There's Someone I'd Like You to Meet

My father.



This is a difficult and complicated post to write, but ultimately it is a happy one. You see, my father and I hadn't seen each other for 34 long years--that is, until this week when he travelled no small distance to visit our family and our little town. Out of the intense jumble of feelings brought on by this visit, gratitude for the present and hope for the future were what bubbled to the top out of that murky mess of the past, no longer dwelling on the past but imagining the possibility of the future. We can never make up for so much lost time, but we can nevertheless rejoice in a rekindled relationship, father-daughter-granddaughter.

Most of all, I'm so happy that Lily will know her grandfather. He's a charmer, that's for sure, and Lily took to him like she'd known him forever. She simply adored being around her grandpa, which made the visit all the more fun. Sadly, I forgot my camera more than I remembered it these last few days, but I still managed to get a few nice shots of Lily with her abuelito.

Dad, we love you. Thank you.

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy

It's been two glorious weeks since Mom's furlough officially began. Here's how we've been spending our time:


Lily and Mom took a day trip with Nana and Pop down to Philly to celebrate Cousin Grace's 3rd birthday. The girls had a great time together.


Also in town for the festivities (and also celebrating a birthday!) was Uncle Dave who got in some quality niece-time while waiting for brunch to be served at Rembrandt's.


As much as I hate to admit it (I'm not a fast food or chain restaurant fan), we have become regulars at Friendly's. It is by far Lily's favorite place to eat out. The free balloons and ice cream have nothing to do with her preference, I'm sure. Here is Lily, enjoying broccoli and french fries dipped in blue cheese dressing with her Weezie.


And while we're on the subject of Lily's gastronomical preferences, she recently decided that bratwurst simply could not be eaten without spicey mustard, and here she is, trying in vain to get the last of the mustard from the jar. It was so spicey that her eyes became red and teary from inhaling the fumes!


After finally giving up on the mustard, Lily shared some chocolate ice cream with Daddy. Yum!


Lily and Mom also took a day trip to Newtown to visit with Auntie Nikki and Uncle Scott, and Auntie Kimmy and Uncle Ron, and of course, Maddie! Here is Lily admiring Maddie's brand new necklace.


It was a hot day in Newtown and so the crew all went swimming. Maddie showed off her amazing swimming prowess, and we discovered that Lily loves being in the water. We think we see swimming lessons in the girl's very near future!


Lily's latest girlie obsession (besides shoes and clothes) is hair bows. She loves to wear them nearly every day and gets upset if they should happen to fall out while she's playing. Another obsession of late is the stairs. Lily has become quite proficient at climbing up and down all on her own and will sometimes make a whole afternoon's project out of the activity.


Lily has decided that Romeo is now, among other things, her travelling pillow. Such a patient cat.

Four Generations: A Photographic Study

The Girl and her Weezie

This week Lily and Mom made a trip up to Reading so Uncle Nate could do some work on our car. We spent the afternoon with Weezie, and great-grandmother and great-granddaughter had a marvelous time together! Lily showed Weezie her favorite toys, impressed her with a lot of talking (ok, babbling, but I'm sure Lily knew exactly what she was saying), and showed off her new ability to stand. By the end of the aftenroon, Lily even had Weezie loving Grover as much as she does...

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so very much to be thankful for on this day; we are blessed with health, home, family, and love. But most of all, here are two of the things I’m most thankful for:


Lily showed off her new Thanksgiving dress, a present from Grandma.


With family gathered round a bountiful table, and Lily and Daddy overseeing the feast from opposite ends, it was a truly wonderful dinner.


Lily had her first taste of turkey, chestnut stuffing (made from a family recipe passed down from Lily’s great great grandmother Rebecca Brownback Fetters), Weezie’s famous cranberry relish, sweet potato biscuits, and pumpkin pie. Her appetite was still a little subdued from being sick (a nasty and frightening case of croup), but still she at least sampled the feast with appreciation, if not her usual gusto.


Uncle Nate brought along his two adorable brand new beagle puppies. They were afraid of the cat who was bigger than them by far, and Lily (clearly bigger than both the cat and the pups) was a little apprehensive of them.


Mom tried to show Lily how cute and fun the pups were by getting down on the floor to play with them, but you can see how that turned out…


Everyone was tired, full and happy after a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.


And one last thing to be thankful for - Lily surprised her mama today with her very first spontaneous, unsolicited kiss! It was a sweet, soft, very wet kiss that completely melted me and I will remember it for ever!

A Matter of Expression

We've given up trying to figure out who Lily looks like. She's such a fascinating composite of so many people, we now take delight in identifying and tracing individual features and tendencies. Her eyes and ears are shaped more like mine. Her nose is all Harper (you can trace it back through generations of family photos) while her chin is all Goodfriend. The shape of her bald little head - it reminds me so much of my grandfather Harris. And those exquisitely long fingers and toes? All her daddy's.

One particular trait we've realized is all courtesy of mom - certain goofy expressions she's prone to flashing. The most noticeable one is the chin raised, lower jaw jutted out, somewhat perplexed look. And by the way, for those of you who notice such details of continuity... that's Weezie's hand in both photos.

Future's So Bright...

...Lily's gotta wear shades!

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon - too beautiful to stay inside - so we went to Long's Park to take a stroll and watch the ducks.


The girl pulls off pink glitter with style and class.


Dad, Lily and Luke watch a snapping turtle at the lake's edge.


Soaking up the warm afternoon sun.

We also went to Strasburg this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July a few days early and cousin Grace's birthday a few days late.


Typing isn't Lily's only talent at the keyboard.


Daddy makes silly for Grace.

Mothers

When I was born I was the fifth-generation female in our family's living matriarchal line. My great-great-grandmother was in her 90s and I remember attending her funeral as a toddler. Lily will be lucky enough to know her great-grandmother Weezie, after whom she is named, during the early years of her life.

Five generations: 1970


Pictured here, from oldest to youngest, are Susan Fisher Bauer, Sarah Bauer Schoellkopf, Louise Schoellkopf Harris, Cynthia Harris Beil Baker, Amy Beil Harper.


Four generations: 2007


Pictured here, from oldest to youngest, are Louise Schoellkopf Harris, Cynthia Harris Beil Baker, Amy Beil Harper, Lillian Louise Harper.

Family Visit

Before Mom returns to work next week, we decided to make the trip up to Reading to visit family that we don't get to see as often as we'd like. Naturally, Mom documented the day in photos!


Lily meets Chester Beagle.


A study in purple: Lily charms her Grandpa Tom.


With Great Grandma Weezie. We chose Lily's middle name, Louise, to honor her Weezie!