Beauty all around

This evening I sat and watched as my sweet husband read to and prayed with our daughter. The way the two of them sat there in the chair, her head on his chest and his great arms around her, melt my heart. The picture is beyond amazing. This is one of those pictures that no camera can capture for to attempt it would ruin the moment. It would distract that sunny blond head and make self conscious that tender man. So I chose to soak it all in for myself as selfishly as I know how. Then the ensuing kisses and hugs, the salutes and head bonks, the tender bunny kisses were too much for this one heart to contain. I burst at the thought of them.

On top of that was the moments that beauty and I spent shortly before. I had said something to her in a whisper and it made her laugh. So I, like most mothers who can hardly hold themselves back, repeated the lines again. Again that sweet laughter and then this. This moment where she looks at me and lifting both arms, throws them around my neck and hugs me. There was complete love in that hug. Complete with the feelings of "mommy I love you so much and you make me so happy". She sat back and looked into my eyes and almost started to cry cause she could see that was my reaction. I had to stop and smile instead so that she knew they were tears of utter joy and completion. Completion of my heart.

These two moments are without any documentation for they were natural and spur of the moment. They are to short and to sweet to try and capture with a camera when that would mean leaving the moment to retrieve said camera. They are moments that only will live in my heart.

That being said there are moments this past week that have been captured and here they are for yours and my viewing enjoyment.


When you start to bring your little ones into the baking experience and you allow them to take part in their own way this is what you may find comes of it.


If you can see the chair behind that sweet, Innocent face you will get an idea of how the floor turned out. This is all cleaned up and swept away long before dad gets home. His clean, organized mind doesn't mix so well with the miss-hap's of a soon to be two year old.


A shirt and gum boots are all one needs while sitting and reading a good book.




(Richard Scarry, Chipmunks alphabet)


For those who are wondering if I am showing any signs of the life form within.


Yes! This is me while I hold my stomach taught. No you will not see the ones where I let it out.


And then finally and evening in the yard. A beautiful day, with beautiful weather,


Brings a crisp, clean sunset.


Fall is leading us very smoothly into winter. There are no leaves on the trees and the air is quit crisp at night. But we have the few golden gems of warm weather. And we take those and run with them. Enjoy this short time we have before the snow falls and brings us more glories to hold near and dear to our hearts. The glory of the whitened landscape. I do so love the clean look of winter after a brown ending to fall. I was unable to fully grasp the beauty of this fall for the first trimester dragged on. But now that I move to the second trimester the freedom that ensues is grand. I look forward with anticipation to this new step in life.

Busy summer days.

Here we are again. Suzie in the tub and I with little Lappy. Little Lappy is a new concept to me cause Paul usually has him at work and so I forget about having this Mobile tool on hand. But as we are on Summer holidays I am getting used to having Lappy at my disposal. I will be sad when he goes back to work.

It's another late night for Suzie but I am starting to go with the flow about these nights. I would like her in bed before 11 PM at least anything else is just a bonus. Yes there have been nights when my silly little girl is still up at 11 at night. Crazy!! The thing I can never believe when that happens is that she is still actually functioning in a mostly normal matter. That she hasn't totally conked out in the middle of the room.

This morning she did just that. She woke up at 6 am which for us is not normal. I can't really function that well at that time so she plays around upstairs while I dose in bed. This morning as she played around she was crawling all over the bed and I finally told her to go play in her room. As she was working her way off the bed she must have miss calculated and fell off instead. So as she is crying I go and pick her up and have her cuddle in bed with me. I figure at that point that she is still tired cause she actually cuddled. She didn't try to calmer all over the place.

After awhile she got back on the floor and I didn't hear her for a bit. All of a sudden Paul asks where she is. I realize I don't know. He looks over the edge of the bed and there she is asleep on the floor beside me.



These last few days have been quite hectic with figuring out stuff for the trip that is now less than a week away. I am slowly writing out lists and trying to get things done. Hoping that when the time comes I will be mostly ready. One thing that needs readying are the books. I have to get them all organized and put in place before we leave. This is the lay out of the prep work. I hate it when it spreads this far. Only while Suzie naps.



We have spent alot of time at the farm as I mentioned in the last post. Here is a bit of what we were working on.




Here is Suzie's way of helping with the painting.




The great thing about spending time at the farm is it usually means spending time with the family. Suzie and Jordynn Love hanging out together.


And Jordynn helps her mom as best she can




My Sweet girl and I will often make an outing out of the little trips in town. The post office, the grocery store and the bank. Just a short walk but it can turn into an adventure. Just as all things can when a little one is involved.


The things she needs and the things I need are two very different types of needs. But in the end both of equal importance.

If not hers being more important for how great a treasure it is.












Thank you Jody for my great new hat. I am loving it.



It was time for a quick family photo shoot. We took as few shots as possible as these are not Paul's favorite things to do. But thank you my dear it looks good.





On the way home from the farm today I decided to take a minute to take a few pics of the fields down in the valley. They have been flooded for all the rain we have been having. This is a typical amount of flooding in the spring but this time in the summer is reticules.

A Glorious Sundea

I sit here for a short few minutes to write all the things down of the last two days. My head is full of the joy and fun and yet I don't seem to have any words for them. Instead my mind is being taken up by all that needs doing. Supper for one. We need to eat some of that. Suzie sits in her high chair with a boiled egg and a fork. Well she did have a fork, now it is on the floor. There's a baby to feed, supper to make, Strawberries to hull and so much more. I thought keeping the writing and the photoing all up to date would be easier than this. I guess I am normally busier than I first believed.

Ah all is well, Paul is upstairs reading to Suzie now as she is about to go to bed. I love hearing him read stories to our little book worm. His love for her is apparent in the softness of his voice. I Still remember with great joy the look on his face the day she was born. She had herself wrapped all around his heart in a minute.

Sunday was a day spent as a family. Paul came home on Saturday night from a dump run with my brother with a gift for Suzie. Yes, we bring gifts home for our daughter from the dump. This one was for more than just her. This was for the whole family.



He told her on Sunday that he had something for her. That he had a gift for her. He went and got it and brought it into the fence. The minute she saw it she knew it was for her. You could tell by that studying smile. The deep look in her eyes and the speed with which she climbed in.



He had to clean it and fix one tire before she could use it. So she and I played with bubbles. (Thanks Indiana for the bubbles, Suzie loves them)


I blew bubbles first while she would run all over the yard to catch them. It was serious business.
Her studying eyes, her intense little mouth. I felt sad for her. She would catch up to a bubble that had been caught in the grass and the second she touched it to know more, it was gone. So I handed it over to her.












I think that was the best idea ever.
Once the wagon was all ago we went for a short jaunt around the yard





Then as she went down for a nap Paul and I did a few small projects around the yard. He tilled the garden.




and I took pictures. We also planned our new compost bins and built the water pump stand. We are going to have a separate supply of water behind the garage for the garden and green house. We hope to have them both self watering before we leave at the end of the month. Though with all the rain this year we might not need to.


Suzie woke up.






She snacked on her new favorite, Shreddies. Grandpa Martens would be proud.


and of course she was off to her new found love. That wagon...well it is just the greatest. There will be more to come of how great it is in the next post.


Then it was off to the local creamy for some supper and ice cream.


These two know how to have fun. Her laugh is so grand.


Confirmed. She has learnt how to use a straw.



Watching your tiny hands hold that big cup. You explore each nook and cranny of this world around you. I don't believe a single thing misses your inspection. You impress me little girl.




"'Ummy!!!"