faces....

how much is that birdie in the window?

if you've been to my house or been in any conversation with me talking about my house, you probably know how much i hate our windows. they are from the 60's, and they have this awful reflector tint on the outside. they're just ugly windows. it is my dream to replace these windows in the not-too-distant future, but i will say that in the past week, i've found a unique benefit to the unbecoming reflector tint. because of this tint, you can't see inside the windows during the day....

and last week, i noticed a couple of doves flying to and from our living room windowsill. i looked closer, and they were building a nest! on the side of our house! they couldn't see me because of the reflective tint, so i was able to get right up to the window to watch. anyway, i was intrigued as the male bird would bring a twig to the female, and then the female would put it in place. the male bird would fly off in search of another twig, and the female would move that same twig around 2 or 3 different times (rearranging the furniture, i guess!). then the male would SWOOP back down with another twig, which was quite a sight to see a bird coming RIGHT at me! :) this nesting (literally) went on for a couple of days, and then the female bird just stayed put on the nest. she raised up her tail feathers, and then a little while later, she got up off the nest....... and there was a little egg!! in our windowsill!! (i realize this is not the caliber of the discovery channel... but how cool is that to have a close up view of a bird family??) then the daddy bird came back to sit on the egg, and i guess the mommy bird took a potty break. anyway, the mommy bird stayed put again, and the next time she left, i saw 2 eggs! that was a few days ago, and i haven't seen her move since. maybe she's working on more eggs. we'll see. i can't wait to hear little baby chirps from that window! i'll keep you posted.

enjoy the pictures- they're not the greatest quality because they're through the window and the screen... and well, doves aren't really that pretty. but it's just the whole experience that makes it fun. there's also a little video for your viewing pleasure... youtube makes it such low quality, but you can still get the idea.

our new neighbors moving in

spying on the lovebirds

the nest they made

baby #1

daddy birdiesits

mom keeping those babies warm

see? their kids will be close together, too! :)

all this has me thinking about the children's book "are you my mother?" such a good one!

the old city

well, we are officially a family. we just got home from our first real vacation with a child. :)


we visited st. augustine for the long weekend, and we had such a great time! jonathan & tammy & the kiddos joined us for a couple of days, and we wish they could've stayed longer to explore more of the town with us. we witnessed a cannon being shot off the top of an old spanish fort, where we were 2 minutes short of absolutely baking in the sun!







we toured the old st. augustine village, a block of historic houses connected by cobblestone walkways and beautiful trees and gardens. of course, we took a ton of pictures of this place! it was shady and quaint and wonderful. my favorite part of the city, by far! they even have weddings there... now THAT is romantic!











next, we visited flagler college, a small college that was originally a ritzy hotel.





we also enjoyed just exploring the city, though we couldn't last too long in the heat...







the pool at our hotel was so refreshing. i have never seen a pool like this... the shallow end doesn't have steps- it's like a beach, where the water gets gradually deeper. this was really nice for ethan to be able to sit in the water and play!







we will most definitely be returning to this beautiful city, maybe during a cooler season. i think i can still smell the sweet aroma of waffle cones baking on st. george street...

though we had a great time, we're glad to be home. so now it's back to reality and laundry..... ah, home sweet home.

welcome home, lorelei!

sweet baby lorelei is finally home from the hospital! praise God!

she is continuing to keep fluids down and is making progress. that is such good news to share... thank you for your prayers. i'll keep you updated as i hear how she's doing.

philippians 4:19-20... and my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. to our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. amen.

a good day for lorelei

great news on baby lorelei... i don't know details about her surgery, but apparently it was successful. she was able to take in 3-4 oz. of a bottle without throwing it up, which really is excellent progress. she has had a great day yesterday and last night. please pray that this recovery continues. the word is that she needs 3 days in a row like this to be out of the woods.

today is her one month birthday. happy birthday, baby girl!

thank you for your prayers.