Phoebe Bird is Seven

 Our dear Birdie is seven years old.  What a marvel that is! There are so many special things I want to remember about these days with you. You are tender and brave, a gift giver with homemade gifts of flowers and coins left on pillows many nights.  You are reading so well after it felt so hard in the beginning.  You are a little composer and can't seem to keep your fingers away from the keys, listening to sisters play and then playing what they've played, but re-arranged or in another key! You have a wild imagination and love to play with your dolls, make up stories, play in the mud kitchen for hours.  You are pretty stubborn and we're learning to use that gift wisely. You want to play the trumpet so badly, and are learning the bugle for now.  You are obsessed with long dresses right now and want to be like your sisters.  At the same time you're such a good big sister to Levi, listening for his cries of distress and even though he seems almost as big as you, you scoop him up and carry him away.  You've had some health struggles this year but you have courageously pressed through your tests and treatments. You have a gift for numbers and this is fun to watch.  You love science experiments, cooking and eating meat.  You don't like to sleep under blankets.  You wear glasses and you look so cute in them.  Your heart is big and you feel things in big ways. You are trying to understand the Trinity and why the world feels broken.  You are smarter than many adults I know. This is your Little House on the Prairie year and you've loved exploring these stories. You do not like tomatoes. You break your glasses frequently. But you do love the pool and swim like a fish! You love your kitties and were very sad to lose Clara and Harriet this year. How we love our Phoebe Hope, whose very name brings joy every time we hear it.  May God grow you in His grace and love all the days of your life. love, Mama. 

Lena is 12

 Our beloved girl, Lena Lu is 12! I recall the spring of her birth so vividly because it was a cool spring  similar to how it has been this year to date. We had no idea she was going to make an early appearance and were going about our life expecting a June baby.  But God (and Lena) had other plans.  Ever since that day we've been blessed to know her. She is tender and strong, smart and compassionate. She is a deep thinker but also ever so happy to spend hours in books or imaginative play.  She's so musical and artistic but also a hard worker in her studies. She is such a good Mama to her cats and to siblings and just on the cusp of womanhood she is a capable cook and babysitter! At 12 Lena loves order and routine, quiet and contemplative space to think and ponder. But she is so happy to romp in the woods, wade through the stream and get muddy too. Her hobbies include fiddle music, fairy gardens, herbal medicine, lots of dolls and dollhouse play, chicken rescuing and ballet.  She loves to dress up as historical figures, loves a good tea party and can make Levi laugh like no other.  Lena has continued to deal with Lyme with courage and perseverance in spite of difficult symptoms at times and the Lord has grown her abundantly in the last year! We love you Lena Susan and pray that God will bless you now and in all the days of your life. Happy birthday dear girl! 

Springtime Ramblings

We are two and half weeks away from finishing up our official school year and I am a bit shocked at where the last months have gone.  Much of late winter and early spring have been spent settling Dad into a new home due to his Alzheimer's diagnosis. These have been hard and heavy days but hopefully he feels the love of his family as we walk with him on a new journey. 

Then we were in a whirl of choir concerts, play rehearsals, and garden planting.  We expanded our garden, harvested our first crop of medicinal herbs and continued on our kitchen project! We also had another Around the World in 90 Dinners  supper with our friends. The kids dressed up in Argentinian clothing and we had a fun menu of Chimichurri Churrasco, side dishes and dolce du leché.  As we finish our lap books on the Spanish Armada, The Hobbit and Oceans and prepare for a performance of Othello and The Prodigal Son, Homeschool Orchestra concerts and recitals we're thankful that spring has finally sprung and the world is laced with beauty once again. There are a lot of events that have happened and I have no pictures of them because Mama was too busy.  But these are a few snapshots of fun moments that I did manage to snag. 

 

Lena at 11.5

Our dear Lena Lu is 11. 5  She has grown so much in this last half year and is well on her way to little womanhood.  Lena has worked so hard in so many areas of life: schoolwork, health issues, courage and fears. She proclaimed her faith in the Lord Jesus right at the beginning of the new year and we rejoice in her love for her Savior.  Lena has grown very tall and her hair is long and silky.  She is such a book girl now and that is precious to see.  Lena loves quiet cuddles with Wendell the cat, outside swings and romps through the meadow. She enjoys time making mud pies and feasts in the Forest Bakery and is working hard on renovating a dollhouse. She has some sweet penpal friends and special close to home ones too.  Lena has a beautiful soprano voice, light and clear and it'll be fun to see what she does with it someday. Right now she sings in the Sola Gratia Choir and is part of the BucksMont Homeschool orchestra on her violin.  She has also advanced a lot in her piano repertoire and is preparing for a spring recital.  But even with all of these wonderful accomplishments it is her sweet and gentle spirit that shines out so much.  She has a wonderful servant heart and steps in to help out whenever she sees a need. We love Lena and can't believe that 12 is on the horizon so soon. 

