It’s a bird morning!  Every few minutes I find myself scanning the trees trying to see what I’m hearing. . . . .

Sarah is on the floor playing a game of SORRY with a stuffed animal friend.

David and Caleb are up the road with friends (they spent the night).

Grace is still asleep.

I haven’t been sleeping well.  As it is, I’m easily disturbed, & it doesn’t help that the other night I was awakened by our orange cat Sherlock cornering a FROG in our room.  I woke up hearing strange small noises which turned out to be the frog saying “help” the only way it knew.  By the time I got to it it was very anxious and covered in dust, still very much alive and well.  I threw it out the window along with the cat and then shut the window tight. . . .unfortunately now as wide awake as could be.  Rich refused to move through all of this and stayed asleep, only asking once, “What is going on?” to which I replied sarcastically, “Don’t worry about it, I’m taking care of it!”  But glad he was able to sleep through it as he’s been working so hard during the day.

Last night nothing like that was going on,  but I kept waking up over and over. . . .finally getting up at six this morning with dry eyes. . . . . .

. . .to enjoy the bird morning!

And Grace’s bible that she left by the bench on the porch.

“But as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you–see that you excel in this act of grace also.”

*****

The other evening we had a rainbow.  Sarah jumped up and down with glee.

Grace on the front steps, watching the sky.

Sunshine through fat raindrops.

The sky was doing beautiful things.

Now that life is calming down just a little (from a vacation with Rich, end of school excitement with a graduate, and a trip to NY) I’ve been puttering around the place, cleaning, and rearranging, catching up on household things.

And going for walks with the kids (mostly Grace). . . . .

baby bird

another baby bird

end of the day sunshine through the trees, on a walk with Rich

keeping an eye on Seth as he exaggeratedly looks “both ways” before he crosses the road (retrieving a baseball)

Yesterday was a gardening day.  I took Grace to driver’s school and went to a nearby gardening place and bought three perennials.  They were giving away some old annuals that looked sad so I was able to get some free plants to baby back to health; flowers, cabbages and leaks.  Then later on Rich and I went to the home depot for three tomato plants (one yellow, one purple heirloom, and one cherry), cucumber, watermelon, two hanging baskets for the porch, and some petunias.  I’ve already got all but a few of them planted.