Our summer thus far...

It's been a while since my last post and with just cause. These past few weeks have been a blur of sickness, heat, and a thirsty garden. So let me recap a little on what's been going on at our house...
First of all, we all got varying degrees of a nasty flu bug that has been going around. Luke had it the worst, and there were many days when we thought he might be an only child. A sick kid is just not fun, let's face it! Not to mention feeling absolutely terrible for him, knowing that he feels rotten and doesn't know what to do about it. And it's hard to know how serious to take things when they're so little and can't talk. But I'm extremely happy to report that our giggly little boy is back and life is much more smiley around our house. This week he has been an entirely different boy, and I'm loving the change. I think he's making up for lost time too, because he keeps getting into these crazy giggle fits where I keep wondering what's so funny but just have to join in. It's been great. Along with his new-found energy has come some new determination!! He climbed up on the couch this evening all by himself, while grabbing onto his Nannie for support. So cute and so scary! I'm afraid we have a climber on our hands. But of course, as much as I don't really love the idea of him climbing all over high objects, I have to sit back and marvel at how smart he is and am secretly egging him on in my mind. It's just so cool to watch him conquer these things.
But enough gushing and onto more news. Luke's cousins are back in town, the North Carolinan variety. My sister and husband were in the States for a year and it's been great to have them back, for my sake and Luke's! They have sure loved him up and he has loved them right back. So here's a few snapshots of some good cousin moments.



And then there's the garden...for our first year at it, I think we've had our work cut out for us. Never before have I ever wanted it to rain SO BADLY as I do this year! Hauling water to our garden is quite the procedure, and it never seems to be enough. But I must say, the garden has been amazing in some respects. I have never thought so much about the miracle of plant growth. From a tiny seed, some dirt, sun and water, FOOD grows. That's amazing. And I can't credit that to anything I do. The growth of the plants, even though I play a part in watering and weeding, is a complete miracle. And it has made me think, when Jesus was talking about the parable of the sower, how many of the people listening went back to their gardens, or farms, or whatever afterwards and just mulled these things over? It's incredible to think that Jesus used parables that people would be forced to think about every day, because they probably dealt with farming ever day. I have thought about how Jesus said the Father would prune those plants which did not bare fruit, and as I pruned our tomato plants the other day, I prayed that I would bear fruit and not be pruned. And on another occasion, our tomatoes were looking sickly for lack of water and I just felt so sad. And I thought about how my role is to water, and God will do the rest, and I have such an easy part to play so why don't I do it so I can sit back and watch the miracle of growth before my eyes? And more importantly, am I watering the relationships with people in my life, especially with those who don't know the wonder of the Father? My role is so easy, I just need to play my little part and God will surely do the rest, He always does. And then there are the weeds. Especially when our little plants were smaller, it was so important to not let the weeds get too big or else they would choke out what we really want to see grow. But again, do I make sure to get the bad stuff out of my life so the good things can grow? Because once there is more good than bad, the bad doesn't stand a chance. I've seen it. We hardly have to weed anymore because our plants are so big and hearty now. So even though it may be tempting to ask if it's worth it, after shelling what feels like a million pods and seeing only a tiny bowlful of peas, or picking a ton of beans and spending what feels like hours cutting and blanching them, or wondering what to do with yet another zucchini, I thank God for our little garden and the lessons I've learned. And that's why when Julio asked if we should buy a bunch of half priced seeds for next year I eagerly agreed. There is just something wonderful about having a garden.


(This is Luke helping Julio with our beans.)