Magical Moment 632: Merry Christmas! And meet our little Jay Bird!

Hello Strangers and Merry Christmas!

The Grimes Family has been very busy since last we met. Busy with our sweet Baby Boy, Sprout (Ricky Ray, now 22 months), and as of July 17th, with our Baby Boy, Jay Bird (Elan Jacob -- pronounced Ee-lin). Our family of 4 lives in Atlanta where Eddie is still with the National Park Service at MLK Jr. National Historical Site, and I am playing piano for The Atlanta Ballet and for another charming Ballet school nearby in Lilburn. Both Eddie and I have gone back to school. I will earn my MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship this February. Eddie is earning a second Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. Enough with all that boring biz. Now for the real cuteness... I will TRY not to completely overload you with pictures. I make no promises...

(The last 6 pictures were taken by my friend, Jennifer Marion, who also makes insanely adorable headbands for babies called Haley's Headbands)

I hope to catch up with you all soon, and maybe even post every now and then in between baby nap schedules! Ha! I wish everyone a very very happy Holiday season!

Love, The Grimes

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le...

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-...

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