Sleepy baby



Our little one is the most determined child I’ve had regarding sleep.   She hates to rest.  She climbs out of her bed faster than we can turn around to walk away, doing it noiselessly and with skill.   We packed up her bed and put a crib mattress on the floor.  Still, she refuses to nap and it takes an hour or two to get her to sleep at night.  Two days ago my husband woke up at 4 am to find her asleep on the floor next to our bed.  She rarely makes it through the entire night since her first impulse is to jump up and see what she’s missing.

Occasionally it catches up with her, as it did during lunch yesterday.  I just stayed in the room and let her sleep right there since moving her always wakes her up.   She lasted for a good 45 minutes before stirring.

And then last night around 11 pm this is where she finally ran out of energy:


On my bathroom floor with my husband’s sock on one leg.  What a nut!  It’s funny that she’s our 8th, and yet so different.  They really do come as individuals.  It’s amazing.

Composition in Nature part II

Ok, here are the second half of my “nature” photos from our recent trip.


I thought this tree was so interesting.  The trunk seems to be composed of last year’s growth being pruned off.  I love that the leaves are graceful and fern-like, and the play of pattern next to the traditional palm leaves is beautiful.


All the enormous leaves were stunning.




I know I should remember the name of these blue flowers but it’s escaping me.  I loved the size of them and how they were planted in mass.  They remind me a bit of the allium that is more common where I live.  Can anyone help me with the name?  It was fun to see them all over the place.


And how cool are these tree trunks?  We were all impressed by their spikes.  I think the brown spikes on the lime green trunk is so pretty.


Fern leaves are always pretty.




The first thing I noticed about this fern was its herringbone type pattern formed by the closeness of each stem.  Kind of a sawtooth herringbone pattern.  Isn’t it pretty?!  Of all the things I noticed, this might be my favorite.


It’s always interesting to see an old, mature tree sprout a tiny little branch near it’s base.


Lastly, the play of leaves here was so interesting.  In the foreground are tulip leaves dying back with a pretty bush behind.  I don’t know what it is, but the graceful little leaves and the colors reminded me of a burning bush.  Of course the red leaves add interest and depth to the view, and the palm branch gracefully draping itself over the bush is unusually pretty.  In my own landscaping I lean too often to flowers to provide interest.  This picture reminds me that greenery can play off itself in startling beauty if planted well,  a lesson I’m trying to take to heart.


It is all so beautiful;  a reminder of our infinitely creative Father in Heaven.  How grateful I am for His generosity in creating such a beautiful home away from home for us.

Have you noticed something beautiful lately?

Hopeful Homemaker

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