Christmas

Here we are on the tail end of the year, about to have a new chapter and Christmas has come and gone. We were blessed to have lots of guests and time with friends and family. How thankful we are that our Savior came as a wee babe all those many years ago.  Christmas this year was extra special because the girls really are understanding the Nativity story.  They sang in the choir and were part of the church Pageant. 

Hibernating

 For the most part, the Dieffenbachs have been hibernating. We are drinking lots of tea, staying cozy under blankets and reading a lot of books. But occasionally we do emerge.  Emmeline had a little ballet program at her studio and the girls took their first train ride to Philadelphia to see the sights and sounds of Christmas in the city. 

Thankful

We are thankful for many things: for family, for a warm house, for friends, for a trip to see the Nutcracker, for favorite animals, for little helpers and the beginning of Advent- O Come O Come Emmanuel! 

Foliage and Snow

 I have been a bit quite on this front. Technical problems prevented me from posting and truth be told, we've been rather busy.  Still, in spite of the fact that blogs seem to be going out of fashion I like coming to this space to record our days and mark the beauty God has given. 

We've traveled to Maine and back! It was an epic adventure to see dear friends and though we thought late October would have missed fall foliage- it was perfect. I love Pennsylvania, but I have to say, Autumn in New England took our breath away.  We traveled through remote places where the stars were like diamonds and the air was so fresh and crisp.  We drove through Acadia National Park and felt like we were in a world of golden splendor.  We were thankful to get away, to be still, to remember and come back home again. Since that time we've had a celebration of our Co-operative's end of term and a visit to see Nana in her new home.  Now we're thick into learning about Pilgrims and the Mayflower, snowing down the hill and finding all of our winter garb.  It's fun changing seasons in a new place, learning the birds, the sounds, the habits of the wildlife and figuring out our own.  I want to always cherish these moments of learning together with two little girls, one of six and one of four. Just for fun I added some pictures of a fine old gentleman cat who should not be forgotten.