Baptism

Such a happy day!

He's a sweet kid.

But the weekend sure tuckered him out.

Baptism & Blessing

Miss H was so excited to be baptized!


We had 2 of my brothers and most of my husband's family celebrate with us.

The next day was the baby's blessing.

She was blessed with the gift of charity, that she could mourn with those who mourn & lift others. She was also promised she would be a mother. It was really special.

We went hiking later that day.

Also, my youngest brother got engaged this weekend! We feel like we're on top of the world! We pretty much were...

Balancing Act

The baby is a month old & the older kids have started school. We are still trying to figure out how to juggle it all. Life is a balancing act for EVERYone in EVERY season of life isn't it? But we are willing to sacrifice some sleep & serenity because we know we are really lucky to have a new baby & to be parents. Here's the rundown on everyone...

Our kindergartener really loves school (esp. riding the bus with his big sister!) Speaking of which... she just turned 8 & will be baptized soon.

She is so smart & sweet. We had a party for her.

The baby is catching up on her growth (part of the reason for inducing, besides being breech and on blood thinners, was concern that she wasn't growing well at the end of the pregnancy. As it turns out, the placenta was small and not functioning optimally-- a condition linked to my clotting). But she's been thriving since birth and is now in the 10th%.
Still tiny, but it's an improvement. We got a kick out of the fact that her size and coloring are so similar to the baby doll!

D is sure enthralled with her. He put her picture in his locker. (I can still hardly believe he's old enough to have a locker.) I've been dreading the middle school milestone somewhat. But now that it's actually here, I'm excited for him.
He's learning clarinet in band and running cross country. He's a pretty confident kid, which is half the battle in the middle school years. That gives me hope that he'll get to enjoy this stage of development.

With the other kids in school again, I get to spend a little more time with this little girl. I love hearing her voice as she speaks or sings. She's a cute mimic. She's observant and bright & really good at puzzles.

Hope this fall brings blessings to you as well.

Milestones

1st day of school

D's baptism

Lazy days?

We are enjoying our summer, but I think it's only "lazy" for the kids who don't have homework. For the parents who have to come up with more activities, some semblence of learning so their brains don't turn to mush & who push double strollers up steep hills on a regular basis to go to the park, it's anything but lazy!
Here's some of our adventures:
Going to the playground is fun for kids & getting there is good exercise for mommy!


D just turned 8 and will be baptized soon. (For more information about our views on baptism, click here)

Miss H will sing at the baptism. She's so pretty in her dress.
We went downtown for a PBS kids event. (You can see I cut my hair to get it off my neck.)


I made a teepee for the kids to play in until we get a playhouse built. Miss H is sitting in it in her pjs... Lazy days of summer!