Happy Birthday Sweet Baby!

Audreyanna is 1! How the time it do fly.  She's walking everywhere, loves to be outside, thinks she's big stuff chasing the other kids around; gives big, open mouth kisses when SHE decides to, not when you ask; and is a cuddly sweet momma's girl :-)  As I look at her sweet face and listen to her contented nursing noises I think of how soon these days will be over.  In the thick of it, it seems they will never end.  But I know that one day soon I will miss the sleepy milk smile, the excited noises she makes when she wants to nurse, the way she skooches up against me to sleep at night and the fact the I see her sweet face every hour or two all night long.  I will miss the way she toddles around the house, gets stuck behind the couch, dances to the sound of the vacuum cleaner, blender, and food processor, and wants to live on my hip.  

Happy Birthday Audreyanna!!

And the post wouldn't be complete without a bit of video :-)

 

Oh, and that funky block around "Happy Birthday Audreyanna"?  The harder I tried to get rid of it, the worse it got.  I really need a techy!

Sierra's 13th - Part 2

Another part of our 13th birthday tradition is a 2 night trip away - with the girls I get to go :-)

We spend time talking, eating, and just being together.  It is a great time of bonding and reflection.  Sierra and I went to Sequoia National Park.  Sadly, she got really sick right after we got there.  She rallied herself for a bit of hiking, but was definitely under the weather.  I think she still had a great time though, and I will treasure the time spent just the 2 of us (and Audreyanna :-))

13 Candles - Another "Teen" in the House

Another important event I haven't yet devoted a post to is the celebration of Sierra's 13th birthday. 13 is a big one in our house, the transition from childhood to young adult.  13 is the year of the big birthday party because we believe the addition of family and friends helps mark the significance of the day, and we seek council from other godly women to encourage and guide our children.  For Hailey and Sierra this encouragement has come in the form of letters to be stored in their hope chest (which they receive on their 13th birthday).  These letters have been a true blessing to our girls, and I am so grateful that our friends and family would take the time to write them. 

We requested that gifts center around the hope chest we were giving her, and Sierra was blessed with many beautiful and thoughtful things.  It's so much fun to see what everyone comes up with!

Her daddy gave her a blessing and Sierra recited Proverbs 19:1-9

The cake was amazing. No, I didn't make it.

I love these young adult years.  The knowledge that my time with them is so short is ever before me, and I am frequently driven to my knees.  I am so blessed to see them growing in knowledge and righteousness.  And so grateful for the opportunity to speak into their lives as we spend our days together.

Miss Cadence is getting so big.  She's a real blend of her mommy and daddy.  And so smart :-) I can't wait to watch her grow up.

Chance was able to come for the party, which was SUCH a gift for Sierra.  We are all grateful for any time we are able to spend together, but it was really special that he came for her birthday.  Kirstyn was there too!  It is such a rare gift for us all to be together :-)


The day after the party Chance taught the boys to make boats with tooth pics.   The results were pretty cool, but next time I think we'll use popsicle sticks so it doesn't take so long :-)

 

15? Are You Sure??

It was my turn to spend the day with Hailey in honor of her birthday. 15! How well I remember rocking her to sleep singing 70's music. I painted her nursery 2 shades of purple with a Precious Moments border. I remember balling up newspaper and making it crinkle loudly to try to convince her to crawl across the floor. Tiny little girl toddling across the floor with her wispy blonde hair and pretty yellow dress. Walking at 9 months!

I thought we would never make it through her 2's. And her 3's. And her 4's. :-) Filling her baby sisters mouth with change. Painting the walls I had painstakingly stenciled, along with the clothes she pulled out of her dresser. And the carpet. Finding her on top of the fridge. More than once :-)

She has always had her own ideas. Always been a bit fearless. And now she is my right arm. She has the magic touch with the babies, she can calm them when no one else can. She loves music, the piano, her siblings, and God. She is sarcastic and funny, a singer, an artist, a great letter writer, and a fabulous baker. It is such a joy to see her growing in knowledge and righteousness. To see her grow in her faith and develop her own convictions. I am so blessed to be her mother.


Nana and Papa, along with Aunt Alice and Angie were able to join us for dinner, so that was a special treat. Sierra made her that hat, and Nana made the afgan. Love it! The scarf from Aunt Alice went perfectly with the hat :-)

And this is Sophia. Isn't she beautiful. Last time we saw her she had just broken 5 pounds. :-)

Beachy Birthdays

So, it's only been a month since my last post. Hailey says I need to post more. She says I should post about all the things I'm always telling them, things I read, learn, and think. It just takes time to formulate all that into an intelligible post. And the time that I would be able to do that is at night. Which is when the baby is usually screaming. Or I am about to drop from exhaustion. Or both. So....it's been a month since my last post.


