For Jeanna

A couple weekends ago I met up with my friend Jeanna and her family for some pictures.  Ever since Randal Jean was born I have become more and more interested in photography.  I am so happy when I am behind a camera lens and love learning more about photography...and believe me have ALOT to learn.

I was happy with most of the images from our little get together but let me tell you something...photographing a 16 month old is tough stuff!  Ava is such an active and independent little girl.  She wanted to have nothing to do with getting together for a group shot so we will have to try and get that another time.

Anyways, I hope you like them :)  For now this is just a hobby but it makes oh so happy to take pictures.  Hopefully someday I can make it more than a hobby but for now I am just learning and practicing...and eagerly patiently awaiting my new camera to come in the mail (only ordered it a couple months ago!).

K'ville and the Great-grands

A couple weekends ago Randal Jean and I went home with my mom to K'ville to leave Matt home to study for the CPA exam.  It was beautiful back home.  The leaves were changing which is something we sadly don't get to see much of at the coast and the weather was mild.  It was perfect!  While we were home we also made the trip to my grandparents.  They hadn't seen Randal in a couple of months so it was nice getting to see Randal interact with her great-grandparents (So special!).

Here's some documentation of our weekend:

Fall foliage in the park

Sliding with mom.  Clearly, the manufacturers of slides have made some advancements since I was a kid.  This slide was super fast!  It was all I could do to hold on to Randal and not end up on my rear.  Lets just say the next slide we went on together was in the "mini" section of the park.

Randal with her great-grands and her cousins, Georgia Rae and Houston

Great-grandpa George with a big SMILE!

Sweet Georgia Rae

Houston

"Sissy, I love you!"

Lately...

Lately the Bork family has been B-U-S-Y!!!  Hence, no posts in almost a month.  Although I am not too sure if anyone other than Nana Rhonda or Grandma Lori checks for updates.  Oh well, on to journaling I go :)

Life has been hectic around here...Randal is on the move and let me tell you it is WORK keeping up with her.  She is so close to walking it is scary.  I really think we might have a walker on our hands just in time for Christmas.  Matt has been studying hard for the CPA exam.  He took his first of the 4 tests last week but we wont know how he did for a couple weeks (fingers crossed).  While studying he completely takes over the office...yet another reason for no blogging.  He is taking a break from studying this week so Randal and I are getting to see more of him.  It is nice :)  We have had places to go and people to see every weekend for atleast the past month...but will hopefully get a weekend of rest next weekend.  Although, it is almost Christmas (say what?) and I have ALOT of decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc, etc to do so we will see how well that nice weekend at home goes...

Some how in all this craziness someone came in and stole my baby and replaced her with a 9 month old?!?!  Just kidding (obviously) but really why is Randal Jean getting so big!  I thought babies were supposed to stop growing so fast by now...no such luck here.  All kidding aside I really cant complain...we have one of the happiest babies around and we are so lucky that she has remained healthy as we get in to cold/flu season (everyone knock on some wood for me).

Here's a few recent pics of our 9 (seriously, people!) month old baby girl!

On the Move!

Randal Jean has started crawling and pulling up!  She seems to enjoy crawling and being able to explore but prefers to use crawling as a means to get to somewhere to pull up.  She loves standing!!!!  I really don't think walking will be that far behind...

Check out our cutie in action  (PS-I can't get the audio to work so no need to mess with your computers):

Till Family Reunion

This past Saturday was the Till family reunion at my cousin John's farm in South Carolina.  I always look forward to the family reunion as it is usually the only time of year I get to see most of Tills and plus the Till farm is amazing!

We had around 40 people in attendance this year representing 4 generations of Tills.  As always we had way too much food, but we all made sure that not a crumb of Aunt Pauline's caramel cake was left.  We also carved pumpkins, went on a hay ride around the farm, and reminisced about past reunions.  I think it is so neat to hear people from my parents generation talk about coming to reunions before they had kids and now they are showing up with their grandkids!  And better yet I like to hear my dad and his cousins talk about going to the farm when it was owned by their granddaddy (my great-grandfather) and all the memories they made there. 

So like I mentioned up top the Till farm is AMAZING.  I believe its around 1000 acres total with around 500 acres of corn and soy fields, has a large pond stocked with fish, and enough farm equipment to make boys young and old grin ear to ear.  Doesn't that sound great!  Not to wish time away or anything but I can't wait for Randal Jean to be a little older and get to help drive the tractors and look around in amazement at all the space to run free!  

I am so grateful that John and his wife Susan have kept of the tradition of hosting the Till family reunion and invite us back year after year.  The sense of family at the reunions is something that really can't be paralleled.

Below are lots of pictures...my only regret is not taking more pictures of our gorgeous surroundings and of all of the attendees (Randal always seems to steal the picture...)

Swinging

With cousin John

Carving pumpkins

With Uncle Riley

Everybody...I LOVE LOVE LOVE big families

My dad and his siblings

Riley and Kacie....photogenic as ever

Randal's first hay ride

View of the "pond" on the hay ride

Randal sleeping through her first hay ride

Our branch of the family tree....We missed you Uncle Tyler!

Kacie having fun on the swing

Outfit change after daddy spilled punch all over his girl

Tractor tires are great!

"Mom, I am done!"

Just give me a spoon!

Oh my goodness I could just eat this child with a spoon I tell ya!  I may be totally biased but I really just can't get enough of her :)

Hands up!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

Its Fall, I'm a parent...so guess what we had to do?!?!  Take lots of pumpkin pictures ofcourse.  And guess who made Randal's dress?  I did!  Not to brag or anything but I am getting better at this sewing thing and I think this was my best piece yet :)  

Recycling

Recycling is easy when you have a child that prefers to play with trash instead of her toys!  Randal Jean gets the biggest kick out of playing with water bottles (no tops ofcourse) and magazines.