Gemma's first Halloween was spent in Normandy, France so we didn't go all out on a costume for her. This is a shirt from her Auntie Shannon complete with her Grammy Shirl's Halloween socks! (We were stuck in a hotel room - what else could we do for fun except dress up Gemma!) Normandy was an amazing place to visit. The area is so rich in history. We visited Omaha Beach which is one of 5 beaches where the allies landed and it was the main beach used for bringing in supplies. The picture below is of Point De Hoc which is where Army Rangers landed and scaled up the cliffs to beat back the Germans. In the picture, you can see a field of holes where the bombers came in to clear out the area before the allies climbed up the cliffs. Realizing the sacrifices and hardships those soldiers dealt with was truly eye-opening. We also visited the American Cemetery and the amazing museum that is on the cemetery grounds....WOW!

Having Ben's mom here has been great! I've been needing tons of help around the house since my surgery and Shirley has been doing everything! It's been awesome for me but she leaves tomorrow so I guess that means I will have to start taking care of the housework again :(

Gemma is growing so fast, as usual. The picture below is of our friends Shannon and Jack. Jack was born about 6 weeks before Gemma, what little cuties! Gemma is starting to laugh out loud and smiles all the time. Her laugh isn't fully developed yet, so it comes out as a half-laugh, half gulping for air sound but it sounds just like music to us!