"Gwandma's" House

We had a lovely time this Christmas with the family. My girls are old enough to have wonderfully memories from visiting Grandma. Things like helping Grandma make salad for dinner...watching Lawrence Welk after dinner with Great Grandpa...bringing Great Grandpa his coffee every day at 10 am...taking the compost bucket out and stopping by the swing in the apple tree...indulging in Cheerios for breakfast...reading all my old childhood story books.

It's tiny stuff, some of it pretty mundane. But they love it all. And I love that they love it. 

Snipits from Late Summer

A Tiny Christmas

Normally, we head "home" for Christmas, to Grandma and Grandpa's. But with Jubilee's arrival, we decided to stay home ahead of time so I wouldn't have the stress of planning Christmas AND a big trip. Now, since it is our first Christmas home, I really wanted to make it homey and special. It had to be a wee bit unconventional, but I think we made it work. The nativity and part of the Christmas village went in an overhead...

The stockings were hung on the window with care...

A little natural potpourri...

A gift on a stressful day from a cherished friend...

My 3 BIG girls!

And their little (but growing!) sister...

Her new stocking (which has yet to be hung with the others)...

And our improvised Christmas tree...

I love our ornaments. Trip down memory lane. That one in the middle, Jon and I got when we were engaged. 

And this little friendy face to top it all off. She is my favorite gift this year. 

Merry Christmas, friends and family! 

What a difference 5 weeks makes!

Look at this contrast!

4 days old:

5 weeks old!

Where did my newborn go??

Evie's Birthday

The big 6! I've been noticing a lot lately how she just sounds older. She no longer sounds like that baby girl I've known for the last 6 years. She sounds like a kid! A big kid, with big interests in the world! 

With a baby in my arms, the camera didn't come out much on her day. I guess that's natural. 

She started the day with a delightful spread. 

 

We played all morning with playmobile and various art supplies. Then we loaded up and went to town to explore the shops. Her favorite stop was a locally renowned rock shop. Sparkley treasures and unique specimens on every shelf! Her Daddy let her pick out a couple of her own treasures from a bulk bin. 

Then it was off to the pizza place for dinner and cake with friends. I almost forgot to take pictures here too! (Hence the nearly trimmed number) And no, she's not 9. :) 

There, that's better. 

That and this picture with Grandpa and Jubilee is all I managed to document! 

Happy Birthday, Evie Grace! You turned 6 quite successfully, no matter how many pictures mommy took. 

Life with 4

People have said our house is going to be just like Little Women. That could be fun. I'm sure we will have our own dynamics, but we will definitely have a lot girls!

Life with 4 girls has been lovely so far. I am still on my mommy resting vacation, thanks to my willing and servant-hearted husband. So I can't say that I know what it's like to care for all 4 girls quite yet. Right now, caring for the littlest precious girl still feels like a rather full-time job. By the time I finish the diaper change, nursing, and burping, there's usually another diaper ready for changing. :) Thus, the cycle continues. Ah, the sweet days with a newborn. 

You can tell by those chubby cheeks that she is enjoying the eating part of life on the outside. 

Her big sisters are loving their new pal. Lucy has tried out saying her name a few times. We hear her little voice cry out "Joobee-Joy!" Such adorable-ness is hard to take!  Evie and Libby ask to hold her more times than I want to give her up in a day. :) 

I share her pretty often. 

Overall, we have had a quiet, peaceful week getting to know the newest sister. Jubilee fits right in. I cannot get enough of the fresh smell of her hair or the tiny sound of her sleepy breaths. I soak in every moment, knowing she's changing every day.