Tag Archives: nature

Life

Rainy Days

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Have any of you other dear Omaha people been getting the rain too?  It’s been damp over here for days!

On Wednesday night (at 8:00 p.m. or something) I went outside with an umbrella.  I was actually contemplating just going out and getting drenched, when Mama suggested I bring an umbrella, which I decided was a better idea! 🙂

I don’t know how long I was out there, just wandering around in the rain, in the dark, with a pink Chinese umbrella.  Everything looked different (and much more fairy-tale-ish) when it was dim and wet. . . all the porch lights were on, making little pools of light in our dark yard. . . it was sooo pretty!  I’m sure a story was inspired last night, but it hasn’t quite formed yet.

I went in when the lightning started.

Continue reading Rainy Days →

Life, Literature

??? {Mystery Quote #19} ???

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So, remember the praying mantis I mentioned in my last post?

Well, we found him on our porch again this morning, in a spider web!  Mama fished him out with a stick and we put him in a jar.  Michael has been carrying him around all day–he even took him to grandma’s house!

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We put some bugs in there, but I don’t think he’s eaten any of them yet.  Last I heard M had christened him “Cricket”, but that may have changed. #ThreeYearOld

Anyway, “Mystery Quote”!  Isn’t fun to be back at it again?!  I’ll start it off with a quote from a book that Mom has been reading to the littles lately:

The Wise Old Woman looked at [her].  [She] was big, [she] was fat, and just then [she] was crying.  She didn’t want to be given to gypsies; she didn’t want to be cooked for dinner.  But even less did she want to work.  Not [her]!

Sorry about all the [she]’s.  They’re all the same person. 🙂

Happy guessing!

P.S. I tasted the apple sauce last night, and it is to die for!  Both the little tykes love it too.  I don’t think it’s going to last long!

Life

Our Minnesota Trip: Minnehaha Park

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Visiting Minnehaha Park has to be one of my favorite parts of the trip!  It was so beautiful!  (Be prepared for lots of pictures! 🙂 )

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Of course, I had to take a few random close-ups:

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Wondering if this is the year the park was made???

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There were lots of spider webs on the railings.  I don’t really know why I took this picture of them–it just looked photogenic somehow.

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Down the stairs from the entrance to the park was this incredible waterfall.  I wish we could have gotten closer!  The pictures still turned out well though.

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Anyone feeling pictured out yet?  It was just so beautiful I couldn’t help it!

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Becca, Spencer, and I all climbed up this, and back down a little more to the left.  Crazy, I know, but fun!

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From the top!  Can you see Michael down there?

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I wasn’t the only photographer! 🙂

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About this time I stopped taking pictures because I put my camera away and started wading!  We all got pretty wet, but it was super fun!

Minnehaha Park was absolutely beautiful!

Faith

Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee

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Come, Thou Found of ev’ry blessing,

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Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

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Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

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Call for songs of loudest praise.

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Teach me some melodious sonnet,

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Sung by flaming tongues above;

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Praise the mount–I’m fixed upon it–

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Mount of Thy redeeming love.

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Here I raise mine Ebenezer,

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Hither by Thy help I’m come;

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And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

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Safely to arrive at home.

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Jesus sought me when a stranger,

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Wand’ring from the fold of God;

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He to rescue me from danger,

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Interposed His precious blood.

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O to grace how great a debtor

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Daily I’m constrained to be!

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Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

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Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:

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Prone to wander–Lord, I feel it,

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Prone to leave the God I love;

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Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

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Seal it for Thy courts above.

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” words by Robert Robinson

Life

Monarch

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Our first Monarch came out of its chrysalis this morning!

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I asked if I could have a turn holding this one.

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Isn’t she beautiful???

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I forgot how much fun butterflies are! 🙂

Life

Sorry it took me this long. . .

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Zoo pictures!

Consulting a map to find out where we could board the train.
Consulting a map to find out where we could board the train.

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The Jungle:

This was Lu's first time in the Jungle. I think she enjoyed it!
This was Lu’s first time in the Jungle. I think she enjoyed it!
She thinks monkeys are "so cute!"
She thinks monkeys are “so cute!”
I never noticed before how incredible the way they move is! I tried to get a video of one swinging, but then it just sat there. Uncooperative monkey!
I never noticed before how incredible the way they move is! I tried to get a video of one swinging, but then it just sat there. Uncooperative monkey!
Our girl is so brave! I was terrified of this bridge when I was little.
Our girl is so brave. I was terrified of this bridge when I was little!
I'm not very happy about with pictures I got of the tapers. They swim too fast to take pictures of!
I’m not very happy about with pictures I got of the tapers. They swim too fast to take pictures of!

