LillyBear Returns to Chincoteague

A few days after Christmas, my two youngest children, LillyBear, and I took a trip to Chincoteague island in Virginia.  We'd never been to Chincoteague during the winter so didn't know what it would be like, except that we wouldn't have to deal with the pesky mosquitoes!  My Dad and stepmom, and my siblings and their families, all came to Chincoteague too.  

If you've read my book, LillyBear Goes to Chincoteague, or my 2012 blog post, "LillyBear's Adventures in Chincoteague," you are familiar with the activities and things we like to do on Chincoteague and neighboring Assateague islands.  

We stayed in a cute little house called the Crepe Myrtle Cottage, which I believe was built in the 1930s.  One of my brother's and his family stayed with us.  My Dad and stepmom, other brother and his family, all stayed down the road at the Starbright Cottage.

LillyBear on the steps of the Crepe Myrtle Cottage

I left copies of my LillyBear Goes to Chincoteague book at both cottages.  I hope other vacationers might enjoy them.

LillyBear is sitting on a table in front of the window
with our book next to her

Because of the time of year we were there, not everything was open.  But it was still very nice because there were no crowds either.  Just being outside and walking in the fresh air was wonderful.

LillyBear climbing a large crepe myrtle tree

One day it was rainy so LillyBear decided to stay in the cottage.  (She prefers to be warm and dry!) Solomon and I explored a little part of the island that we had never seen before - the Chincoteague Waterman's Memorial.  We had to drive through the marina parking lot to get there, and then walk up a little hill.

It was so foggy we couldn't see very far around us.  The only sound was water  lapping on one side.  The quiet and fog made reading the plaques even more  sobering.  Yet there was such a beauty in the place.

Solomon and I followed a trail past the memorial for a while.  It was very interesting.  We're still not sure what this part, off the trail, was:

LillyBear was happily waiting for us, when we finally got back to the cottage:

For those of you that are Misty of Chincoteague fans, here is Miss Molly's Inn on Main Street where Marguerite Henry stayed at in 1947 while writing her book:

It doesn't seem that Blogger sends out emails to subscribers announcing my posts anymore, so I have no idea if anyone that used to read this blog will see this.  But if you are reading this, and for any new people who see this, I just want to say "hello" and that I hope you have a very blessed new year! 

MY NEW BOOK: LillyBear Goes to Chincoteague

LillyBear and I have an exiting announcement to make!  We now have a published book on Amazon.com:  LillyBear Goes to Chincoteague.  

Because the book is self-published through Amazon, it is a "print on demand" book.  That means it can be ordered and printed from any Amazon website in the world.  So if you live in another country and are interested in the book, you can get it without paying for overseas shipping.  😉

Here is a summary of the book:

When LillyBear travels with her family to Chincoteague and Assateague islands, she is amazed by everything she sees in the natural world around her and inside the many museums she visits. As much as she enjoys her days exploring, she starts to worry that she’ll never see the island’s wild ponies. Will LillyBear find all the historical links to the famous pony Misty? What will LillyBear learn about the lighthouse on Assateague island and why the mosquito was nicknamed  their official bird? Will LillyBear ever see those elusive wild ponies before her vacation is over?

A heartwarming and informative story about a little bear and her (human) family as they explore Chincoteague and Assateague islands. Learn alongside them as they visit museums, a lighthouse, and all things Misty of Chincoteague. Hear a recollection of Pony Penning Day and see famous spots on the islands through the eyes of a curious little bear.

Filled with photographs, this “living book” captures the spirit of the family’s adventure and the events and places described.

This book was written in memory of a special little girl, Lilly, who was born with Trisomy 18.

The front and back covers:

I hope that anyone who buys this book enjoys it.  Thank you!!!!  😊

 

LillyBear's house tour

LillyBear riding up for her house tour with Hunter.  (Hunter saved and saved and saved to buy his tractor himself):

I have been surprised at the number of angel moms that have shared that they have received negative comments about how they keep their angel children in their life.  For example, criticisms in having a lot of pictures of the angel child in the home, mementos of the angel child, frequently talking about them, family celebrations of the angel child's birthday and death day, etc.  Of course the people that are making those types of critical comments, which by the way hurt the moms dreadfully, think they are being helpful.  (I suppose.  Maybe they're just really uncomfortable.)  They seem to think that if those moms will just put all those reminders away then they will heal and life will go back to "normal."

Well that won't ever happen.  Those that have not lost children simply don't understand.  We don't fault them for that.  But I do hope to help my readers understand that they should never make negative comments to those of us that are doing our best to cope with loss.  We all do so in our own way and express it differently.

