Awesome!

Wow this summer is cruising by so fast. I'm trying very hard to enjoy every moment with my girls before I am back at work again. This normally isn't too difficult to do minus the whole potty training deal. Now that Annaka is pretty good at the potty we are stressing out much less.

We had a lovely 4th of July and spent the majority of the time down at the beach. It was 90 degrees every day and both girls handled it pretty well. Annaka spent most of her time in and around the water while Adelyn enjoyed lounging on a wet beach bum during the hottest part of the day. I am realizing that I'm not getting pictures of many of these moments however, it can be incredibly difficult to manage the two girls with a dSLR in one hand. Maybe I can convince Caleb to get a point and shoot for Christmas. :)

Our house

What an incredible blessing for God to have given this house to us to use and abuse with two kids! We have such pretty property. Our field out front is usually filled with deer that drive our dog completely mad. Soon Caleb will be able to shoot one of those manly deer (hmmm sausage!) Currently, our field has been cut and bailed. Aside from the few patched of weeds the farmer wasn't interested in taking, the field has been trimmed and is now dotted with a few handfulls of big round bales. On a pretty sunny day like today, it looks a lot like a Van Gogh painting... without my contacts in. We just need some dude in blue and a straw hat lounging by a bale.

The birds have been busy picking the bugs out of our lawn and feeding them to their babies in the birdhouses. This makes me feel a bit more content when sitting and nursing my baby for a good chunk of the day. At least I don't have to be up at dawn to hunt worms and then regurgitate them back into my baby's mouh. Come to think of it I haven't seen the baby birds for a few days now. Perhaps momma has kicked them out and told them to get a job already. Boy, I have quite a few years before I'm able to do that!

This all reminds me of a lovely bible passage taken from the book of Matthew.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.

How truly blessed are we to be able to look out our window and see God's majesty. Not only that but, we are able to praise and worship God freely in this country. I am thinking of my brother and his wife currently living in Vietnam, a communist country, where they are learning to teach English to foreigners. They have been attending church in the home of some brave believers who are trying to bring light into people's lives. Though it sounds like Vietnam is kinda open on the issue of religion, it does not appear easy for the Christians there. Hmmm. Church like it was during the time of Paul? I'm sure Will and Theresa have interesting thoughts on this. Unfortunately, it's been hard contacting them because of the wacky time zone so, we have yet to talk outside of email.

I am realizing this post is meandering it's way through topics, hitting each one lightly and briefly. I think this was just a post of my soul, speaking the joys of where I am right now, a spirit led conversation with anyone who wants to listen.

One more random thought! Our chickens are laying eggs! Caleb coaxed them into laying by putting decoys in their nest boxes. So far we have two eggs! Something to go with toast. We're hoping they get a groove and that we'll have some to share. Stay tuned!

Blessings,
Naomi