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.

Just a reminder

For my regular readers here who might be missing me (?), I am posting about our Little Man/NICU adventure over on my family blog. I’m posting several times a week, so you can keep up with me there. I’ll be back here when I have time an availability to do the daily photo thing again.

Thanks for following!

I have not been posting!

Our family has been very, very busy with a special project lately. I haven’t even had time to take many pictures, let alone share them on my blog. If you’re my Facebook friend you probably already know some of the story, but for those who aren’t on Facebook, and for those who want to know more, you can check out my family blog.

I do have some photos to share, and I will probably post a catch-up blog post soon. Thanks for “following”!

American Flag on Memorial Day

American Flag on Memorial Day, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I am so thankful for the heroes that have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom. Please take a moment to read this post by Admiral James Stavridis - blog.usni.org/2011/05/28/the-words-they-leave-to-us-adm-j...

Sunday Brunch

fruit salad, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

Our church didn't have services here today, so my mom invited us over for Sunday brunch. She planned sourdough waffles and blueberry syrup - deciousness! I offered to bring a fruit salad, and my mother-in-law brought whipped cream...doesn't all that sound like a perfect combination? It was.

I didn't remember to take pictures of the waffles, syrup, and whipped cream. Oops. Something happened to them. They were on a plate, and then they were gone. Sorry. Well, not really sorry. They were absolutely magnificent!! The fabulous sourdough waffles, the tart blueberry syrup, the creamy/sweet whipped cream...ahhhhhhh. It was wonderful. Oh yeah, and the fruit salad tasted fresh and summery too.

Thank you, Mom! It was just perfect, and we all really enjoyed it!

I think my mom found the secret to getting yard work done too. After the perfect meal we went outside and dug up this part, tilled that part, transplanted these, weeded those...and Caleb relocated some worms. He's a very careful gardener - he even knew the new flower bed needed worms.

Can you guess what I did after I came home? Yes, it starts with "n" and ends with "ap". What a nice Sunday!

Rainbow Pitstop

Rainbow Pitstop, a photo by Elli :-) on Flickr.

As we were coming home from Dale's baseball game we saw this lovely rainbow. We were actually able to see the entire thing, but I didn't have a lens that would capture it (I need a wide-angle!) and I haven't put my panorama together yet. I love the serenity of this photo.

I also love the fact that when we stopped in the roadside pullout to take pictures, my kids hopped out, oohed and aahed, and then started picking up garbage along the side of the pullout and road. Without any prompting from me, they just picked up trash and found a bag in the car to keep it in. Awesomeness! I love those people!