Strawberry.

Halloween is an okay holiday, not my favorite but I'm not going to disown it all together. I mean, free candy! Whoop!

But today, like many other holidays and random milestones, is hard. Because last year I thought of all the cute costumes I could be dressing up my 6 month baby in. And I even bought some carter's "little pumpkin" outfits for her to wear this month, in 6 months and 9 months sizes, so no matter how big or little our pumpkin was, she'd have something cute and in season to wear.

And instead of her wearing them, I hung them on her dresser so when we walk by her room we see them. And instead of buying a costume, I just stare at them longingly at the store. Like I did last week when I saw the perfect Maelee baby costume: a strawberry.

Wouldn't she have been the cutest little strawberry with her red hair sticking out?! Seriously, there would have been so many photos taken of her this week, it would have probably been too much even for the grandparents.

So instead of being with her, figuring out our own little family traditions of the day, we are going to hole up... as in, be those horrible people that turn their lights off and not welcome trick-or-treaters. Granted, we've only had a handful the past few years so we won't be disappointing too many kids. But I have to protect my heart and emotions today, just in case some other brilliant parent decides to dress their baby up as a strawberry and come to our door.

-Heather

More Camping Photos.

Thanks for some great photos, Ben!

Hammock!

Good friends... and Linus, the dog.

Creation!

Our tent is the white dot in the trees to Greg's right.

My favorite photo: Me washing cups/doing dishes while Greg is doing nothing! This happens so rarely... it just needed to be captured.

View From Our Tent.

Wish we could open our bedroom door and see this scene everyday! We had a great weekend camping a few hours away... not quite in the mountains but near a beautiful lake. It was lovely! We sure didn't smell lovely after a weekend of no showers, however, so it is good to be home.

Maelee's Cousin:

The photos of Ava Maelee Linn posted earlier just didn't do her justice. She's a cutie!

Songs from Maelee's Daddy.

Greg was able to record five songs he wrote for Maelee at our dear friends' house back when we were in ND in May. He was playing a few last night and that reminded me I should figure out how to post them for you to enjoy. I love to hear Greg play guitar but I especially love when he's singing about our daughter. It's hard but precious.

I hopefully got this figured out where you can click on the name of the song to open a window for you to download. Click open the file with windows media player (or a similar player). And it will download quickly (ideally) for you to enjoy. Eventually I may get this a bit more user-friendly...

Maelee

Hope

Long

Futile

Pink

Posting Songs!

Does anyone know how to post a song on a blog? I am ready to post the recordings of all the songs Greg wrote after Maelee died... but I can't seem to get it to work to share with everyone in a post. So if you know how to solve my conundrum, let me know!

Sweet Treasures.

I wish more than anything that I could be posting photos of sweet six-month Maelee. Her six-month clothes are some of her most adorable. I hate they are stuck in drawers and storage bins and not on her cute little butt. Lord, come quickly!

Instead, I am posting a few gifts we were given that will always remind us of her. I am ever so grateful for all the Maelee treasures we have!

Maelee Bear (or Maelee's Bear) from Auntie Amy and Uncle Andrew. She sits in our living room and you can find Greg or I with M Bear in our laps most evenings.

I don't think I ever posted this gorgeous pillow handmade by my Aunt Bonnie. It sits in M's crib and is so delicate and precious!

The Maelee's Day Quilt! Jillian sent some beautiful fabric from China to use for a quilt. We had folks sign the fabric on Maelee's Day. Grandma K and my mom got it measured and ready for our family friend, Burnetta, to quilt. The fabric is so soft, so sweet and the stitching has a fantastic pattern that adds to the effect. And of course, the signatures remind us of our good friends and family that love us and Maelee...

Sweet treasures, indeed!