Exploring

In my opinion, there's nothing better than reading in the sun. I'm glad to see the kiddo think so too! Our thermometer says 56 degrees... and I can hear birds chirping and the sound of the melting snow falling of our rooftop. Oh, spring, welcome back. We missed you!
Of course, not all the snow is gone, and E quickly found, touched, and played with it.
Oh, and this leaf. I love leaves. I was trying to get a better photo, but this kiddo is too quick to take any great shots, it appears. Or maybe I'm too slow. Whatever the case, I do like this shot because of the shades of brown... my favorite color. :)
Finding more snow. One thing about E is that she is one of the most curious little creatures I've ever seen. Recently we were at the library when a woman started chatting to me saying, "Your daughter is so inquisitive! Looks like you might have an engineer in your family." We both had a good chuckle when I mentioned what her daddy did for a living, so I guess it's in her blood. :)

I.Love.Sunshine.

Seriously. I just love it. As soon as I see the sunshine, I perk up, and think of many ways to get outside.... even for a little while. This morning, after the kiddo's nap, I strapped her into the bike trailer and we headed out for a short ride. She appears to tolerate the trailer well, though we probably won't be doing any extended rides for a while until she gets a little more used to it. Not to mention I was sore from running and doing yoga yesterday, so we took it a little easy. :)

We're doing well, other than teething bouts and boycotting snow. The kiddo is learning how to communicate, which is a relief and exciting to see. She's learned how to "fake" laugh, and it's hilarious to hear her do it. Over and over.

L's heading downstate for work tomorrow, so it'll be a long day for him. He's also thinking about doing a photography class this summer through the local community college. He gets four credits free since he's teaches at the college. He did take a photography class several years ago in college, but he's hoping this will "force" him to take it more seriously. He's pretty talented and enjoys it, so I hope he goes for it.

Anyway, this is it. Get outside! Today's too beautiful to sit reading this!

Time of Refreshing

As a child, I couldn't stand playing by myself. My mom would ask, "You should have imaginary friends to play with." Truth be told, my imaginary friends didn't like me. Or I didn't like them. Whatever the case, our friendships didn't work out, so I'd beg my sister and brothers to play with me. Mostly just my sister. It drove her crazy. I just could NOT play alone.

Fast forward many years to married life and a child. Now I don't get enough alone alone time. Meaning, time to myself for myself.... and I miss it sometimes. Tonight, after the kiddo went to sleep, I decided to go for a bike ride. It was such a peaceful ride... the sun was setting... it was quiet... there were deer watching me watching them... and a ride to the beach was exactly what the doctor ordered.

I stopped for a moment to take in the quiet, and the beauty. Boy, there is a lot of beauty in this world, despite the ugliness all around us. There is still purity in this world - from the perfect sunset to the sound of a bird's song. The artistry of our Creator astounds me every time.

Moments like that reminds me of the vastness of this world, and how small I am in all of it. Despite my small role in this life, God everything about me.... down to the number of hairs on my head. God, the creator of the Heavens and Earth, listens and answers every prayer that I pray. Every laugh that I laugh. Every tear that is shed. What an awesome God we serve.

It was a lovely and refreshing time, and I'm glad to be home. There's a lot of beauty here too. :)

Easter - He's Risen!!

Our beautiful little girl. :)

Coloring Eggs
The finished product

Green Smoothie

Sooo... as gross as this might look, it's actually pretty tasty! I've been experimenting with green smoothies for sometime now - trying to find one that actually tasted decent - one that both the babe and I both love (L seems to be able to drink the not so good ones). Well, today I think I have found it! The babe drank two cups of it, and I downed mine pretty quickly.

This is what I did (so I can remember):

A handful of spinach
Banana
Pear
Half Mango
Blueberries
Ice
Water

Blend and taste it's goodness!! This one gets two thumbs up! :)

feet washing
Originally uploaded by ღMøûñ†àíñwømãñღ

This morning, in the bible study that I attend, the leaders of the group washed our feet, as Jesus washed the disciples' feet. They took us to a different room, with only the worship leader playing "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus". The leaders knelt in front of each of us, looking us in the eye, reminding us of how much Jesus loved us to die so that we may experience freedom and life eternally.

We were all in tears, as we felt the Spirit move. It was a beautiful time of prayer and reflection - of the suffering that Christ endured so that we might spend eternity with Him. The overwhelming love He has for us, and how on the third day, He defeated death and lives forevermore. Praise God for freedom, grace, and eternal salvation.

"Someday" by Alison Mcghee

If I had a list or a "Book of the Week" (maybe this will be my start), this is would definitely be the one that I would choose. "Someday" was our birthday gift to my little niece, M, who recently turned one. Now that I have a kiddo, I love looking in the children's book section on amazon.com. Sigh. So many books. So little time. :)

This is a "circle of life" book that focuses on a mother's relationship with her daughter. I bought it before fully reading it... and then couldn't finish it, because I was nearly in tears. This sweet book is simple in its writings - only a sentence on each page, and a small photo, but its simplicity is what won me over. Some lines from the book are "One day I counted your fingers and kissed each one", "Someday you will swing high - so high, higher than you ever dared to swing", and "Someday I will stand on this porch and watch your arms waving to me until I can no longer see you."

Just a sweet book about the mother/daughter relationship, and the memories and dreams that develop.