Guess what I did!

I finally took some pictures! It’s about time! Here are a few from today that I really liked…

I love taking detail shots of a moment. This is Caleb’s new whistle (thanks, Mom), and he has been enjoying it ALL day! I’m sure you can imagine what that means.

I went over to my neighbor’s sunflower garden this evening just to take a sundrenched sunflower shot. I love sunflowers. I may have mentioned that before.

I just love the sincere happiness on his face. (That weird cheek shape is from the dappled light through the maple trees.) He was having fun playing with our pastor when I took this shot. My boys do not believe in shirts in the summer.

Thanks for stopping by! I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get back to taking photos regularly – I’ve really missed the creative outlet!

Life is so busy around here!

We have so many things going on these days! Baby feeding, me working, Ken working, baby cuddling, kids’ appointments, baby feeding,  plans for family activities, baby cuddling, people visiting (the baby, I’m sure), baby feeding, housework, more appointments, more feeding, more cuddling…

(This close-up makes Little Man look bigger than he is – he actually weighs somewhere around 9.5 lbs, and is probably 21-22 inches long.) He’s really not very big, but he’s growing well! At his well child check last week he had gained 14 ounces in 14 days. Whoohoo, Little Man!

He’s still waking up 2-3 times (at least) a night, so I’m not getting nearly as much sleep as my body and brain would like. I just keep reminding myself that I’ve made it through this 4 times before, so I can handle this. The only problem with that is that myself always responds with “you were younger then.” Whiner.

Dale is turning out to be a great babysitter for Little Man. He is a natural with a tiny infant – he isn’t afraid to carry him around or change his diapers. That is such a help to me! The other kids love to hold him, but most of them are very stiff and awkward with such a little person. I’m sure they’ll be more comfortable when he’s not so fragile.

I am so thankful for all the blessings that friends and family have bestowed upon Little Man and our family. He is completely outfitted now, thanks to the generosity of so many people. I also discovered Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program! Yay! We can subscribe to have things like diapers sent to us on a schedule, and we get a discount on them. It’s a great deal for someone like me who lives near the boonies and can’t get to a discount store easily. And I discovered that the price was actually less than I could get in Missoula, anyway (as far as I could tell from home). Whoohoo! Convenience and savings! I love it!

Okay…I must get on with making dinner. These kids like to eat. A lot. Tonight I think they’ll have bread and water. I don’t have the energy for anything more complicated than that.

Oh – and one more picture, just because I love my son’s fashion sense…

(For my long-time followers – I apologize that all my photos these days are cell phone snaps – I promise that I will pick the big, bad 7d up again soon.)

Oh, and an update – Ken has suggested that we toast the bread so the kids have toast and water. Variety, you know.

I’m past due for a book review!

Life has been so busy in Scrivnerburg the last few months that I have not even had time to post a review of the most recent book I received from WaterBrook Multnomah. The book, which is the first fiction book I’ve reviewed, is called Lilies in Moonlight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Okay – that’s not much of a review, so let me give you a little more detail.

Lilies in Moonlight is by Allison Pittman. Ms. Pittman captured my attention immediately with a struggling but spirited young woman determined to make her way in the world. Although the book was set in the 1920’s, I really felt like I connected with Lilly, the main character, from the beginning. That doesn’t happen often. Lilly was living the life of the world – poor choices and all – before she was taken in by a Christian family. As she dealt with the idiosyncrasies of this family, she came to seek her peace in God. Lilies in Moonlight is very definitely Christian fiction, but it doesn’t have a syrupy, smarmy gospel message. The characters are portrayed as typical, flawed people who learn through their mistakes. I loved that aspect of the story – the people came across as real, as did their faith in God.

If you enjoy Christian fiction, or even if you don’t, I recommend this book for some fun summer reading. It will take you on a joyful journey!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.