. Since you only get about half an hour once a year, (if it doesn't rain) there's not much time/opportunity to practice!






By the time we got home, I was feeling quite sick myself. I collapsed into bed and prayed there would be no more throwing up by anyone. Steve graciously assured me that he would take care of anyone needing anything during the night. He ended up being the only one going to church today. Bible school starts tomorrow morning- I hope we all feel fine till then....

~ellen