Mopsy Update

Thanks so much to those who prayed for Mom. Her surgery went without a hitch, praise the Lord, and the surgeon successfully removed the tumor. When the pathology report comes back, she'll know whether she can get away with six weeks of chemo, or if the course of treatment will be longer and stronger, but for now, we are all grateful and relieved that her surgery went smoothly.

The afternoon of her surgery, she was out puttering around in the flower garden, so it's safe to say she's recovering well. :)

Thank you all!

Real Time

The DMV is finally open again!

And now we have-- ulp-- two teenage drivers in the family.

Surfacing

For a few weeks after my last snapshot-laden post in April, I took more snapshots.  We woke to the phenomenon of heavy snow in mid-May and wondered if spring was on hold along with everything else, until the cherry blossoms decided that enough was enough and flooded the branches with a headier white. The world is swift and bright in spring-- the sunlight unfiltered, the green enthusiastic, all things new and glowing-- but I took few pictures. Because I now have a daughter(s) who shares my camera, which involves memory card switcheroo, I lost my memory card containing those few weeks of snapshots. I treat this often dusty space as a memory cache for me and mine, and also (and mostly) I am compulsive about proceeding in order, at least in a falsely tidy blog, so I then abandoned all will to continue shotsnaps. Plus, it's spring! We're slow-stewing in vitamin D and all the outdoor chores that really-truly never end.

At best, I've taken a dozen pictures in the last month, and Millie is beginning to eye my (her?!) camera with the territorial gaze of a raptor. Two important events have brought me out of this temporary blog hibernation-- one of a sober nature and one of a super-duper nature.







First with the sober: for those who would, please pray for Mopsy. Last month, the hospital finally opened its doors a bit wider again, and she was able to have her overdue cancer scan. She has a new cancerous tumor that needs to be removed, and the surgery is this coming Tuesday the 23rd, followed by six weeks of chemo. Please pray for her peace, health, and continued joy, and please pray that the surgeon will successfully remove all the cancerous bits. Thanks to those of you who care enough about this dear, little mother to lift her up to our Father!

Secondly, I want to share an exchange I had with Cadence, but before I do so, you need to go here, scroll down, and read the comments on this old post.
I'll wait.










Still waiting.










Are you finished?






Okay.

HURRAH! After 14 months of perimenopause, with all of its attendant hot flashes, wacky mood swings, wacky body other-stuff, massive weight gain, even through the summer (What?! You think candy and doughnuts contributed to this? No chance!), I figured that God was probably easing me into older age and that babies to hold from henceforth would belong to other people. I so fully enjoyed Skylark's babyhood and early toddlerhood that this prospect, though strange and bittersweet like most transitions, was not rife with regret that I had not soaked up that last baby like I should have. And Skylark didn't mind being indulged by Last Baby Syndrome, at all! She was still sleeping beside our bed and still nursing at nearly 2 1/2 years old, a luxury afforded no other Owen baby. What a joy she is...

And what a complete delight and utter wonder it is to be growing a little one within right now. I haven't been to the doctor yet (give me a couple of months), but I think I'm about 20 weeks right now. This baby's greeting was a shining ray in the gloomy first days of March and will arrive in the dreary first days of November, so we're calling him or her Sunbeam, or Sunny.

I've just begun feeling the kicks and stirs of daily movement and often am filled with first-time wonder-- grateful and, at times, in awe at being included one more time in the Shaper's creation of new life.

So here's to double digits!

From Last Month: Real Time to Remember

Having given her the ritual Good Morning Hug, Cadence and I were cuddling on the couch when my belly rumbled loudly enough for her to notice.

She sat bolt upright, eyes big with awe: "Mama! I just heard the baby rattle!"

It has happened several times since. My empty morning belly rumbles, and she, with a pleased grin, tells me that the baby just rattled.

With all that rattling and clattering about, I wonder what she imagines the baby's living space is like.

:)

Real Time: Quarantine Version

We're watching The Princess Bride right now. We all simultaneously burst into laughter at a line that normally doesn't even make us grin.

Let's see if you can figure out what part was so funny.
Fezzik and The Man in Black are facing each other in a showdown...

 Fezzik: "Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned with acid or something like that?"

Westley: "Oh no. It’s just that they’re terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future."

Voting Booth Now Open

I am this close to painting our house midnight blue. The house inspector told us 10 years ago that the board and batten needed to be sealed, so I suppose it's about time.

My children have mixed opinions. John, predictably, tells me to do what I wish. (It would take him about a year to notice the color change, anyway.)

Here's the shade.The other option preferred by a vocal child who does not like change is a transparent seal. Now cast your Very Important Vote.

Quarantine Real-ish Time

The night before last, after having been sequestered in the house for several weeks, the children all had yearly checkups (I know. Aidan's eye specialist appointment-- cancelled. My mom's 3-month cancer scan-- cancelled. SUPER-IMPORTANT yearly weight and height measurement-- still in place).

Anyway, yesterday was Zeke's birthday, and in the bustle of people coming to look at puppies and party preparations, one of the girls* sighed and said, "You know, it was really nice to see people again last night." Confused, I said, "What? Who(m) did we see?!" before realizing that she was talking about the doctor and nurse with whom we were able to interact.

Human contact-- even through masks. It's a blessing!

*You would all be surprised to know that the girl was not Annika. :)

Your Puppy Fix for the First Half of April

Yay! Puppies! Yay!

 (After a mud bath and then a real bath.)

My apologies. I have a few non-puppy snapshots mixed in.

(Teaser picture of the world's best chocolate delivery. I am going to take a picture of every last kind!)

(Puppy delivery. I preferred the chocolate delivery, myself.)

(*Millie's)

Millie took pictures of new life springing a few days ago, and then this morning I stepped outside to say goodbye to the frozen forsythia that had just begun to blossom and to take pictures of too much snow for my liking. It's snowed three times in one week, and I'm ready for spring to rush in and take our breath away. It's normal spring fever, the increased yearning for green and growth after we've had a surfeit of softer browns and grays, but it's compounded by the unique lockdown we're all under, which makes one wait even more intently for what is soon bound to come.

Our world feels like a strange limbo land these days, but each era has an end. Sooner rather than later, Lord willing, we'll be on the other side and looking back, thankful for clarity we've been given and glad for the future.

I Know I Promised Pictures of Puppies...

...but our roly-poly Brownie is practically a puppy, so this string of snapshots counts.

Remember when Cadence was two years old, and she was wearing a cute outfit, and she was clean, and I actually did her hair, and then I took pictures to commemorate the occasion?  Yeah, that's the same idea here with a two year-old Skylark, only with different results due to their vastly different personalities.

We enjoyed a sparkling conversation.

And then she chased the chickens.

Right after I took this picture, she snagged one by its tail feathers and held on for dear life until I convinced her to release the poor creature.

I don't remember what she was talking about, but she kept getting excited and pulling this delightful pose out of her pocket, with slight variations.

I did not pose her, but I was glad when she sat for a minute. Note the muddied socks. Now that's more like real life.

Man, we love this girl. Even in black and white, she's splashed all over with color.