Seeing Things

Earlier this week, Jesse and I were discussing the monthly budget and the subject of school clothes came up. I told him that I didn't expect to have to buy Mia much because her closet is overflowing yet. But today Mia was bored, so I suggested that she have Jesse measure her on the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. There's a white crayon mark showing how tall she was shortly after her birthday (and even in May she was still almost exactly to that mark). His "Holy cow!" made me come check out the new measurement. It was 2-1/2 inches higher than the last one, making her 47-3/4" tall! I had Mia weigh herself as well, and she's up to 52 lbs from 44! Over the course of the summer (which still has 22 days to go) she's grown 2-1/2 inches and gained 8 lbs!

She went in her drawer and found a pair of shorts that she had tried on at the beginning of summer. Even with a belt on, she couldn't keep them up back in May. She's running around in them now, sans belt! I have a feeling that she's going to need a completely new wardrobe for school. Goodwill, here I come!

Seeing Things by Patti Hill is a tasty treat for a summer's afternoon. Birdie Wainwrights prides herself on her independence and zest for life, even at the age of 72 and suffering from macular degeneration. When she starts seeing hallucinations of flowers in the middle of her living room, she starts to doubt her sanity, and when she ends up breaking her ankle because of them, her perfect life is turned upside-down. Birdie is forced to recover while living with her son Andy and wife Suzanne whose busy lives keep them on the run and away from son Fletcher, who has memorized baseball stats as a form of prayer in his lonely life. Things get even crazier when Huckleberry Finn shows up and starts talking to Birdie, and the faith of the whole family is tested. I absolutely adored the character of Birdie, and I hate that the book had to end! Hill precisely renders the conflict between aging parent and busy child when it comes to assisted living centers and independent living. Birdie wants only to heal and please her family, but she is forced over and over again to turn their care over to God. Her interpretation of putting them through the roof on a mat is one I will remember and use myself. The characters feel real, full of passion and life, like people you know personally, and the story has just the perfect amount of humor, faith, and love.

Mia is so excited about school starting, she's already packing her backpack and getting school supplies together. What grade is it when kids stop anticipating the first day of school with joy instead of dread?