Grace-Filled Weekend

She loves her drinkies!

Just getting plumper and more alert!

We do have fun at the park...watching her have fun!

I love October blue skies!

 

Grace is "unmerited or undeserved favor".  It is mercy, privilege, kindness, and clemency.  At least that's the definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  I feel each of these on these beautiful weekends with family.  I treasure these times with all my heart.  I don't know how long they'll last and I don't want to take them for granted.  God has given me grace. He has given me love and family and salvation and this beautiful world. He's also given me abilities and emotions and the free will to do right or wrong.  My head knows what's right but sometimes my heart chooses wrong.  A constant struggle. But His grace still blesses me with this wonderful life.  Okay, enough of that...

 We had a sunny, windy day at a local park with the children yesterday.  Maddie loved the playground and the walking trail.  Someone was flying a huge colorful fabric kite.  Children and mothers were playing and chatting and runners were on the wooded trails.  A beautiful day all around.

 Today was spent in laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, etc, at home.  Then off to a birthday dinner for my sister-in-law.  She's only 45. Baby! Ha.  We went to my parents' house and had homemade lasagna, french bread, salad, cake and ice cream.  We had a nice long leisurely afternoon and evening with my visiting sister and her family from Alabama.  Five children under age 9 make for a nice noisy time.  We passed the 4-week-old around and listened to his grunty, stretching sounds and changed diapers and drank sweet tea and talked about owls!  My dad photographed a three-feet-tall owl in a tree in their yard this week.  Unbelievably big....wonder how old the fellow is?  Anyway, Maddie couldn't get over it. She said "owl" hundreds of times and kept pointing outside.  She wanted to see him for herself.  We did finally hear him as we left this evening. It was dark and quiet on the driveway.  We heard his "hoot, hoo, hoot" and she listened quietly with eyes big and serious.

Lovely days. Becoming more and more precious to me. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace gift.
 

Baby boy slept through the noise and wind at the park.

Wonderful playground!