A Window

I wish I had a working camera right now because I would show you more than that hammy face. I'd show you a window to her heart.

Her toddler Bible.

Let me show it to you in the only way I can. You see, it doesn't look like my Bible and for more than the obvious reasons. For one thing several of the pages are bent and when Jesus died on the cross, well, that page has to be completely taped back into place. I believe Daniel has some crayoning next to him in the lion's den, and I'm pretty sure that David and Goliath are smudged from whatever she was snacking on while reading about them. And the spine is altogether a mess. It's been reattached with masking tape at least once and sits again in need of such a fix even as I type.

It's not that she is too rough or too hard on it necessarily. It's that she uses it. She carries it around. She endlessly tells me stories from it and begs me to tell them back to her, especially the ones that tell of His healing power. She and her Daddy act out stories from it before going to bed. It almost always sleeps with her or next to her bed each night. It makes practically every road trip we take.

I often marvel at the passionate little girl God has given us. She loves to talk, to ask questions, to know all about what is going on. She wants to be included in any and all conversations around her and lights up something beautiful when she figures out a way to make someone laugh. She doesn't like people to get upset and will try her best to calm you down quick. I can't forget those occassional dramatic fits either; she feels disappointment or sadness keenly and can cry as hard as she can laugh.

That's really hard, y'all.

That brings me back to her Bible. She is not a casually flipping page turner or from the shelf book admirer. She digs in. She believes. She feels things to the core of her. She wants to share it with those she loves. She delights us, tries our patience, amazes us, and challenges us to drink a little deeper.

She reminds me that my Bible may not look like hers.

But it should.

Until Next Time

Whether we arrive by tractor...


By four-wheeler...

Or by trusty steed...
We don't want to miss the critters...


Certainly not the food or fun...



And, by all means, none of the tea (yemonade) parties!




Until next time PopPop, Nana, and crew... we'll be lost somewhere in sweet memories of you!

You Know It's Gonna Be a Good Trip...

When it starts off a little something like this:

More later from our recent road trip.

But first, you can't tell I whipped together Joe's ensemble from a lone fabric marker and whatever else we could find in the trunk? Or that Maddie is sporting her fall costume which, if snapped, would have redefined the term highwaters? That maybe Hope's t-shirt already did?

You can?

Oh, well. Long live Chick-Fil-A's freebies anyway! :)

just the kind of day

for a picnic lunch, ice cold water, and pink lemonade

for playing in the park, enjoying a big grassy field, decorating your own cupcake, and being with all kinds of family in the mountains
just the kind of day... for turning ONE!

*****

happy very first birthday, madison elise! every day with you is a gift, sweet girl.

and tutu much...

... among the many thanks that are in order, we so appreciate this fabulous tutorial and this super talented auntie for the tutu magic... maybe, just MAYBE, someday the girls will be in a little magic made by my two hands? i'm hoping! :)

In Season- Pigs and Pottery

Farmer's Markets, as we shared before, are great places for local fruits and veggies. But many also have the market on a few fun and unique activities.

Like this little gem of a one on Friday nights about eight minutes from our house.

Hope found herself a petting zoo, which pretty much equals a version of heaven in her book. With animals to chat with and to pet as much as she wants and all. Our regular little animal whisperer.

Then for a buck she got to choose, mold, and paint a small piece of pottery. The shop owner took it to fire, and we should get it back on our next visit.

This market is held outside one of our favorite eclectic coffee shops. Do you remember the one? Here let me help.

Yes, this...
...has turned to this in so little time.
Ah me, where's the food already?

Okay... though we only scooped up a small bit of produce this time, we still made good of it. That's why I love summer; you can grill some hot dogs, mix up cucumbers and tomatoes, serve it with a side of peaches and call it a night. The animal whisperer's assistant, who found her own version of happiness by playing in the gravel earlier on, thought this was a good idea. What you can't hear is her saying, "Mow... mow!" (More... more!)

Just in case you're interested, here is the recipe for that easy veggie concoction and another one that used up our green pepper and onion for July Fourth's block party.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Mix one large cucumber and one good size tomato, both finely chopped, with a couple tablespoons each cup of light mayonnaise and light sour cream. Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and/or dried rosemary to taste. Best if chilled, but doesn't have to be.

Italian Veggie Pasta

Boil pasta according to directions on package. Our favorite is rigatoni or whole grain penne for this particular salad. Rinse in cold water and dump into large bowl. Mix with one small onion and one green pepper, both finely chopped, along with one container of feta cheese, one can of black olives, and about half a cup or more of prepared or homemade Italian dressing to taste. Also, best if chilled.

Maybe come August we can do this in season thing without ever leaving home? :)

Just Saying...

Hope isn't the only one who likes to dig around in the backyard.



Especially since life and a bit of determination finally gave me a change of scenery.

Just saying. :)
maddie

Friday Night Lights

No, fellow football loving friends, I have not lost my mind. Yet.

Anyway :), we're talking about different kinds of lights. The kinds made by a campfire, moonshine, and twinkling stars.

Kinds that put my soul at ease.

Last Friday, we were having a late dinner in the backyard when inspiration struck. Let's sleep out here! We checked the weather report and decided why not?

It took Hope about three seconds or less to get on board. We put Maddie to bed and let her join us thereafter via satellite.
Then the rest of us got to work. I made the campfire, while Daddy set up the tent. Hope dabbled in it all, but mostly kept announcing how her job was to hold the big silver flashlight. "I'm doing a weally good job, awen't I Mommy? Dis is my job to hold the flashwight. So, don't take it away okay?" Humble flashlight holder and negotiator, that girl.
Funny thing was she quickly picked up another part time job when she realized there was no one to carry over the bowl of S'more making ingredients. And, truth be told, she was the best stick finder in the yard when it came time for roasting.
Needless to say, we couldn't have done the camp out without all her skills and expertise. Like her self invented S'mores dance. A stroke of silly genius.
I never want to forget her face when she got in the big tent for the first time. Sheer joy. Plus a lot of yelling and rolling around. Sorry 'bout that, neighbors!
When we finally settled into our sleeping bags, while reading Llama, Llama Red Pajama, what a peace there was. Never mind all the knees and elbows as the late night S'more worked its magic or the monitor going off at about 2 am.

We have an almost one and a definite two year old. We never mind pretty well these days.


The next morning we asked Hope all about her favorite parts of the night before. Surely it was running in the yard well past bedtime or eating gooey desserts or snuggling in the sleeping bags with brightly colored glow sticks.

"When I was yooking for God up in the sky," she said.
We had no idea.

Sure enough, these are the kinds that put my soul right at ease.