"and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..." phil. 1:9
Hot dogs, baked beans, fabulous dips and chips… cool dip in the pool, talking with friends in lounge chairs, watching kids laughing together with school friends they haven’t seen all summer… loud banging fireworks in the street, glowing sparklers, moms trying to make sure no one blows off their fingers… the joys of the 4th of July 
. Too bad its only once a year. Hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating!!
The category at I Heart Faces this week has a strange twist of irony for me. We have the sweetest dog I have ever known, and I have known many dogs. She has 3 legs — she has been that way since she was a little puppy, running after our chocolate lab and swimming like she didn’t know any differently. She has never so much as snipped at anyone, including our 3 children as they tugged on her and played in her food when they were babies. My husband and I have been talking about our 14 year old yellow lab for a few months now, wondering how much longer she would make it, wondering if she is completely miserable… We had another conversation the other day, and I behaved as usual — as he talked of the tumors she has around her stomach and how dementia seems to be setting in, I kept changing the subject – acted like if I didn’t talk about it, we wouldn’t have to. Unfortunately, I knew the reality of the situation, and today my husband let me know that the appointment was made. In the past, we have been a family with 3 dogs… by the end of the week we will be a family with no dogs. I don’t even know what that is like. So I took photos of Gretchen tonight, realizing I don’t even have that many pictures of her, and how much I want to remember her sweet face. Gretchie, you are an amazingly strong sweetheart and have given us so much love. Thank you, pretty girl. We will not be the same without you.
“God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.” — Billy Graham
I am not very good at eating fruit. Or vegetables… but I think I like vegetables more, which is really strange to me since fruit is sweet and my sweet tooth is ginormous. Somehow my kids have taken a liking to fruit, which I often get excited about, but I have no idea how it happened. I don’t think its because of anything I did… especially since I don’t act as a good role model in this area… but even my pickiest eater, our 11 year old daughter, likes fruit. Now, mind you, she tends to like the stuff that is hardly ever around the house like kiwi, cantaloupe (I really can’t stand that stuff… isn’t that sad?), etc., but she LIKES it!! Here was her breakfast this morning, and I was so proud (all the fresh fruit around the house is due to my dad visiting and stocking us up on fresh fruit from local farm stands since he loves it in his daily oatmeal… what a guy ).
Does your family do well at eating fruit?
Yes, I am a dessert lover. One of my favorite quotes is, “Dessert is not a treat, it is a necessity.” Dark chocolate anything is my favorite, but I grew up eating a HUGE bowl of ice cream every evening (can’t do that anymore…) and anything with frosting on it lights my fire. I’m trying to be “good” these days with my sugar intake, but really, if someone offers it to me? No self control. The bridal shower I photographed a couple of weekends ago had these fabulous tiny petit fours and tartlette desserts… even their names are so pretty!! So yes, I had to try them. And they tasted even better than they look…
At I Heart Faces this week, they are sharing delectable dessert photos!! Make sure you come on over on a full stomach, or you may be tempted to run to the bakery…
Our youngest turned FOUR this past week…. FOUR!!!! Although I was asked just yesterday if he was 6 or 7 (both our boys are trying to catch up with 6′5″ Dad…), it seems like he should only be about 2 in Mommy years… (Mommy years = how much time has passed in a Mom’s head). Some 4 year old facts about Jack:
-he loves playing legos and anything to do with trains with his big brother
-he has found a new passion: making high pitched short screaming noises
-he is quite good at writing his name! after I tried to help him several times, he decided on his own one day he would let us know that he really could do it.
-his legs aren’t quite long enough yet for his new Green Machine, but he can drive it Flintstone syle.
Yes, in the first photo here his dad is holding his head straight. Because those of you who have had 4 year old boys know that they rarely stand still, or do exactly what you ask them to. But he is still smiling. Because he is an ornery boy, but he is a smiley boy. And that is his middle name, Smiley, because it is my maiden name and my wonderful, only-child dad only had daughters! So we are trying to carry on the name, in a small, but memorable way .
We made a trip to the thrift store today to look for an interesting old chair or anything else we couldn’t live without, but came home with these beauties. My daughter is a lover of books, new and old, and I LOVE that!! I was drawn to the Reader’s Digest Best Loved Books because they reminded me of all the Reader’s Digest classics my mom and dad had on their bookshelf. Funny how books can bring so much nostalgia. Nancy Drew is one of my daughter’s favs, and I knew these other classics would make her smile with delight. And, our sweet youngest guy was with us — he has been obsessed with Bibles lately (LOVE that, too!!!), and found a little New Testament… AND it was even his favorite color!!! Score!!
