"Kanaski says it's gonna be a whopper."

Big Mouths.

We tried doing our own family portraits then realized we should invest in a professional.

(Soapy welcome message courtesy of Grandpa Rick, dress courtesy of CB and UCSB)

Good investment!
Thank you to Jess Evett-Miller who made time for a home visit with us and Pinecone, the moose.

Here are just a few of the many wonderful shots with a 2-week-old Samuel and his entourage.

Grandma CB took Fiona on and Mary on an adventure to Ithaca Falls on a hot day just before our Huron City trip.  

The next morning we woke up our sleeping children (you did what?!) and piled in the car bound for Canada AND BEYOOOOND! for our annual trip to Michigan's Tip O' Thumb.  We stopped in Hamilton, ON so Fiona could sit on her potty and run around and Sam could have a good feed and some Canadian tummy time.  They were great travelers; Sam's spirit seems to have broken and he mostly spent the 11 hours in hibernation. 

Pretty immediately we had a dramatic little tornado sending large boats careening a hundred yards through the air towards our wall of sliding glass doors.  There were a few storms within the storm After the initial crazy microburst, Paul called to warn Elliott that, by the look of the doppler, they weren't over saying, "It's gonna be a whopper" and it was.  Lots of big trees took hits but all the houses and occupants did well despite a 3-day power outage.  Whoopee!!  Look at this close call at the Brook Cottage (photo from Schuyler).

There's a paucity of pictures from this week since there wasn't electricity to charge phones.  I promise you, though, Alex and Schuyler were there the whole time, Sam and I swung in hammocks and we all went to the beach and played on the big swing a bunch.  

But first: Time to make nests and read by lantern while the parents deliver snacks and blankets!  This may have been the best thing that's ever happened to Fiona.  These 4 camped out in the safety of the back hallway as the winds and rains raged.  Fiona didn't make parental eye contact for about 8 hours.  Yes, she peed in her pants, but who can blame her?!  I wouldn't want to get up either. 

A candle-lit Sammy Snuggle Session with 3 ten-year-olds and a Grammy.  

Preparing to grill in a tornado.  

So truly proud to call this man my husband.

Sunlight shall not dampen this snuggle fest!

Cousin Claire is a heck of a story reader. 

Cousin Steve rented a couple goats to eat the invasive phragmites from the beach and, on our way home from meeting these new family members, Fiona got some air on her face on the dirt road.  Happy, happy child. 

Slacklining with Uncle Alex. 

Post-storm we had a lot of nice beach time.  The swimming was great this year: big beach, little muck, lovely temps.

Blossom helps do a puzzle.  (Blossom, pronounced much like "colostrum") is A and E's friend Maddy's bear.  Maddy was incredibly kind to repeatedly fetch Blossom for Fiona to play with all week.  We miss them both. 

Making breakfast biscuits with guidance from Elliott (arm slightly pictured).

Happy Birthday, Claire!

What's on YOUR shirt (for the 200th time this week...)?

Our last evening in paradise was a gorgeous one and Fiona stripped off her clothes and danced and danced.  

Annual Schoolhouse porch pics. 

For fun reference:

2014

2013

And a new additional tradition with Mom and Sam:

And now we've landed home safely again and are settling back into a home routine.  

Fiona is getting steadily more interested in Sam and the job of big sistering.  She is interested in all things nursing and spontaneously says things like, "I'm gonna pump my breasts to get some milk out for my baby."  She climbed quietly onto our (pretty high) bed yesterday and arranged the nursing pillow around her to "Nurse Sam".  (I put him on her lap; she didn't touch him.) We'll have to keep a closer eye out for the potential dangers of budding helpfulness!

Oh, I almost forgot: he's eating all the time, gained 18 oz in the 11 days we were away, and is a solid 8 pounds now: enormous and alert, sweet and goofy, calmable and gorgeous.