So, what's been going on? Well, Ethan had a birthday. So did Hailey. Heck, so did I :-) We went to Point Mugu for a few days in honor of Ethans and my birthdays. (Wow, that was an awkward sentence!) But we did, and we had a lovely time. Even if it was kind of cold and windy. I guess that's the price for a beautiful beach all to yourselves. If so, I'll gladly pay it. We intended to camp in the rv, but the day before we left we discovered that the fuel pump had quit pumpin. Bummer. We were able to salvage the trip with a couple of motel rooms on base, and we still had a grand time. I'd really like to go back in the rv though.



We got to see a whale right off shore, and a lot of seals. Which solidified Hailey's determination to never swim in the ocean, but was really cool to see.


We ate a lot, built sand castles, drew in our nature journals, climbed rocks, had races, and just generally enjoyed each other. On the last day we went in to Ventura and had an amaaazing lunch in a micro brewery. Really yummy!

Birthdays!

9 and 2, I can hardly believe it! How can the years go so quickly?

Eli has really found a love for reading this year, surpassed only by his love of audiobooks. He will often ask to go to be early to listen to a book on the ipod, or he can be found hiding on the side of the couch reading. He's got that goofy boy humor that brings me right back to 9 year-old Chance. I am so blessed to be his mom, and can't wait to see what God does in his life.

Banonna is our sweet cuddlebug. She is way to cute for her own good, and if we're not careful we'll ruin her completely! She is never happier than when she is snuggled into a lap with her thumb in her mouth and your hair in her hand. She is so gentle and sweet with Audreyanna, and loves her own babies as well. We love you Annaleise, you bring such joy to our lives!

We celebrated the birthdays of Eli and Annaleise with the standard Mimi's breakfast. But this time was likely the last, as one horrible experience is usually all my husband will tolerate. The meal was free, so there is that. The gas wasn't, so there is that. The day was pretty low-key because Mike was coming off the flu and I'm not really running at full speed yet. Tin Tin and the T-Rex kite were big hits with Eli, and I think Annaleise loves her doll buggy. She'll love it more if we can make the handle stay on :-)



She couldn't quite figure out the whole blowing thing, we eventually got them out though.

A Belated Birthday Post

In the hubbub of life Sierra's birthday flew by without garnering a post. It is finally time to remedy that and give sweet Sierra the shout-out she deserves :)

Sierra is 11 now, and just like when each of my children completes another trip around the sun, I can hardly believe it has gone so fast.

Sierra blesses us in so many ways. She loves the Lord and seeks to do His will. She loves her siblings and is always ready to read them a story or chase them around the backyard. She is happy to help wherever she is needed, and she is sensitive, thoughtful, and smart. She's a booklover like her mother and is always on the lookout for the next thing to read.

Isn't she pretty? We all spent the day in Bako. Went to breakfast and later had ice cream at Dewars. They make their own ice cream, but still only had 1 flavor that Ty could eat, strawberry. The strawberry at Coldstone is the only flavor without cornsyrup too. Hmmm.

Then that night she and I went back to Bako for a dinner theater show of The Sound of Music. We had a really fun time and Annaleise didn't give them too much trouble at home even though the show went a lot later than we thought it would.


Yep, she got pickles for her birthday. But not just any pickles, these pickles are amazing and much prized. They are called Fickle Pickles because they literally change flavors as you chew them.


Daddy, praying God blessings on our dear daughter.

And just to make you smile, here's Ty. Being Ty. :)
We love you Sierra and so thankful that God brought you to us!

Ojai

Hailey and I took an overnight trip to Ojai for some good food, good conversation, and good memories. We had a great time and had the opportunity to talk of the weightier things that require the kind of time and environment that has been hard to come by lately :)

I also made her smile for the camera:)







This is the old Ojai jail. When it was built the railroad tracks ran between it and the park, it was built on "the other side of the tracks." It was used into the 1970's! We read that a few men actually spent upwards of a year here.

Party Time

We had a little family party to celebrate the boys birthdays. I was too busy visiting to take many pictures, but I did get a few of the gift opening and cake. It was a very nice day, we don't get together often enough. The presence of those who couldn't make it was missed, but those who came were appreciated :)

Ty wasn't much into presents in the beginning
But things improved once he got the hang of it. Ezra didn't let Ty bring him down though :)



Whew! What a day.