Patience and Hope

Patience is not one of my virtues.

I know that it is a fruit of the Spirit...

and that I have it in me...but it is not something that 

I have quite figured out yet.

Maybe because I try to figure out how to be patient rather than just being led to be patient.

I don't know.

When Paul and I first moved into our home some eighteen and a half years ago, I would stop by the nursery that was located right across from the elementary school where I taught.

Every afternoon I would head over and buy something new for my flower garden...almost always a perennial of some sort.

If that poor plant didn't perform in the amount of time that I thought it should, I would pull it out
and throw it away.

Finally, Paul said to me, "Why don't you just leave it there for the winter and see what happens."

Genius.

Pure genius.

And he is so much more patient than I will ever be.

I think that maybe that is why I have never gotten very far with a garden.  

Plants grow so slow and weeds grow so fast!

This year, with some hope and patience (and plants that had already been started at the local nursery),
 I have vegetables!

Here are the zucchini plants!

Look!

Flowers!

I don't think that you can even imagine how excited I was about this bread!

I mean...zucchini.

Double Batch!!

This is the plant that Joshua adopted.

He was so excited too see the little green tomatoes!

Pumpkin plants!

I soaked the seeds for two days to make sure that the shell would be tender enough for the roots and shoots to break through.

They sprouted before I ever put them in the ground.

Now, fast forward one week...

William took these pictures for me.

He has been having fun watching 

the vegetables grow too.

And check out what great pictures he took!

He experimented with flash and no flash. 

So pretty!

I think that the key for me being patient is to not check on them every day.

Or twice a day.

Or even three times a day.

I'm better off if I ignore them totally and have the kids water them every so often.

And bring back pictures and reports.

The hands-off approach to gardening.

:)

Enjoying being the patient, hopeful, hands-off gardener,

It's Official!

There's just something about having that baby shower that makes it all official!

I know...you may ask, "But what about the sound of the heartbeat, the ultrasound photos, the belly, the movement?!" (I did see baby CC move last weekend!)...

But!

There's just something about all of those special women entering into one place to shower Mommy and Baby with love and gifts!

And there's just something about all that baby stuff that gets carried into the home in preparation for the baby!

Then it feels official.

Brandy's baby shower was beautiful!

It was thrown by her mom, Deb, and her older brother's wife, Shelly, and her younger brother's fiancé, Mindy.

Prep work...

I love this!

Brandy's month-by-month growth chart!

My daughter, Vanna!

I mean...Carrie.

Brandy's dad putting the ice cream in the freezer.

I love when men show up at the shower to help, get their job done, and then scurry out quickly.
Showers are just so girly!

Peek-A-Boo pretty girl!

Months of planning can be found in this kitchen...

(insert theme from Mission Impossible)

Shelly is modeling her very stylish curly ribbon.

Her title should have been
Curly Ribbon Placement Supervisor.

See what a pretty job she did?

It is hard to believe that two years and one month ago we were at the same place throwing

  Brandy's Bridal Shower!

I am so thankful for Brandy!

Putting on the final touches!

Three Generations

:)

Carrie and her first baby cousin!

Mmmmm!

Ice cream sundaes and cupcakes!

Carrie and I had no idea that you could buy just the syrup...no cherries!

No idea!

Hey!

Save some of that for me!

The guests begin arriving!

Here's Brandy with her Grandma.

I love this group of ladies!

My mom's sister, Aunt Marlene, my cousin Stephanie and her daughter, Carly, and my cousin Michele and her baby girl, Anna.

Awwww...

My Aunt Shirley is on the right.

She and Mom were so much alike in so many ways.

I love her so much!

There is nobody who hugs like my Aunt Marlene!

 I've always thought that if everyone could get at least one hug from my Aunt Marlene...

and if everyone could have my Aunt Shirely introduce them to someone...

they would never, ever need to feel bad about themselves ever again.

They are two of the sweetest, most loving ladies I know.

Sweet cousin Carly.

She looks so much like the Stephanie that I remember
as a little girl.

Aunt Marlene and baby cousin Anna.

They are blurry because they are in
wiggling, giggling motion.

Gifts all wrapped in baby colors!

And the beautiful mommy!

 The gift that Carrie and I brought for the shower...

a bouncy seat, diapers, and books!

More hugging!

These pictures make me so happy!

The girls from my family...

This is the sweet teddy bear that
Rob and Brandy made at Build-A-Bear.
It has curly fur!
They were able to have the sound of Sweet Baby Girl's heartbeat inserted into the bear's arm!
They will use this bear as a measurement tool
as she grows.

Let the games begin!!

Stop the games!

Pretty girls alert!

O.K.  

The games may continue now.

How many items can you remember?

Watch how competitive this gets!

You can tell who is really in it to win it!

You have the casual lookers...

The hard-core shower game players...

And girls who just wanna have fun...

On your mark...

Get set...

Start writing!

Now it's time for some major "ooohhhhing" and "aaahhhhing" and "aaawwwing"!

Have a seat, dear girl!

Bless her heart...that left ankle has been giving her some trouble with swelling.

First some shower snackage...

And then it's Present Time!

Here are just a few of the packs of diapers that Brandy was showered with...

All cross-stitched!

I cannot imagine how many stitches this contains.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!

"Ooohhhh!"

Little girl clothes!

"Aaawwww!"

An ultrasound picture!

"Aaahhhh!"

A Spongebob onesie?

"Hhhmmmm."

Must be from the nephews.

The Baby Bingo game got a bit competitive...

Only the wrapping remains...

Bring on the Baby!!

I cannot tell you what is going on here, because it was part of a top-secret mission.

(insert theme from Mission Impossible...again.)

At this point, I ran from my tree covering and attempted to snag the blue box.

But Brandy gave me "the look."

You know "the look"...the one that God blesses 

every mom with.

The one that puts anyone who crosses its path into a dead stop, ending whatever inappropriate behavior they were about to engage in.

I suppose tackling the pregnant woman would be just a bit inappropriate...

being it's the day of her shower and all.

I've still got my eye on that box, though...

Hold on!

Impromptu photo shoot with Anna!

Riding back to Rob and Brandy's through Amish country.

There is just something about this that brings both 

feelings of peace and terror.

Little boy in a white cart (peace) 

on a hill with oncoming traffic (terror). 

Blue box.  Blue box.  Blue box.

Oh.  Sorry.

While the girls were showering, the boys were shooting.

Carrie wanted to be a part of both activities...

And gain some bragging rights.

You can see Uncle Rob in the background, sending pictures to William back home.

I'm not sure if this video will play or not, 

but I'll give it a try...

That's my daughter.

Shooting a gun in her frilly top and black shrug.

And collecting shells for a craft project.

And not the pretty ocean shells either.

Time to go home.

Since I was not driving, I could take some pictures.

Not rain.

Irrigation.

A beautiful sunset welcomed us home.

Enjoying the amazingly joyous occasions of life,