Spring Time Fun!

Wow! It's hard to believe it's the last day of May! Time has been flying by so quickly and our little girl is growing so fast!!! I wanted to post an picture update... beware, many pictures coming! I also don't want this to be entirely a book review blog! (Books DO help me keep my sanity and relax, and it certainly is nice to get them free, but that isn't the only reason to have this blog!) :)

We've certainly had an eventful spring! Our little girl is growing and changing so fast! It's hard to keep up - and hard for my back to keep up... "Little" Joy weighs 20 pounds! ;) But thankfully, the Lord gives strength for what we need! And little girl LOVES being held! Not necessarily cuddled.... but held. heehee!! I'm not sure where to start, so I'll just give some highlights from the past three months. :)
March:
My grandmother came down for her annual visit - which turned into something more permanent! She is now living with my parents and we are enjoying having her close! Joy loves "NeeNee!" March was a crazy month weather wise, beautiful day one day and ice the next! But spring did eventually come and we got to enjoy our local spring flower festival a bit! Some of our friends were "belles" for the trails and Joy enjoyed visiting! ;)

 

April:

Her first Easter!!! So fun to celebrate with our little one!  Such a happy girl - most of the time!! She is very strong and loves to jump when held!

May:
Oh, goodness.... the most eventful month this year!! So proud of my hubby! He graduated with his Master's degree!!! We are also so glad that he now has more time to spend with us!! ;)

It was also wonderful to visit with a good (life long) friend and for her to meet our girl and me to meet her twins!! So glad we could fit a visit in with Melissa!!

And my first Mother's Day as a mommy! Such a special day!!

 

Joy has been growing so fast!! And changing so much!! She has....

Eaten her first official food: 

Avocado in her mesh feeder.

She is also learning to pick up food and eat it. (For those wondering, we are trying the "Baby-Led Weaning" route to feeding her.)

 

 

She has also started sitting up! (This was kindof a surprise discovery for me... a friend's baby a bit younger than her started sitting and I wondered if she could. Low and behold, she can!) heehee!! 

She's so proud!

She has also got her first little "bug." So hard to see her not feeling well, but she is getting better now and we are SO very blessed that she is so healthy!!

On Memorial Day she had her first pigtails!! I about died from the cuteness! ;)

So that's just a bit of our world over here!! Yes, most of our life does revolve around baby, but Mark and I are trying to be sure and fit in some time to connect as a couple - we celebrated our nine year anniversary this week! So blessed with my wonderful husband!!

Book Review: The Last Bride

I've heard it said that all of Beverly Lewis's books sound the same.... and this thought does kindof come to mind because, on the outside, they all look very similar and they DO have similar settings. But never judge a book by it's cover! :) The Last Bride was a very hard one for me to put down!! (It took longer for me to get around to writing a review than it did to read it!) :)

Tessie is in love with a man, and her father refuses his approval and doesn't tell her why. Impulsively, she and her fiance, Marcus, elope; sneaking off to a Justice of the Peace. Afterwards, they continue to live their lives separately, sure that given enough time, her parents will come around and bless their marriage. Tragically, before they can divulge their secret, Marcus dies in an accident.  Tessie must grieve alone. She must tell her people eventually, but will they believe her?

I don't want to give away the ending. Beverly Lewis is a bestselling author for a reason. She truly is a master storyteller and knows her setting well. I certainly don't regret reading yet "another" Beverly Lewis book. :)

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This book was given to me by Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Book Review: Through the Deep Waters

I have struggled with this review... Truth be told, I haven't even finished this book. Not sure I will. I have really enjoyed Kim Vogel Sawyers book, I think there is only one of her's that I haven't read or started. She addresses different points in history and some tough issues (like child labor in her last book).

However, there are ways to deal with tough issues tastefully, and in my opinion, "Through the Deep Waters" crosses the line and made me uncomfortable. The copy I received is an advanced reading copy, so the final product may be a bit different.

The context is this, Dinah was born in a brothel. She has remained untarnished by the business of the place she has grown up until she finds herself in desperate need of money. When presented an opportunity for a sum of money by the owner of the establishment, she initially refuses and seeks other work but is not hired because of where she has come from. Desperate, she accepts the offer and finds herself alone with a man in a hotel room.

It's not the storyline that is uncomfortable for me but I feel like what happens in the room could have been handled more tastefully and many details left out. I choose to read Christian fiction for a reason - because I do not want to fill my mind with details and images that are not appropriate. I have read books where such subject matter was handled in a more appropriate way. I assume that this is probably the only part of the book that I would object to, but it left such a distaste, I don't even desire to finish it.

It is easy to think that just because a book is labeled "Christian fiction" that it is going to be safe and appropriate, but it just goes to show that care needs to be taken even with an author you are familiar with.

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I was sent this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Parenting the Wholehearted Child

I just finished reading "Parenting the Wholehearted Child" by Jeannie Cunnion. You may have seen it in bookstores. It is one of the most recently published books on parenting. I love this book!! It is a heartfelt book full of practical advice to help instill the love of God into your children. One of the themes of the book is giving your child grace, because we have been given grace. The author really connects with the reader - you feel like she really is in the trenches with you - her children are still at home. I love that she, in some of the first chapters, gives very practical advice on how to instill Scripture in our children.

One important thing I came away with is that our children learn about God through us - not just in what we teach them, or what we say, but in the very way we act and in how we discipline them. When we show love and grace, we are showing them how God loves them and gives us grace that is unmerited. "We must demonstrate a faith that our children desire to experience, not flee." This book really made me think and contemplate how I want to be as a parent.

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Thanks to BookLook for providing this free review copy. My opinions are my own.