Simple Joys

Last week was as full as any, with a few service activities and church meetings thrown in for good measure. It also contained the added 'bonus' of rain, rain and more rain. This was great for the kids to play in, and they had many outdoor adventures catching critters (including worms for turtle) and camping out under umbrellas. The neatest critter was the jumbo-toad Grace found under a big pile of lantana. It was so big we could see its nostrils flare, and something in its stomach was keeping a different time from that of the toads heart! A close second on the critter list was a long, black skink and finally, a 3 foot long garter snake. All of God's critters love rain!

The children rescued a baby cardinal bird that had attempted to fly only to be caught by our kitten (and expert bird hunter) CoCo. It was really a neat experience, because the bird was only mildly hurt, with a majority of the damage being fluffier feathers, and it was so grateful (or too young to know any different) that it allowed each of the children to hold it. Once we got a picture of it, the kids very patiently directed the bird back to its nest, and its family welcomed it home without any problems. Now the kids check on the baby bird daily, just to say 'hi'.

Sugar-snap peas are affordable again at Sam's Club, and since they happen to be one of the kids all time favorite snacks, we snatched some up and devoured them. The speed at which everyone chows on the peas makes it a small wonder that any child would notice the pods with 5 and 7 perfectly placed peas in them, however, the fact that they did just proves again that wonders never cease! So naturally we felt compelled to draw little smiley faces on the pea pods and take pictures, included for your viewing below...

Though the week was muggy when it wasn't raining, Sunday brought a cooler, fall-like morning and dry, mild afternoon. That being said, it is a sick compulsion of mine to subject the children to the 'first' and 'last' days of each swim season, so that they appreciate having such a great pool in our neighborhood, and can recall specific swim days (since they practically live there during a typical summer). So, after getting nice and sweaty riding bikes, to the pool we went, where the water levels were abnormally high from the week of rain and the water kinda coolish-warmish, if that description makes any sense. Claire enjoyed the pool while the sun was still shining, but called it a day once it had set. She then enjoyed the hour of bubbles the awesome lifeguards provided as entertainment for the siblings of die-hard swimmers closing out the pool season. Personally, I'm looking forward to next summer, when I'll have a chance to enjoy the pool again too!

This week is just a tad busier than most as Ella resumes her sewing lessons, and has her Confirmation retreat this weekend. Claire had a doctor appointment this morning, and she will be subjected to a myriad of tests to see if she has a type of sucrose allergy in addition to her lactose allergy, or if she instead has celiac disease, (along with her lactose allergy). Right now, we just want our sweet girl to feel better!

Hope your week is full of simple joys....

The Meissler 7