Another 10ish Inches

Another snowstorm can only mean one thing- more snow pictures.  I can't resist.  I love the smiles and fun they have together.  I hope they always enjoy each other.

  

  

  

And even though she didn't get to go out to play, Lucy was still a happy girl.

(I know it's a little blurry but I loved the happy face!)

The Latest Lucy

Lucy around 5 weeks

6 weeks

also 6 weeks

Sometimes she looks like a different baby to me in pictures.  I'll tell you one thing- she's a daddy's girl.  Saves her smiles for him.  I work and work for one and most of the time, nothing!  Well, I'm glad she loves her Daddy- can't blame her for that.  He's a good one.

Learning

Today began as one of those days when I wonder what in the world I am doing.  Actually I have many like that.  This morning I had to wonder if anybody was learning anything.  But as the day went on I think I was given a great gift.  I saw it this time in Kayla.

Kayla has learned to change Lucy's diaper and is so very helpful with her.

This afternoon she had storytime with her babies- and Lucy who is in the swing.  She was really reading!

Kayla really likes to help in the kitchen, usually with baking.  Today we ventured out and made spaghetti sauce.  She helped in all the preparations and of course the tasting.

I'd say she's learning quite a bit.  So am I.

Cooking Again

So tonight we enjoyed the last of our "baby dinners" as I think of them.  Our church has been bringing us meals for the past four weeks.  Not every day but often enough. We are so thankful.  It's amazing how freeing it is to know dinner is coming that night.   I can become so overwhelmed and at the end of my rope in a heartbeat lately.  As much as I love my family, this new phase is wearing me out! 

All that to say, we've had some really yummy dishes- spaghetti and meatballs, a roasted chicken, chicken chili, vegetable soup, pork tenderloin, lasagna, chicken pot pie, and the list goes on.  Not to mention the desserts that came with most every meal!  We will do well to be done with so many sweets for a while!

And now I am left to cook again.  So, under the inspiration of "Julie and Julia" I have decided to expand my cooking abilities.  I told my brother I was trying to learn to cook and he said, "You mean you don't cook???"  I do, but not always well.  I now have "The Joy of Cooking" in my kitchen and am hoping for a transformation on our dinner table.  I tried two recipes earlier in the week, chicken enchiladas and Mississippi mud cake.  The enchiladas were so-so.  The cake, from scratch, was delicious- plus I had my little helper whisking and mixing her heart out..  Brian laughed when he saw the cake and was surprised that I started off with a new dessert recipe.  Wouldn't you agree that a good dessert is key to a good dinner? (I do realize that in the previous paragraph I said we need to be done with sweets!)  Well, maybe not key but it sure is nice.
While I have no plans to cook my way through this whole cook book, I am looking forward trying out some new recipes.  We'll see!

Pray for Andrew

Good friends of ours received the worst of news two days before Christmas- their two year old has cancer.  Neuroblastoma, a tumor in his lung.  Andrew is the third of their four children, ages 5 and under.  He is in stage 3 and began chemo Thursday.  Please pray for them as they seek to walk by faith and trust the Lord with every aspect of this situation.  They are keeping a blog with updates if you would like to follow it and continue to pray according to their requests.  livinghope10.blogspot.com

4 Weeks

 4 weeks

 

Could this be a smile?

Craziness

This picture pretty much sums up the state of our home lately- one big crazy mess.  The thing is, I could not tell you who hung the baby doll stroller from the curtain rod.  Or when.  I could not say for sure how long it's been up there, either.  And worse, it is STILL there.   I just have to laugh.  Maybe that's why I haven't taken it down there- for a little chuckle every now and then.

Sisters

Warmer Days

I find myself dreaming of warmer days lately...

The Last Few Weeks

I really wanted to get some of these posts in before the new year.  Why?  I don't know, really.  Maybe because I just have not been able to get to it!  It has actually taken me three days to do this one post.  Who knew it could be such a challenge?  Well, Happy 2010 and Go Hokies!

We had a great time in the snow when the blizzard hit.  14 inches of snow!  What a great way to slow down.  The kids spent hours playing in it.  They built snow forts for a snowball fight.  Somehow Kayla got Jack good and was heard saying, "We've got him on the run now, Daddy!"

 

Christmas was different for us this year.  The first year we have not traveled.  We wondered what it would be like but being home Christmas morning as the kids opened their gifts was fun.  All day they played.  Brian and I cooked dinner.  He cooked our first turkey- yum! And it was Lucy's first Christmas!

In the afternoon, amid the wrapping paper and packaging all over the floor, Jack said, "It sure is messy in here.  But then I guess the stable was messy.  So I guess it's ok for Christmas to be messy."   I loved the theology in that, even though I'm sure he didn't quite catch it himself.  We are needy, messy people with messy, sinful lives.  But because what began in the messy stable, we have great hope at Christmas and always.

We have of course enjoyed Lucy.  Kayla calls her Lu.  She loves how warm and soft her baby sister is.  And you know, Jack loves to hold her,too and talk about how little she is.  Samuel has really wanted to hold her but he's still got a cold.  One day he asked if her could hold "Baby Wuvy" and I told him once he didn't have a cold he could.  He disappeared and returned with more clothes and said, "I not cold now, Mommy."

The boys and I were watching a Little People video.  There was a little boy climbing a rainbow to lasso a cloud.  Jack felt that these movies are too unrealistic.  That they don't teach Samuel anything "real."  "Rainbows aren't really that bright, Mom.  And do you really want Sam growing up thinking he can climb rainbows?"  Now that made me laugh!

And finally, Baby Lucy meets Great-Grandma Lucy for the first time.