We are now settled into our new home.  (It feels funny saying that since the home is 102 years old!)  I thought about the above as I decorated.  I put "touches of Lilly" in almost every room.  Even the coat closet has her little pink fleece jacket she wore during her last few months.  Why did I do this?  It helps us feel closer to Lilly.  We see each other every day.  We all like seeing Lilly around the house too.  She is an important part of our family and always will be.

Now that I've shared that, LillyBear asked me to post pictures of her showing many of those "touches of Lilly" around our house.  :)  So here goes!

The outside of our Lilly Colored Farmhouse (it's actually red white and blue!):

Tabby dug up Lilly's birthday tree from our other house and replanted it on the side of our house.  (She also has replanted the Easter lilies.  We'll replant Lilly's memorial garden this spring:

For some reason, I've always thought it would be neat to have a church pew in our house.  My mother-in-law gave us this wonderful red pew.  Lilly's special quilt is on the back and her scale is underneath:

Near the pew, I have an old pie safe, also from my mother-in-law.  On top are special boxes with cards from friends in the Trisomy world.  I used one of the cherub statues at Lilly's viewing and funeral.  Hanging on the wall are special Lilly pictures from another Trisomy angel mom and from CarlyMarie:

Here's LillyBear sliding down the banister by Lilly's bunting (it says "In Memory of Lilly):

Our living room has Lilly pictures, of her alone and with us.  All the dried flowers are flowers we received when she died:

In the dining room, my special Lilly and Jesus picture is hanging over the piano.   I need to get flowers for the red clear and blue bottle vases:

Bookshelf by the piano:

This fireplace is also in our dining room.  We've got Lilly's memorial tree on the hearth, and her collage we made for her viewing and funeral on the wall over the mantel.  Lilly's crazy sock monkey on one side, the angel doll Tabby made me on the other with the r-w-b candles.  (Sock monkey needs something else by him but I haven't decided what yet):

In the kitchen, on the window sill is a jar of Lilly's therapy beans and the flag from her 1st birthday cake on the window:

Lilly's VitaMix is on the counter (I wrote her name one it!):

We have a hallway that is a bit wider than usual.  We dubbed it the Lilly Hall.  I want to paint the walls the vintage kind of green I like and maybe stencil lily of the valley flowers on a few places.  We have Lilly's scripture picture up that my friend K drew for us right after Lilly passed away, and my bag of Lilly's folders and memorial project ideas underneath:

Finally, in our bedroom we have a Lilly corner.  I have some Lilly memorabilia on my dresser and Lilly's dresses hanging on the wall.  Hanging in the corner over them is a beautiful light that Lilly and I just loved.  She loved to stare at it.  We just had to bring it with us, even though it's not hooked up to electricity right now:

The pole that held Lilly's feeding pump is now where I hang my diaper bag, Lilly's insulated food bag, and Solomon's sweater:

My husband has Lilly's funeral program and some letters "from" Lilly hanging up:

Under my nightstand is a Lilly colored basket which has the last outfit Lilly ever wore (her sock monkey pjs) and the blankets that were on her bed the last time she ever slept in it.  Unwashed of course:

Finally, here is Solomon and LillyBear in Lilly's old bed:

So what do you think - are we crazy people for having so many Lilly things up?  No we're not.  We're just a family that loves our Lilly and loves to talk about her and remember her. 

And yes - I have pictures up of all my other children too.  :)

Sunset picture and LillyBear's new hat

This is Tabby's version of a photo I posted of a gorgeous sunset with the caption "At the end of the day, all the children of heaven come together to paint the colors of the sunset."  She is learning to work with pastels:

Such a beautiful saying.  (I did not make it up.)  I can't help but think of it whenever I see a sunset with pink streaked in the sky.

LillyBear received some special gifts from C., a big sister of angel Hannah Grace.  Red hair bows:

And a Lilly colored hat!  They both made LillyBear feel so cute as she modeled them for us.

C. also sent crocheted hats for Solomon, Tabby, and Hunter and a soft flannel blanket for Solomon.  C. has her own Etsy site and sells her creations, in memory of Hannah.  (You can see C., Hannah, and a link to the Etsy site on the right side of this blog.)  Thank you C.!  You are so thoughtful!  :)

Solomon loves to look at the Lilly bunting hanging up by the changing table.  I think he loves the colors:

Speaking of colors, angel girl Jordan's mom sent him the rainbow colored "little brother" onesie:

"Oh my goodness, SeaHorse, you won't believe this one ..."  (What is Solomon trying to say in this picture??!!)

"Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged." - 1 Chronicles 22:11-13

Wings and rainbows

Today I received several pictures from Triplet Butterfly Wings of a beautiful butterfly released in Lilly's memory.   Lilly's butterfly was released yesterday.  You can see this picture, along with a couple sentences I submitted, on the Triplet Butterfly Wings blog, under "September 11, 2012" and "Lillian Eva."

The woman that raises these butterflies and releases them, in memory of angel children, lost triplets in 2007, when she was hospitalized with congestive heart failure.  During that time she had an emergency c-section.  Two babies lived 6 days, the other fought for 89 days.  (read her story here.)  These butterflies she raises are released in a memory garden for her triplets.   I thought this was such a beautiful idea.  There are so many people out there that have turned personal tragedies into beautiful gifts for others.

"[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. ..." - Ecclesiastes 3:11a

We received some rainbow ornaments for Lilly's September memory tree recently.  This one is from angel girl Julia's family, and I took a picture of the ornament with the birth announcement of their beautiful rainbow baby boy:

These are from the G. girls, big sisters to Emily with Trisomy 18.  These girls are so creative - I never thought of making rainbow butterflies:

T. made our Rainbow Baby a blanket and a little satin trimmed clutch blanket.  She hand stitched both!  What patience and talent:

Yesterday, T. made LillyBear an outfit to wear - a ruffled skirt and shrug:

The way T. can crank out projects, I have a feeling LillyBear may have more clothes soon!  Thanks T.!

We're two days away from Rainbow Baby's due date.  Not sure what to expect.  H. was born two days early, T. was two days late, and Lilly was 2.5 WEEKS late.  As of right now, I'm not feeling any different.  But we're all getting more and more curious to meet the little guy!

LillyBear's Adventures in Chincoteague

Have you ever read Marguerite Henry's book Misty of Chincoteague?  Or heard about the annual round up, swim, and auction of the wild horses of Assateague (the island across from Chincoteague island? Would you like to find out more about Chincoteague, Virginia?  Then read on!

About a month or so after Lilly passed away, my step-mom offered to let us stay at the cottage she owns and rents out by the week on Chincoteague.  I accepted thinking it would be a good thing for our family.  We were blessed to go and stay for a week, from June 9-June 16.

We decided to take LillyBear with us.  Little did I know at that moment just how fun, and comforting, that would turn out to be.  Here's LillyBear strapped in and ready for the trip!

After about a 5.5 hour drive, LillyBear was excited when we finally pulled up in front of the little cottage, known as the Sea 'Scape.  (You can read website info. on the Sea 'Scape here or watch a short video.  If you make a reservation and go I promise you won't be disappointed!)  The cottage was built about 1950 and is full of personality:

LillyBear loved the view from the front porch. That is Assateague island, right across the Assateague Channel:

After unloading and making and eating dinner (on the porch!), we needed some exercise.  So we headed down the road to Memorial Park.  LillyBear loved the wooden play ship:

Then we walked over to the docks and area along the Assateague Channel.  The view was beautiful:

H. talked to LillyBear about how he could not wait to visit the Assateague lighthouse, which they could see across the channel:

On Sunday we visited the Union Baptist Church.  (LillyBear did not actually go inside):

The day was very hot and humid, so an afternoon at the ocean was wonderfully refreshing.  (Ocean access is on Assateague - it's less than a 10 minute drive from the cottage. There is a charge for going onto the island - we bought a one week pass.)  LillyBear was up for boogie boarding and then a sun bath.  (We teased her about sunbathing since we are too busy playing and swimming to do that):

It was raining Tuesday morning so we headed to the Herbert H. Bateman Education Center on Assateague.  It was full of interesting exhibits and short movies. (We watched one about the ponies of Assateague).  LillyBear showed us she loves to learn:

When we left the education center, we found that the rain had stopped.  So we decided to go see the lighthouse.  However the rainy weather meant the mosquitoes were out in insane numbers!  I don't recall EVER having seen such swarms of mosquitoes!  They were like clouds around us, in spite of all the bug spray we had on.  LillyBear was the only one of us not to get bites.  We started off on the path to the lighthouse at a fast walk but soon were RUNNING to get there.

We blasted into the entrance to the lighthouse thankful to be free of the mosquitoes and their awful buzzing noises.  After paying admission we began the climb up 175 steps to the top of the lighthouse.

