2) Blueberry bushes don't have brambles. Laugh if you will, but I was just as surprised as I was the day (fourteen years ago) I learned that pineapples grow out of the ground and not on trees.
3) Every now and then, a 35mm lens really is just the thing. No regrets over the purchase.
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| Charleigh and Andrea |
4) Children really do grow up in the blink of an eye. Seems like just yesterday that I was celebrating my twenty-first birthday with my cousin-sister Andrea. Brandi would've been almost three years old then, but we didn't know her, yet. Andrea adopted Brandi into our family when she was five. She turned twenty-one this month.
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| Little Brandi, Me, and My Friend Gabby. 1998ish. |
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| The Birthday Girl |
5) It's possible for a baby to not only cut a tooth but also start sitting up, crawling, pulling up, and saying several new words all within the span of a week. I don't remember my other children's developing in a rush like that. (Stop the clock! Wahhhh!)
5) National Harbor, Maryland (eight miles south of D.C.) is a fascinating place to visit and offers a carousel; J. Seward Johnson's massive, heart-stopping sculpture The Awakening; and lots of fun shopping/eating possibilities. I was reading, tonight, that it offers, also, a children's museum; I look forward to returning.
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| Proud of this: my photo of The Awakening. I could've looked at this sculpture all day. (I wanted to marry it to the Awaking Muse in Schaumburg, IL!) |
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| Jim and His Peeps at National Harbor |
6) God's timing is perfect. Including the following photo as a quiet reminder to myself. (I know what I mean.)
7) I'm a fan of the Gooch Dog. Yes. Yes, I am.
8) Somehow, my dad has morphed into an excellent kid wrangler. This is a puzzling--but beautiful!--development.
9) The secret to life with little kids is...big kids.
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| My Nephew CJ with Clementine |
10) I love a testifying magician. Terry Evanswood (at Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee) shares boldly with his audiences that all true magic is the work of Jesus Christ.
11) I read Adele Geras's Troy this month as part of what I call Cade's and my "Mommy and Me Book Club." Great book. I was reminded of so much of what I'd forgotten about Greek mythology, and let me just say: I'm thankful to believe in and serve one God: a non-fickle, non-trifling God. And I'm thankful that He reveals Himself to me in ways that stick. Can I get an amen?
12) According to the girls' National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs, there never was such a thing as a Brontosaurus. The "Brontosaurus" fossils paleontologists discovered belonged to a dinosaur that had already been named Apatosaurus. How did I miss this? And was Fred Flintstone eating Apatosaurus burgers, then?
i am late to the party on the brontosaurus news. kind of makes my world tip a few degrees.
ReplyDeletelove, love, love the pic of your dad, and all it means. loving you and praying.
What is the gooch dog? I can see mac n'cheese, and something dark I am guessing/hoping is BBQ sauce and not jelly.
ReplyDeleteAlso, those are a TON of milestones for baby to hit within a week! Wowza baby!
I stopped by from Emily's, and I'm glad I did!
Friend, under that mac cheese is grape jelly or something akin to it. Scary, Sister, but it works! Pleased to make your acquaintance!
DeleteI'm not ready to try that then. Pleased to meet you too!
DeleteAmen! And also, I LOVE that picture of Clementine and Jim on the carousel!! I also love what grandchildren can do to our Dads! Love you, friend!
ReplyDeleteYou have seen and learned a few very interesting things. I love the one of the nephew holding one of your own. I just love that!
ReplyDeleteLOVE all your photo's included here! I know I am amazed to watch my own Dad with my girlie... God is good! I love this link up and have so much fun reading everyones' lists! Thanks for stopping by my post as well! It's nice to meet you too!
ReplyDeletesomewhere between a gooch dog and a testifying magician my brain exploded.
ReplyDeleteI mean, the amount of wonderful in this post is sort of overwhelming isn't it? DO YOU SEE HOW MUCH YOU"RE BLESSED?! BECAUSE HUMMINGBIRDS ON A MERRY GO ROUND, for Pete's sake
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I AM BLESSED. Also, we have a carousel thing. My girls have been on 8 different carousels in 5 different states, this year. I counted. For $5 at the National Harbor, you can buy a pass for a kid to ride as many times as (s)he wants that day. It's wonderful.
DeleteMaybe you should fly east. We can use my house as home base and tear up the roads: the beach, the mountains, D.C. It would be so wonderful. I can dream, right?
I love your pics. The Awakening is a wonderful sculpture. I think it's the BEST thing at National Harbor. You've got to be careful there. I believed they designed the harbor to SUCK money right out of your pocket. It seems like you've been hugely successful in creating the best summer ever for your family. You ROCK. And little Chip is a monster achiever. :)
ReplyDeleteI miss your bloggering!
DeleteThe Gooch dog - that looks interesting enough to try. But does the mac and cheese make the bun soggy? (I have weird sensory things sometimes.) Also #8 - precious.
ReplyDeleteOk, yes and no. I mean, I ate it with the spoon b/c I was afraid it would fall apart and land on my clothes like sloppy joes do. But it was more of a heaviness issue than a sogginess issue, I think.
DeleteHi Brandee, Thank you for visiting my blog. I'm glad to meet you too and enjoying looking around your space. I love your list and I agree totally on #9 :) Remember that from when my kids were growing.
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