Baby Pictures

The amazingly soft fur, tiny pink tongue, those stubby ears, baby-blue eyes, that pitiful little mewing sound... oohhh! why do they have to grow up?

The dark one is Mafia, the little one is Pebble, and the grey striped one is Bobcat.

I love to watch them play-wrestle. They think they're so tough... until Holly wants to play. She gets right in their tiny faces and starts licking, which usually knocks them over! They're good about it though, getting back up on those wobbly little legs to play again.

Good times under the porch steps.

Over the Last Couple of Weeks...

... And graduated!

One happy little red-headed gal.

We are incredibly pleased to announce Stephanie's graduation from kindergarten at Landmark Christian Academy!

Funnies

Kelsey, Jenny, Grace, Meg
Am I actually related to these girlies?!
I really don't have anything to say here, folks.

The Restaraunt On Our Back Porch

Aww... I want one for a pet! *Sigh* No, I know... they're much happier in the wild.
My family could tell you, I would have all my animals living in my room (and sleeping on the bed) with me if I could.

By the way, I'm sorry for the pictures being kind of blurry. Most of them were taken through the window.
Waiting, watching, pondering, dreaming... such a patient one, this baby of mine.

As disappointed as I was in her, it did make me laugh.

A couple of females... best friends, probably.

It always gets a little crazy over the lunch hour. ;)

Woah. That's the biggest hummingbird I've ever seen! Hey wait, that can't be a hummer... there's no way. Oh my goodness... Everybody! come look at this! There's a woodpecker on the hummingbird feeder!!

He saw a free lunch and decided to go for it!

Hanging for nearly ten minutes, this little guy certainly got his fill of "the sweet stuff".

Verses of Hope

"But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands."

~ Psalm 31:14,15

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

~ Hebrews 10:23

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him. ~ Psalm 145:18,19

... But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverence; perseverence, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. ~ Romans 5:3-5

"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You."

~ Psalm 33:20-22

"For nothing is impossible with God."

~ Luke 1:37

"All my longings lie open before You, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God."

~ Psalm 38:9,10,15

"I will strengthen them in the Lord and in His name they will walk." declares the Lord.

~ Zechariah 10:12

"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh."

~ Luke 6:21

"Those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

~ Isaiah 49:23

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise.

~ 2 Peter 3:8,9

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

~ Psalm 27:13,14

Kinda Gross... but Very Cute

I really love feeding this little guy. I mean, we truly make meal time a joyous occasion. Except, we don't go quite so far as to dance around like Snoopy! Usually we get to laughing and playing games, and wind up making a total mess. I know this may seem rather strange (maybe there's a kindred spirit out there who can identify with me), but I find a chubby baby face smeared with mashed prune to be awfully cute!
This is one of those things I can't wait to bring up at his wedding someday. :)

Family Gardening

Grass so wonderfully green!!

Garden Dude

The Mama

J-Man

I'd Rather

I'd rather be a mother than anyone on earth,
Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth.
I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed -
Than twine a chain of diamonds about my foolish head.
I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright baby eyes -
Than paint the pageantry of fame, or walk among the wise.

~ Meredith Gray

The Surprise Haircut

As part of our Mother's Day surprise for Mama, Josh and Daddy gave David a much-needed haircut!

What a cute lil' guy! :)

This season, this day, this moment.

Yesterday as I watched the little ones wrapped up in a blanket quietly reading together, I was reminded again of how very blessed I am to be living (and schooling!) at home with such a family. I saw the look of intense wonder on my baby brother's face as he studied the simple pictures in the book that was lovingly being read to him. He is growing; each day a tiny part of "babyness" is left behind and a new person with his own unique character is being formed! As I watched, I realized how much I desperately want to experience every moment to the fullest... to grab hold of every opportunity for sharing in the growth and learning, peace and rest, joy and laughter of this home.
p.s. Is this homeschooling thing really worth all the time and trouble? ...
... Yes, oh yes... most definitely!

Kittens!

Curio and Holly are special friends. They share a cozy home under the side porch steps, play wrestle in the yard, and generally just hang out together most of the time. So I wasn't all that suprised when I found where Curio had chosen to have her litter!
This was taken the morning after they were born.

Three awfully sweet new additions to the Third Day Farm!
Curio with her little ones. She is such a wonderful Mama!
Poor Holly, I think she might be a tiny bit jealous. But she does seem proud to have three brand new kitties sharing her house, and is remarkably gentle with them.
You have to click on this one! The dark kitty has a really cute face.
The work of God's hands is so amazing... and precious.

The Kittens Have Arrived!

Our sweet kitty, Curio, gave birth to her first litter of kittens last night! They are absolutely precious, and all doing quite well. I have taken some pictures, but they didn't turn out very well. I'm planning to have another "photo shoot" in the morning while Kitty Mama is enjoying her breakfast. :) No promises, but I hope to post the results by tomorrow evening.

May the Lord fill your hearts with all joy and peace as you trust in Him this day, my friends!

Much love in Christ,
Ashley the F.G.

How Lovely... Thanks, Meg

Day by Day...

"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our shield and our help. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You."

~Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV)

"Waiting times are growing times and learning times. As you quiet your heart, you enter His peace... as you sense your weakness, you receive His strength... as you lay down your will, you hear His calling." ~Roy Lessin

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverence; perseverence, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."

~Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)

"Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation." ~Andrew Murray

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory." ~Ephesians 3:20-21(NKJV)