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M & L loved the (artificial) vines that had 'grown' across the walkway.
M & L loved the (artificial) vines that had “grown” across the walkway.
This one was made into a swing.
This one was made into a swing.
So. fun.
So. fun.

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The Zoo is the BEST place for pictures!!!
The Zoo is the BEST place for pictures!!!
reflection
reflection

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Little sister was quite impressed by the "rainbow birds" :)
Little sister was quite impressed by the “rainbow birds” 🙂
Only I would go out of my way to get a picture of a bat. Why not tell you guys? I love bats. They're cute. #WhatIsMyDealWithCallingThingsCute
Only I would go out of my way to get a picture of a bat.  I love bats. They’re cute. #WhatIsMyDealWithCallingThingsCute

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I think this was a capybara (I know them from "Capyboppy" by Bill Peet).
I think this was a capybara (I know them from “Capyboppy” by Bill Peet).

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The hippos are usually far away and hard to see, but this time they were swimming around and coming quite close to the glass.
The hippos are usually far away and hard to see, but this time they were swimming around and coming quite close to the glass.
The crocodile also is usually not very social, but he was right up in our faces on Tuesday!
The crocodile also is usually not very social, but he was right up in our faces on Tuesday!

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Miscellaneous:

Riding the train! We got round-trip tickets, and Dad drove over to the Zoo (unexpectedly) and joined us for the ride back. In case you were wondering, yes, Dad is the KING of spontaneity. :)
Riding the train! We got round-trip tickets, and Dad drove over to the Zoo (unexpectedly) and joined us for the ride back. In case you were wondering, yes, Dad is the KING of spontaneity. 🙂
Our zoo is building an African exhibit, and the restaurant was already open. They serve African food, and Dad bought a couple of these. Don't ask what they are--they tasted like potato chips.
Our zoo is building an African exhibit, and the restaurant was already open. They serve African food, and Dad bought a couple of these. Don’t ask what they are–but they tasted like potato chips.
We ate our African potatoes here with the lunch we had packed. Lucy loved the butterfly bench.
We ate our African potatoes here with the lunch we had packed. Lucy loved the butterfly bench. And the three-year-old is waving a skewer from the potato-chip-things. Totally safe. 🙂

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The Butterfly House:

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A little blue bird that Spencer spotted in the Butterfly House.
A little blue bird that Spencer spotted in the Butterfly House.

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One sleepy boy on the ride home.
One sleepy boy on the ride home.

 

 

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.  He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.  Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.  -Psalm 33:6-9

Family, Life

More Randomness

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We made a bonfire a few days ago, and cooked hot dogs on it.

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It was sooo fun

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I think it is the first fire we’ve made after Lu came home.  She’s kind-of afraid of fire and she was definitely cautious around it, but she did good–and I think she had fun. 🙂

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My family. . .

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Minus Michael, who was too busy to stay at the table.

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Turns out fires are fun to take pictures of!

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Happy Monday!

Life

Randomness from My Life

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We went to the Omaha Cystic Fibrosis (or CF) Walk on the sixteenth with some friends from our home-school group whose daughter has CF.

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The whole family got T-shirts!

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There were some little ponies there!  Lucy was a little scared of them, but I think she enjoyed taking pictures.

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We got Mama new mulch as a Mother’s Day present.  We also added the rocks right here.  I love the way they look!

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We had some mushrooms growing in our yard.

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I’m a fan of mushrooms.  They’re cute. #IKnowImCrazy

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And no, we don’t have different colors of mulch.  It just looks like that in the pictures. 🙂

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And we went over to our friends’ house last Sunday, and their daughter found a rabbit’s nest while we were there–with baby rabbits in it!  We tried to count how many, but I don’t think we ever came to an absolute.

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Their eyes weren’t even open yet!  They were sooo cute!

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Lucy tried on one of their dress-up dresses while we were there.  It looked lovely on her, but this picture turned out blurry and the lighting was horrible. 🙁

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We bought a professional popsicle mold. . .

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. . .and Mom and Michael made popsicles today!

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We ate them before they were really frozen!  They were still good though! 🙂

I just noticed that older post I linked to up there included my first reference to The Sacrifice on here!

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Mom and Michael cooking together a few days ago.

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Mom’s pan. . .

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. . .and Michael’s  bowl.  That’s water, elbow noodles, cinnamon, a few confiscated potatoes, and who-knows-what-else! 🙂  He likes to mix things–anything.

 

Lucy: Good job, Michael!
Me: Can you say thank-you, Michael?
Michael: Thank you, Lucy!
Lucy: You're welcome
Michael: You're welcome too!

Hmm. . . not exactly proper grammar, Michael!  He likes to say you’re-welcome. 🙂

Happy Friday, guys!  What have you been up to?