Ten months

Hard to believe this little missie 

is ten months old already!!!

Where, oh where, oh where 

has the time gone?

this is Ellie's favorite activity

She just discovered where I have been keeping all of her books

and now going through them all and looking at the pictures

is an activity that she repeats often throughout the day...

{read mommy keeps neatly re-stocking them for her enjoyment}

As a little girl, I loved books as well...

I still do, and it warms my heart to see my little one 

following in those footsteps!

As you have probably already noticed,

the above pictures are a bit

on the blurry side.

Ellie has become such a busy little girlie

this Mama can barely get a half-focused picture of her 

these days!  {grin}

as evidenced by the picture above,

Ellie's love for all things soft and fluffy 

has only grown...

it is so sweet how she loves her animals

She makes me laugh so often!!

She has been busily growing in two upper front teeth...

enjoying the fun of trying Mommy and Daddy's food...

and learning what "no" means {grin}

Grandpa and Grandma Franks brought over a swing for Ellie

that we set up together on Sunday

Oh the fun!!!  

Ellie is turning into such a little helper for

Mommy...well...we are working on it at least...

got to get her prepped for that Big Sister thing! {smile}

Montana Happenings

Why is is that I always write when I'm down and out?  I went looking for my last post, and realized it was when I was sick before Easter.   Yow, that was long ago.  This time I am forced to the computer as a result of a shoulder/neck injury from my time on this job . . .

Looking good, right?  This is going to be the three-car garage behind our house.  (to save us from shoveling snow off the cars in the winter :)

My lesson learned is that it is not advisable to use one's head to carry heavy pieces of lumber or to push up against resistance.  Lesson learned . . . now can the pain please go away?

"All in good time" as the saying goes.  Or you could remove and "o", add a "s", and get "all in God's time"  which would be just as applicable.

Mom wanted me to share these berry bushes with you all.

These are located right outside our kitchen windows, where you watch them as you do the dishes.  Which in our household happens on a frequent occurrence, though perhaps not as frequently as Mom might desire.

See their bright red juiciness? Our nickname for them is Manna, just like the Israelites who had no idea what they were eating.  What do they taste like?  You can ask Dad, who's lying in the backyard, foaming at the mouth.  Just kidding, he's not.  He had one yesterday, said they were tart, but is still alive today.

And here is my San Diego truck turned into a Montana work truck.

I don't really have a lot to say about this subject.  Just thought you might like to see it . . . 

Well, remember that comment about dishes?  Mom needs a drier, so I had better go.  Thank you for your time :)

found: in my backyard

I have tried to type this post at least three times this past week...trouble is, I have been feeling quite sick with a terrible cough for over a week now...add that to the early prego sickness and,well,

hopefully you will all understand my lack of energy and enthusiasm.

All that to say,

here it is!  (finally)

Jay and I first saw these beautiful creatures up close last week.  I immediately ran to get my camera, as these fellows don't usually come down this far from the mountains.

and lo and behold, a few days later,

they came a little closer!

this one was taken from my bedroom window (notice their soft, velvety antlers)

this one was taken from the mud room doorway

and, finally, I stepped out onto the porch


Rachel and Dad had pulled into the driveway, and the bucks just stayed there looking at us all, and then slowly loped away.  Ellie wasn't too impressed...guess she is just used to big animals already...the cows.  {grin}


We have been having a full and fun summer.  Lots of playing and smiling and playing some more...(at least that is Ellie's schedule {smile})

The late birthday post

This post is late. 

BUT . . . not forgotten.

How could anyone forget my youngest?

She was born with black hair.

Finally a little one that looked like her mommy.

Rachel Faith Franks was born at 6:55 a.m. on July 19th, 1990.

Rachel arrived weighing 9lbs 6oz. as she needed to protect herself from 3 older siblings.

What, you ask, was their first response to Rachel?

The classic.

Poking her eyes! Hmmmm.

They don't do that anymore!

 Rachel as a young one had the cutest cheeks and the biggest blue eyes.

 Rachel smiled often and was a delightful addition to our family.

She is an ornery one as well!

 But oh so mature at times.

 Her mommy loved her very much.  She still does!

 Rachel was not afraid to try anything.  She accomplished riding her bike with no training wheels when she had just turned four.

 She meditated on God's word. 

This photo wasn't posed. 

I truly found her this way and thought, I had better document this.

 Rachel also has a sense of humor and creativity. 

