Madelyn holding Eloise
I can hardly fathom where the year has gone. It feels like just last week we were welcoming the addition of Eloise to our extended family...and now she is 11 months old! She is growing and changing, much-too-quickly for this auntie's tastes! She gets increasingly sweeter and her personality blooms each time we see her. We all just love her to pieces. It's a joy watching her grow.
It's also wonderful to watch each of my own children growing, changing, maturing. I am so thankful for each of them...I wish I could fully express just how much. A mother's love is something truly hard to express in words. Love is shown...through teaching, nurturing, caring for, serving and spending time with them. They are each unique...carefully and lovingly knit together in my womb by the Creator, Himself. He gave them each their own personality, talents, gifts and abilities. I am forever grateful to Him for *them*.
Xavier, reading to his cousin...
The boys...taking a *break* in Pop-Pop's break room...
Eloise shares her book with her Uncle Chris! Such a sweet girl she is!
Outside it snowed...and then warmed up enough to make it melt. Although I am not a huge fan of snow...it would be *much* prettier than the wet, mucky, muddy-ness that is out there right now. Here's the most snow we have gotten this year (so far...as this is quite unusual for our area and I expect that eventually we will get loads of the fluffy white stuff sometime soon!)...
The children took turns having sleepovers at Grammie and Pop-Pop's house (we took this week off from schooling..we all needed the break!). While X was taking *his* turn...Madelyn and Jaxson played games...
...and read books...
Homemade noodles for supper one evening...
Homemade noodles are so easy...I have used many recipes for them...but the one I found to be the easiest and still tasty was this:
Mix 3 large eggs with 2 cups of flour, a dash of salt and a couple tablespoons of water. Form dough into a ball...roll out to desired thickness, cut then cook in boiling water till noodles float (only takes a couple minutes).
Chris has been chopping wood in the evenings for the wood stove. The children (and mama too) help stack the wood...
It's difficult to see, but the boys are carrying split wood to the back to stack. Chris is back there, as well.
Inside the wood stove, a beautiful fire is crackling...
And with the flash on...you can see Chris, blowing on the fire to getting it going stronger...
X with his super-giganto-gloves...
A new (from the thrift store) curtain for the front door...
King Jaxson...
Eloise has grown out of the other hats I have knit her...and since it's winter here in PA, she needs a new one! :) So, I am working on a new one for her (hopefully to have finished by Sunday when we will see them again!). :)
I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful New Year's Eve and Day! I am not sure of our plans this year...except that we plan on letting the children stay awake until midnight (if they can make it! I'm not even sure this mama can keep her eyes open that long!). :o)
Thank you for spending this year with me here...I am thankful for your encouragement and friendships. May you be blessed in the coming year and continue to grow closer to the One Who *made* it all! :o)
Happy New Year!
Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied,
Katy