The Facer cheeks. They remind me so much of Lucy Bernseins babies cheeks.

Day two for our baby girl Amelie. She is even more beautiful than yesterday. I love the cheek jowls!!! she just LOVES to be talked to as you can see.

the hardest work you'll ever do!

Amelie Jane Facer

Becky truly had an amazing labor and delivery. She started having some pains around 5:30am and so we went to her regular Dr. appt at 10:15. The office was very busy so Leah and I kept Carson and Oliver busy for 2 hours until she was finally seen at 12:30. She was checked and told she was at 5-6 centimeters and to check in to the hospital right away. Becky insisted she wanted a sandwich first so we found a Quiznos and waited in the car while Leah got some food. By the time we checked into the hospital it was 1:15. The nurse checked her in and finally checked her internally at 2:00 and she was at a 9!!! Poor Becky was at a 9 for an entire hour because the water just wouldn't break and it was holding the baby up the birth canal. When the Dr. broke the water at 3:00 the baby dropped suddenly right into the birth canal and Becky had to push right through tremendous pain to get her out. The Dr. was concerned because of the meconium, where the baby swallow too much fluid coming out. She was born at 3:11 pm, just 11 minutes of pushing. She was kept from us for quite awhile while they worked on getting all the fluid from her lungs. It was probably at least an hour before Becky got to hold her. Ahhhh, what a satisfying day. Thank you Lord-

becky's labor

Laura @ the MTC

Here is our baby girl off to the MTC. A beautiful day and alot of emotion. She will be a marvelous instrument for the Lord!

playing in front yard

family weekend/ chelsea's 19th b-day

the farewell party

my little facers

Carson

family weekend

beach w/ family

katherine at the beach

Oliver, the artist

Oliver is a real artist I think. He is unusually careful for a 2 year old. He is intently focused and uses long steady strokes

Florence and museums and David 8-18-09

The river in Florence was to me very uninviting. It looked like there was a film of green moss on the surface of the river. This is a very famous bridge called "Ponte Vecchio" built in 1345. It was the first bridge across the Arno River and is the only surviving medieval bridge. It is lined with shops selling gold and silver.

This was the piazza del duomo where we spent every evening listening to a singer/guitarist and eating pizza at one of the small cafes in the square. It would finally begin to cool a bit!

Here is the original "David" by Michaelangelo. Really an amazing work of art! This was seen at the Galleria dell' Academia where we saw sculptures and paintings from the 13th to the 16th centuries. We also visited the Galleria degli Uffizi with a collection of Renaissance art.

We found a small storefront where they make mosaics. The artwork looks like a painting but is intricate pieces of colored rock. This is the ancient cutting table and tools used in this lost art. There are very few artists left who do this work. I sure did want one of the pieces!

This is the most beautiful work of brass in the world. It depicts scenes from the bible intricately carved in brass. It is called

Tues. Aug.18th Hotel Degli Orafi

The Hotel Degli Orafi was so beautiful and by far the nicest hotel we stayed in. The ceilings were painted ornately.

This is a sitting area as you wait for a table for breakfast or just want a nice place to read a book.

This was the beautiful breakfast room with a real American breakfast.

Sienna Monday Aug. 17th

These are all pictures of the duomo/cathedral in Sienna. I loved the striped walls and columns.


Dad got a kick out of the many greek mythogical scenes in this cathedral, which he thought was a little incongruous with Christianity. The image below is of a wolf shaking hands with a lion during the millenium.

This is called the wall of the children. it is like a weeping wall with possessions hanging on it from children who were killed or died in some way. It was very sad.

This is the front of the cathedral.

Sienna-Parade aug. 17th

Sienna wasn't our favorite place but it was fun to see this parade going through the streets toward the Duomo. We were crazy to know what was going on. Finally I found someone who spoke english and told me that the nation had had a horserace and that this team had won the race and this was their celebration parade. The people had whistles in their mouths in the shape of pacifiers and blowing them wildly was part of their celebration.

Monteriggioni and Tuscany Monday Aug. 17th

We were driving through the countryside and came upon this magnificent walled ancient city called Monteriggioni. It was just beautiful.

This is the picture I took. The one with the flowers was from a postcard. Then we were off to Sienna.

More Tuscany

Dee passes to a better world

My dearest Dee passed on to a better world Sat. Sept. 5th at 7:00 am. It was an honor and a privelege to know her and to spend the week with her as she prepared for her passing. I was able to surround her with love and care.
Dee and I met almost 11 years ago in January of 1999. There seeemed to be an instant connection between us, one of those "meant to be" relationships. We watched out for each other. Sometimes we didn't see each other for awhile, but we always talked on the phone and kept informed. I could talk to Dee about everything and I did. She was a deeply spiritual person with a strong connection to God and she was a mentor for me in life and she will continue to be that for me even in death. I will miss her terribly, but I will always cherish our last week together on earth and she will always be with me. She loved me unconditionally and that is a gift that is rare for any of us. I will try to love better because of her.

San Gimignano

We loved seeing Bagpipes in Italy!!! Weren't sure if it was a wedding or a funeral.

San Gimignano Aug. 17th