 

6.5 with Phoebe Bird

Our Phoebe Bird is 6.5 (a bit delayed posting this) and it's hard to believe it!  You are such a big girl now, doing your own hair, having opinions about dresses and working so hard as a first grader on reading and writing!  It's not been the easiest year for you with Lyme and health struggles but you have born it all with perseverance and courage.  You are such a wonderful big sister and even though Levi weighs 3/4 of your own weight you lug him around when he wants to be a baby. You are enjoying ballet classes with big sisters and really like Amelia Bedelia and Little House books right now.  You have fun taste preferences right now: olives, melons and kefir. You love helping in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for salads.  You are our little bunny, loving all raw vegetables too. Your glasses are the plague of your life and you have sat on them multiple times. You love playing piano and have an incredible ear. In fact I think you play on the piano most of your waketime.  You started the guitar and love learning from Papa.  You love long dresses and mud kitchen all at once. You love listening to audio books and are really quite good at math! Right now your heart is making lots of theological discoveries and questions. You are trying hard to understand the Trinity and the problem of pain and you love with all of your heart.  We cherish you our Birdie girl and can't believe you are already such a young lady! I want to always remember how beautiful your big brown eyes were at 6, how much you want your hair to get growing longer, how much you want to be big like your sisters, how much you love Narnia and Anne of Green Gables and how tender your heart is. We love you Phoebe. 

 

The many faces of Levi at 3

Happy Birthday to our dear little man! Levi is three years old!  I tried to take a photo that best described him at this age and in the end decided that all of these expressions are equally important. Levi is our firecracker boy, full of life and mischief, love and exuberance with a tad gentle old soul.  He tries so hard to keep up with his big sisters and never wants to be left out of anything.  But he also takes on his own explorations and is likely the most extroverted of all our children.  Levi at three adores vehicles of all kinds.  He still loves his antique tractors, but now thinks construction vehicles are rather spectacular too.  He admires wheels and hammers, can match pitch and remember songs he hears once.  He loves his kitty and blankie, riding his bike, reading Busy Town books by Richard Scary and building towers.  His favorite foods might be apples, yogurt and sausage.  He loves bath time and still sleeps terribly, appearing in the middle of the night by my side. He loves read alouds and can quote Anne of Green Gables, Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. His wonder of the world is innocent and simple and it is refreshing in a world that feels dark and heavy most of the time. He loves listening to We're Going on a Bear Hunt and can occupy himself happily with his trains, tools and cars.  Our dear boy has been a strong child since birth, stretching me in ways I did not know my motherhood and faith needed stretching. He has had chronic breathing issues that have caused many a sleepless night for all of us. But I see God growing him into such a strong man of God, even at this little age. He is courageous, long suffering and full of big feelings. I can't believe he is three, but more importantly I can't believe how blessed we are through the gift of his life. Happy birthday Levi Marshall. May God bless you and keep you always.  

 

Another Year

The year is fresh, like snow. The days have been full of many good things: homemade bread and tea with cookies, friends and fellowship, family meals, a Redwall Feast, blanket forts and trampoline jumps for energetic two year olds, embroidering sisters and homemade gifts.  The piano was never silent and Carol of the Bells was heard echoing the halls in around 100 different renditions! We visited those who had no family and brought love to those who were lonely and hurting. We watched and tended our sick kitty Clara and adopted a new fish. We had piano recitals when the power went out and so many duets we forgot who was playing and who wasn't. We remembered again the longing we feel for all to be made right and rejoiced that the Lamb came to crush the Serpent. 

And now, we start again with new books, new rhythms and the unfailing faithfulness of the Lord for each new day.  The year has not started off with ease. In fact, shock and sorrow and anger threaten like storm clouds. But He holds us fast. And we look with the eyes of our hearts for the goodness of God. When we look, we see it in abundance.