Tidbits

While going through hard places I am learning that it is important to focus on the things that bring joy into life. No matter what, there is always joy to be found.



This little girl brings me much joy.




I bought Ava Claire this sweet litte frog swimming pool but I totally forgot about the swimsuit. Oh well, 8 months of age is one of the few times in life you can get by without a swimming suit! She loved it. After she played for awhile, we got out the baby soap and finished up with a bath. Wouldn't you love to take your bath outside in the back yard? Ahh... the simplicity of being a baby. Ava is more fun every day. She loves to laugh out loud - she loves to bounce - she loves to eat - and she is standing up to the furniture now. She is picking up cheerios and yogurt melts with her little fingers and eats them with gusto! She gets on her hands and knees but hasn't quite figured yet how to coordinate two hands and two knees to make her go anywhere yet. She just kind of looks at you and her expression says "Help!"



One day as I was sitting on the patio I noticed that a robin bird kept flying into the pine tree and then out again. I went and looked and discovered a nest with three sweet little babies in it.



It has been most enjoyable watching that dedicated mama bird take care of those babies. And she sat on top of the swing set screetching her lungs out at me while I took this picture. I appreciate that about her. I screech at the parts of the world that endanger my babies too. She is a good mama.

We have started out Summer Book Club at church. I absolutely love sitting with women discussing books we love and finding spiritual applications we can use in our lives. This year we are reading Desperate Pastor's Wives


and


(I don't know why these pictures are such different sizes - oh well - I don't have time to fix it.)

I love both these books and look forward to much enjoyment discussing them in the club.

My daughter Tara just moved into a new apartment in North Hampton, Massachusetts where she is attending grad school. She wasn't prepared for her new neighbors. Apparently, a mama bear and her two cubs have decided to live in her back yard. While I am a bit nervous about all of this, Tara is excited because she made the news.

Michelle and Brad and little Tyler are in the jungle right now. Sheesh. One daughter with bears in her back yard and another living in the jungle in South America. I have to think about that sentence for a minute. It seems so strange to write something like that. I just have to shake my head sometimes. They are out of contact with phones or emails so we will have to wait until they are back in civilization to hear from them. Say a prayer for Tyler. He is too young to have gotten his malaria and yellow fever immunizations. (Another sentence I never imagined uttering.) They will keep him covered and protected, but still......

This weekend we are going to get away for a while. We are going to go camping up at a lake. I am not a huge camping fan - it is SO MUCH WORK and there is no water, power, or ahem, facilities- but I am looking forward to getting away. I am trying to ignore the weather forecast which calls for thunderstorms in the mountains. They aren't ever right anyway - are they? Miss Ava Claire and her mama and daddy are going with us as well as my mom. We are bringing fishing poles, books, card games, knitting, lots of food, stuff for s'mores and five dogs between us. If nothing else, it should provide plenty of blogging fodder!

Have a great weekend.