A year flies by...

...and Lucy is 1! 

That first birthday celebration is so special to me. Reliving the joy of being done with pregnancy & labor and embracing my newborn. Looking at all those newborn pictures. And treasuring who that little person has become! She is a delight! She does this silly thing where she stomps around in a circle and making Donald Duck-esque chattering sounds. She especially likes to do it with something on her head. The day before her birthday, she honored me with her first intentional "ma ma." Playing chase with her sisters is her favorite game. And hugs! Oh, she gives the best hugs! She grabs on and pulls me tight, with a little grunt to show her effort. Adorable. Fills me with heart-panging joy. 

Her birthday duds! She did a little dance and turned in circles when I put it on her. She even fingered the ruffles. 

"Peekaboo!" Another popular game. :)

Her balloons were a huge hit!

Wild arm action shot!

Her birthday treat was blueberries and whipped cream, which she was very serious about. No smiles. Just focus. She pointed at the whipped cream a lot! I wasn't feeling brave, so I fed it to her instead of letting her get her hands in it. I'm sure it would have been very fun for her, but let's just say that messes can get very big in a tiny home!

I love love LOVE this little birthday girl!! 

Thanksgiving

We listened to the story of the first few thanksgivings in our country while we drove to grandma's house. It was so good to be reminded of the value of thanking and praising the Lord for his provisions in difficult times. Thanksgiving is really a meaningful and wonderful holiday.

We then got to take part in a lovely family gathering. There was feasting and merrymaking. It was a good day.

Photo credit must go to my brother and my mom. Thanks, guys!

And I'm not a Black Friday shopper. I don't think I've ever been out on that day. But I needed some fabric, and I'm glad a went! Flannel for a $1.74/yd! What a deal!

We love Grandma's house! Always a good view!

30

It's just an arbitrary number. But this year's birthday has me a little bit contemplative at the very least. It feels a tad like youth is behind me. But I'm sort of looking forward to wiser years ahead, God willing. 

It was a lovely day, regardless of the deep undercurrents. And all we have is today, anyway! I got to snuggle in bed with my baby girl while my husband made me breakfast and tea. Such a relaxing morning. And that loveliness was followed by a browse through my very favorite store and fish and chips at another favorite restaurant. Then, we discovered a new bakery! So much fun in one day! 

That last one shows Evie's present to me. She gave me a pair of her stick-on earrings. :) She treasures them, so I felt quite honored. 

My baby is FIVE!

I'm not sure how it happened, but Evelyn Grace is 5 today! Where did that tiny baby go? I still remember two days after she was born, sitting in the hospital waiting for Daddy to pull the car around. I looked into that tiny sleeping face, and I knew a new love. It hit me with a wave of tears. I had never loved like this before. It's unexplainable until you feel it, and when you do, you know. A mother's love. Evie-girl, I thank God that He let me feel that love for you. 

Her day started off with balloons and presents and her special requested breakfast...get this...YELLOW oatmeal! Ha! She cracks me up!

A puzzle!

Special socks!

Winding up her very own paracord "just like Daddy."

She shared a piece of her bubble gum with me, and I tried to teach her how to blow bubbles. 

The sticker earrings were a big hit!

This is a magnetic building set. I got a kick out of the "garden" that Libby built and garnished with fancy socks. 

The day continued with a piñata party with our wonderful friends from up the hill (although missing our other set of hill-dwelling wonderful friends!). 

And it was here, right when I went to record a video of Evie blowing out her candles, that my phone said, "sorry, lady! I'm out of memory! No more pictures or video for you!" Ah! The timing!

So I have no pictures to prove it, but fun was had by all, and my big girl got to celebrate with her buddies. She even got to go pretend ice-fishing with her new hand-made flies and lures! Thanks, friends! 

It was a lovely day for my girl. 

Breaking the oatmeal fatigue

My middle girl is not a huge fan of oatmeal. I don't blame her one bit. But my oldest loves it, and it is economical. So they eat it for breakfast a lot! Anyway, every now and then I have pity on Libby and try to shake things up a bit. Today's version used cocoa powder and rainbow sprinkles. It went over quite well!

Fun with hair and other happenings...

As my mom pointed out recently, my girls' hair has become an outlet for creativity. It's just FUN for me to figure out something new or try a creative idea I find online (the cutegirlshairstyles YouTube channel has been a recent source of tons of beautiful do's!). 

Here are some of the latest experiments:

Lucy has been showing an adventurous side lately...

Evie has discovered the joy of picking out her clothes AND her sister's clothes...

She is also getting more creative in her artwork. 

And here was an afternoon project:

I think my photography needs some work, because despite the amateur  artists, the leaf wreaths turned out quite pretty. This picture doesn't do them justice. 

And that pretty much sums up the last month!

Happy Saturday, y'all!