Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
– James 1:7

I praise God for this child, for the fun of being together on a Friday afternoon and doing special things together like drinking Sonic slushies and going to the lake.

I praise God for this world He’s created—that Livia loves to explore—and for the creatures like ducks and caterpillars that bring her such delight.

I praise God for her chubby kid cheeks that will someday morph into a more slender shape. I praise God that He has given such a beautiful child to me to love and care for.

This unchanging nature of our God brings me such relief and profound gratitude. He doesn’t change. His goodness can’t be altered. Praise God.

Under the headline “Why getting messy can be good for children,” The Macomb Daily newspaper printed my photo in their Sunday, July 18 newspaper.

It was pretty cool. Here’s the photo:

If you Google muddy child, (and if you ignore the horror show shot of one particular small child, eek!) then Livia’s image will immediately pop up and that shot will lead you to this blog post. I believe that’s how a journalist from the Macomb Daily found me. We conversed back and forth via email and I submitted several images for consideration. I also gave a small email interview and was then quoted in the article.

Like most other papers, the Macomb Daily doesn’t publish every last article online, but I wish I could link to this one so you all could read it! I think I come off sounding much smarter and more professional than I really am. [wink, wink]

“We’ve always known that kids and play are just a natural combo,” [Dr. Michele] Borba said. “But new research also shows that letting kids engage in self-directed play has immense value for their social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth.”

Rebecca Tredway, 32, would agree.

The former middle school teacher and freelance photographer—whose blog, View From the Prairie Box—provides readers with a daily dose of images and stories about life in America’s Heartland—said, as a mom, she tries to value childish fun and exploration over cleanliness and easy parenting.

The article goes on, with a little more quotage by yours truly, to detail the benefits of messy, independent play for young children. If you’d like to read it in its entirety, you’ll have to stop by for a cup of coffee sometime. I have exactly one hard copy in my possession.

You can see the rest of the mud photo series on my Flickr account. My favorite shot is this one.

I suppose you could say I made some good friends at Horn Creek camp back in my high school days. The PCA youth leadership camp doesn’t even meet in the Sangre de Christo mountain range any longer, but that location will forever hold precious memories for me. I get a bit nostalgic just writing about it—and could go on and on—but for now, suffice to say that amazing, lifelong friendships were formed during those one-week sessions over four years of attendance.

Charity, Haley, Bryonie, Autumn and I now get together over Labor Day for a weekend of talking, eating, drinking, reading and general laziness. It’s awesome. I love these women. And Isaac, the newest addition to our girls’ weekend (though he’ll only to get enjoy this once).

You asked for photos, so enjoy!

Hadley, besides being naturally beautiful, was up for anything I threw at her during our photo shoot. The very first “pose” of our morning involved running into a gaggle of geese at the park and it was absolutely hilarious. Hadley braved the [somewhat nasty] geese for my camera and thus began our time together. While the bird shots didn’t turn out in the end, my computer is now loaded with great images of the gorgeous and very lovely Hadley.

Thanks, Hadley, for the fun photo shoot! I hope your senior year is awesome.

Chicken-apple sausage, corn on the cob, green salad and garlic bread. This might just be the perfect dinner to eat in Nebraska in August. Mmmm. We paired it, not with a fine wine, but with Ponyo, which is a totally delightful family film.

Summer has dwindled into the hot, humid days of August where some of us mommies begin to say, Now, when does school start? The structure and enthusiasm of earlier weeks has turned into something less shapely, where too much television might be consumed and motherly motivation is lacking.

It was on one of these lazy, hazy days that Livia and I emerged from our pseudo-naptimes (Quiet Time in our house) and simply had to find adventure. Here I was, reading all the Facebook statuses about friends being in cool Colorado, and it was high time to entertain myself in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, instead of merely being envious.

So we wandered through Indigo Bridge Books, picked up the best ice cream in town at Ivanna Cone, and wandered among the trains for a time. Deciding the wandering should be extended, we quickly drove out to Pioneers Park and pet turtles and snakes at the Nature Center. Livia caught—and released—a toad and a moth. I snapped photos and filled up the creative space in my own heart.

I’m still soaking in the fun of the past two days. First, there was the art gallery with my work on display! Here’s just a brief glimpse at the photography series I posted of the Bradley family. I hope to share more with you soon. For now, though, I will say that the night was a success and we had a great turnout of friends and family.

Then, last night was the grand community theater/backyard spectacle of Dr. Quinn: The Musical! This photo was snapped an hour before show time and, as you can see, the audience is getting settled. Go check out Renae’s photos to see what it looked like during the musical and to admire the primo seating one gets when such an event occurs in one’s own backyard! Our gardens have never seen so much excitement, and neither have we. The night was a blast.

Everybody’s favorite honorary aunt, Joie/Jojo/Jojg!