Again, no suggestions were made for this photo. 

This is all Rachel!!!!!

Rachel is very contemplative!

AND, Rachel is very dear to my heart. 

She loves the Lord,

uses her talent to honor Him,

has great initiative,

is very motivated,

works hard. and

loves her mommy. 

For those things I thank Jesus. 

 Rachel, I am so glad you are here in Montana and that we celebrated your turning 21 together. 

Mom/Jodi

HB

just a little something {grin}

{arriving march 2012}

one summer day

One summer day we...

went on a beautiful excursion down to Bigfork...

we picked the hottest day of the year (as of yet) to do it {grin}

we were inspired by the 91 degree temperature

to explore the swiftly moving river,

and walk the single-car bridge

that spans across it...

we had a positively delightful lunch at Chris's Tea Cottage, and simply

enjoyed the plethora of vibrant flowers

that surrounded us...

we had a fabulous, colorful, toasty,

and altogether wonderfully HAPPY day!!

{filled with lots of love...

and smiles so big we had to

hide them}

ramblings

Summertime is a wonderful time....busy, no doubt, with outdoor activities and the constant coating of bug spray. {grin}

Summer out here where I live has a distinct aroma which can be enjoyed in the early mornings or late evenings.  Damp earth meets ready-for-harvest fields in a most delightful way.  I absolutely love it, and it is in those moments that I am aware that I quite like living here. {sometimes?}

I am sitting at my dining room table enjoying a cup of hot coffee {have I mentioned ever before how utterly divine said beverage is?}  The windows are open to let the cool summer morning air into the house.  The ceiling fans are already on, and the sprinkler is making its rhythmic dance outside. {we planted our grass seed a couple of weeks ago!!!}

I have been up for a couple of hours now, and oh how I just ADORE early mornings.  In all seriousness, they are gorgeous, and so help me get a good start on my day.  With some Bible reading and time spent in prayer, I am ready for a full and productive day.  Ellie girl likes early mornings too. {smile}

As I speak, the little missie is talking herself to sleep in her little bed just a bit away from me.  (she sleeps in the living room still as we haven't finished the upstairs yet)  Naptime....ahh...those were the days!

We had such a busy week last week, and then a crazy booked weekend, and I feel like I am still attempting to just catch my breath from it all.

The Lord blessed us with a great vehicle last week!  So amazing how He is always providing what we need at the moment we need it.  It is the perfect vehicle for our family right now, and we were so happy to not have to go into debt for it.  Blessed indeed we are.

Twin here picked me a basket full of lovely wildflowers on the 4th of July!  It was such a beautiful day!

We had Mom and Ashley over for our traditional 4th of July brunch, listened to hours of patriotic music, and then joined some family and friends for a big celebration with fireworks that evening.

(Ellie and I missed the firework show since it doesn't start getting dark around here until 10:30, and most of the shows started at 11:00!  WAY past missie's 7:00 bedtime)

We put the wildflowers in my favorite blue mason jars, and little bud vases on the 

window sills.  I have the jar full of flowers sitting next to an

old suitcase that belonged to Jay's Grandma Schmid.  I never got a chance to meet her, but I know that she was a sweet, wonderful person,

and I would have loved to get a chance to know her.

Life is funny somehow.  And so often things just don't make sense to me.  How certain wonderful people die, and leave us with a sense of loneliness,
and a lifetime of "what-if's"

I am teary-eyed now, thinking of just how much I miss my Grandma Franks. How she had such a heart for the Lord.  How she always wanted girls, and had three boys.  How her middle son got married young, and how much she loved my mama.  How she was suddenly surrounded by four granddaughters, and so much love.  How she was gone before I even realized what I had.

It surprises me how often I think about Grandma, and how often I wish I could share my life with her.  The big things, like my wedding, and the birth of my baby girl...to the small things like a simple walk or a hot cup of coffee.

In a way, I do share my life with her.  My sweet one is her namesake...

little Florence Ellen...

and thus I am daily reminded of the person

that made such a difference in my life during the four short years I knew her.

I am so glad that there is One who understands all, even when I do not.  And that He is there to comfort my aching heart when I am hurting.

Wow, I guess I am in a contemplative mood this morning. Ramblings are just that, lots of bits and pieces of my life recorded here as a journal of sorts.  To look back upon, and see just what the Lord has done for us.  He truly is worthy of all praise.  

Jot and Snippet: Number 1