T. was snapping pictures and H. was so excited he climbed the whole way himself. (He's 3 years old.) I was wondering if I would make it because when I'm pregnant stairs just leave me incredibly winded. But I climbed these just fine. They were, of course, circular and there were several landings to take a break on.  Finally we made it to the top!  A volunteer handed T. and H. both a sticker to show their accomplishment.  He wouldn't give LillyBear one until I explained that she represented our real Lilly, who was living in heaven.  He quickly gave us a sticker for her then!  She proudly wore it as I took her picture by the door which led to the outside balcony of the lighthouse.

The view out that door was beautiful!  And it was so windy I found myself not wanting to get too close to the rail.

That afternoon, we went to the Tom's Cove visitor center.  (On Assateague.)  This was a very fun hands on little center.  LillyBear watched as the kids and my husband picked up hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs from a large tank.  T. and H. even got to feed the horseshoe crabs which was quite interesting. 

There was also an area where you could pick up things and identify them:

Outside the visitor's center is a lovely boardwalk down to the sandy parking lot by the beach.  We saw a lot of red winged blackbirds, and a rabbit along the way.

On Wednesday we went to the Chincoteague Pony Centre and Gift Shoppe.  The ponies were descendants of the real Misty!

The Centre offers pony rides and has a nighttime horseshoe.  (We didn't do either of those activities.)  The Gift Shoppe was very large and had a lot of really nice, quality things.  We enjoyed browsing.  LillyBear and I liked this doll best so I took her picture to remember her:

Next we headed to Main Street and saw the statute of Misty.  Misty was surrounded by sticker bushes, much to LillyBear's disappointment.  She had wanted to sit on Misty's back:

Across the road is an old movie theatre, and when the Misty of Chincoteague movie was shown, the real Misty left her hoofprints in the cement:

Next we drove by the Beebee ranch, where Misty had lived part of her life. It is no longer open to the public. 

On the way back to the cottage for lunch, we stopped at the Chamber of Commerce.  We picked up some good information and got free stickers.  During the afternoon, we went to the beach.  It was quite windy though, so LillyBear elected to stay back at the cottage and relax.  (I so wish I had room for a church pew in our home!  Maybe in our next home.  M-J please save one for me!)

On Thursday we visited the Museum of Chincoteague Island.  We all really enjoyed the exhibits.  T. took part in a scavenger hunt which made it more interesting.  H. liked the lighthouse related things best.  (They have a Fresnel lens among the lighthouse goodies.)  T. liked seeing the real stuffed Misty and her foal Stormy.  (Misty is the lighter colored horse.)  LillyBear was excited for a chance to pose with them:

During the afternoon, we took a one hour narrated trolley ride around Chincoteague.  The island is not big (I think it is @ 7 miles long) but there was a lot of interesting things to hear about.  LillyBear is like the rest of us, and loves history:

Next was the Captain Timothy Hill house, the oldest house on Chincoteague.  (Circa 1800.)  Unfortunately it closed shortly before we arrived. But LillyBear and I peeked in the windows anyway.  It is furnished in period items inside and looks very interesting.

Continuing back down Main Street, we made a quick stop into the carnival grounds, where the pony auctions are held each July.  LillyBear posed by the famous horse statue by the entrance:

On Friday we browsed through several used bookstores.  I have always loved books and now that I have children, am always on the lookout for Good Books to use for homeschooling.  ("Twaddle Free" books as Charlotte Mason called them!)

During the afternoon, as we drove onto Assateague, we were THRILLED to finally be able to see the wild ponies close up, instead of just way in the distance! 

That evening, we drove the Wildlife Loop on Assateague. It is about 3 miles long, and opens to cars as 3:00 p.m.  (It's only open to walkers and bike riders before that.)  We saw all kinds of birds, but not much else, at the time we drove through.

Saturday it was time to pack up and drive home to North Carolina.  I did wonder if anyone had noticed a crazy lady going around taking pictures of a stuffed bear everywhere! 

LillyBear wanted one last look at the causeway as we left Chincoteague:

Thus concluded a really good trip!  I think we all needed it.  If you're wondering, we were not there during the pony round up and penning week.  And since this blog post turned out so long, I did not go into any more details here.  But it is something that T. and I went to several years ago, and if there is any interest from anyone reading this, just let me know and I can post some pictures from it.

One thing we commented on to each other about a lot on our trip was just how amazing God is in how many many creatures He created!  And what beauty surrounds us, if only we stop to really look.  Thank you God!  :)