Family photos - real life

I started writing this post weeks ago, before Thanksgiving. Three weeks of very sick kids, an eventful holiday spent away from home and a couple of weeks of routine real life later here we are. And it's Monday morning, my baby is announcing she's done eating her breakfast, and I need to get Abigail started on school. Whew. Life is full. It is full of good things.

A friend took some pictures at the beginning of November. Here are a couple that didn't make the Christmas card but are fun all the same. I hope they bring a smile to your Monday.

Halloween cont - the babies

 This guy is a great daddy. He took the girls trick or treating in the cold, damp weather. He is full of patience and grace when I am tired and in need of fresh mercies. I am very thankful for him.

And my babies were so cute this Halloween.

I feel like the gap between my youngest two is starting to rapidly close. Charis is babbling more and will soon be walking. I am continuing to pray that these two will be good friends.

Halloween 2015

Anna, a puppy, Olaf and Elsa....

the craft grandma

If you ask my girls about their Grandma, they will tell you, "She does crafts with us!" She has many lovely qualities. She's loving, thoughtful, patient, considerate, and a good listener. She's very hard working; she does not like to sit. And she also makes a delicious homemade angel food cake. Because of all of these qualities (and more) the girls love having their grandma close, and they really look forward to the crafts that she brings with her on every visit. To them, she is "the craft grandma."

On her last visit, she brought cake and crafts.

a well loved little girl

Beautiful Fall and my Beautiful Girls

One!

My baby is one.

And she is a very cute one. She is also fast becoming spunky, opinionated and loud like a couple of her big sisters.

She still doesn't have any teeth.

She loves to dance.

She is standing briefly on her own. She is not walking, not yet, but she will be soon.

She is as huggable as she looks. We are so thankful for her.  

my Birthday weekend

My family made my birthday weekend so lovely. I was so thankful to have my parents here.

Rodney made me one of my favorite meals on Saturday - feta and roasted red pepper stuffed flank steak with new smashed potatoes. We finished the evening off with cheesecake and wine over several rounds of cards.

And on Sunday, Rodney spent the majority of the afternoon smoking a pork shoulder. Yum. It was a slow, quiet day - my favorite kind of day.

Sunday afternoon sunshine and time in the hammock made for some special pictures of the girls too. I am a blessed mama.

End of Summer impromptu Portraits

And Miss Abigail is a pleasure to teach. She loves to read, spending hours a day with her nose in a book. She is gaining confidence with pen and paper, and one of my personal goals for her this year is to grow as a creative writer.

I'm glad I have this picture. Miss Hannah decided to give herself a hair make-over, so she looks quite different now. This will make a good "before" picture for  our viewing pleasure for many years to come.

This girl had marker on her face, but didn't want to be left out of the fun. Miss T loves to be held. She enjoys drawing, on paper, the table and herself. She  is quite a cute little sister tag along. And we are all thankful that her vocabulary is growing by the day.

This girl is almost one, and I haven't kept up with her monthly photography. So here she is at the beginning of month 11.

She is eating everything - both on her plate and on the floor. She is becoming very expressive and enjoys a new "fake laugh", which is rather endearing and cute. She waves "hi" and "bye". And she still doesn't have any teeth.

She is a busy girl, and is happy as long as she's on the go. I was trying to pose her for the pictures, and she was ready to be on to her next adventure.

Happy Birthday Grandma A!

my girls at Maranatha

It's hard to believe that these pictures were only taken a month ago. With the start of school and all of our Fall routines, these family moments feel like distant memories.

When I finally set out to get a picture of all of my girls, they were tired and I picked too sunny of a spot. Oh well.

But the picture is befitting of each girl's unique and very special personality.

And my baby gets two pictures because she's the baby, right?! I don't need another reason. She is only weeks away from her first birthday, and I know soon she'll be toddling and growing out of those cheeks. 

Family - what vacation is all about