Beloved Visitors

We see the Nickels family only once a year in the summer since they moved to Tanzania to serve with The Rafiki Foundation a little over two years ago. That said, the kids pack a whole lot of fun into a very short time. We grown ups do too--these pictures are from a picnic at Long Hunter State Park with the Nickels, the Jacobers (Sara's sister lives just a town over from us) and the Grants.

This is Moo with her BFF, Lydia.  Her mom Sara and I have made them pose together in various ways for 14 years now.  Aren't they beautiful?  Sara, remember Moo's first birthday party when Lydia gave her the boppy thing?  You know, it was multi-colored and padded, so you could "bop" someone on the head and it--hypothetically--wouldn't hurt?  Don't I have a picture with the girls propped up on my couch on Meadows, with Moo with the boppy and Lyd looking like she had just been clobbered?  Or maybe that was just her red, goopy eye.  Poor thing.  Between Lyd's eye and Moo's big purple beauty mark on the tip of her nose...well, they were quite a pair.  Still are.  Wow...guess I'm feeling nostalgic.  I'll move away from Memory Lane and on to more pics of our time at Long Hunter now. 

The girls with Lydia's cousin, Elijah.

Oh, now that's pretty.

Aww, that's pretty too.  Amy & Sara--sweet sisters.  (Yes, I edited myself out.  Egads, I looked terrible.)

This bench would later be occupied by a certain adult gentleman who I thought was a sleeping homeless man.  Turns out it was Phil Nickels.  Common mistake. *snicker*

They followed these deer around for some time.  They were very unafraid of the kids.

Rally & Sally.

Okay, finally a group shot with everyone.  From left to right: Audrey, Belle, Moo, Lydia, Elijah, Will and Isabel.  Together, they are quite a bunch of hooligans.