Levi turns Ten Months

Right after Christmas, Levi turned ten months old.  This takes my breathe away a bit as I'm vividly recalling Christmas last year, being ever so pregnant, and wondering if little boy would arrive early. (He most certainly did not!) Time may be a thief but life is a delight, even if we still aren't sleeping. Levi at ten months is certainly on the move and is on the cusp of walking. He is discovering all of the joys of home and hearth, including cupboards, door stops, bookshelves, cellos, potties and cat bowls. Whew- we are busy and I'm still relearning (fourth go around) how to cook and teach with a busy baby.  Having a boy seems ever so different as he zooms everything, including pots with potatoes he pulled out of the cupboard, wooden spoons, brooms and his beloved tractor. Levi is a motor mouth with a vocabulary of over 30 words. This seems amazing to us and perplexing in the middle of the night.  His current favorites include: uh oh, tractor, beep beep, kitty, all done, tweet tweet, hot, phew, and his beloved star (which is discovered at Christmastime). Levi loves to eat and enjoys meat, rice, noodles, applesauce, avocado, prunes and noodles. He loves things that make noise like the vacuum,  blender, Papa's tools, windchimes, door bells and music. He continues to match pitch and "sing" when we sing our evening hymn.  He just enjoyed his first snow and unlike my other babies, he loved it.  He laughed!!! Levi keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh. We can't imagine that we'd not met him yet a year ago.  Thank you Lord for Levi. 

 

Nine Months and Advent

Our little baby boy is 9 months old!! He's now on the move and we're all trying to keep up with him! He's made discoveries this week: toilet paper and cat food!  Levi loves to clap and say "so big" and his latest discovery is naming body parts: eyes, nose and mouth (he chomps his 8 teeth!).  Levi matches pitch and copies melodies. It's hilarious and a little shocking when singing him to sleep. He loves to sing!  He loves bells, puppets, drums, pushing around trucks, banging everything in sight, pulling off the Christmas Tree ornaments and putting on his socks.  He loves to eat, especially meat, and has discovered how to toss his meal on the floor. He is a joy and exasperation all wrapped up in one package.  (He still won't sleep) But we rejoice in his little life.

We've also been ever so busy with a Nativity play (we had Angel Gabriel, a shepherd and a sheep this year), lots of appointments (Lena's expander is all gone!), getting new glasses, playing music at church, learning to build a campfire and cooking out in the mud kitchen.  The girls have been diligently working through their lessons after Exam Week around Thanksgiving and we look forward to some quiet wintering days ahead.  Phoebe continues to learn a letter a week and we're up to J, just in time for Jesus as we prepare our hearts for remembering the coming of the Savior into the world. We're all a little weary around here after bouts of sickness and hard days but the weary world does indeed rejoice. As the days darken we rest and wait, again, for His coming. 

 

Capturing the Light

We've been in a whirl of activities around here, trying to finish projects and spend time outside as much as possible before "wintering" arrives. I can hardly believe Emmeline is eleven now and Levi is eight months old.  Our days have been filled to the brim with visits to see Nana who turned 99, a Hobbit Hole Cake, lots of make believe and dress up (I do believe we have George and Martha Washington below, along with Pinocchio and a Bunny), a visit to Font Hill Castle, our first ever Christmas Market and lots and lots of teething.  Phoebe attended her first ballet class and Levi got eight teeth. Amidst the sleepless fog that comes with teething we have found time to crunch in the leaves and capture as much light as we possibly can.  We've made it through exam week and are attempting to quiet our hearts as Advent approaches.  In the whirl of days and nights it's so easy to forget that we need stillness to remember what is true and good and beautiful in a world that is rather upside down. In my exhaustion of motherhood I think of Mary preparing her heart for the Savior. I think of Jesus "who had compassion on them" and healed the sick and gave them food. (Loaves and fish in abundance). I am reminded to find stillness in Him as I mother my little crowd and feed them dinner and help with teeth in the wee hours of the night.  Only then can I dance. 

 

Emmeline is Eleven

 

This dear girl is eleven years old and has been bringing joy and light ever since her birth. I will never forget the days before her arrival as we watched the leaves turn golden and wondered when our little miracle would come.  And here we are, all of these years later, watching our beautiful and tender hearted girl grow and blossom. Emmie continues to be a voracious reader and may perhaps know more details of books than I do. It is a joy to watch her journey towards womanhood and to share the rich world of literature with her, to watch her grow in the Lord, to question things and search out answers and to learn to trust her Savior more and more. Emmie has become quite the proficient musician and goes to the piano to play for pleasure know (always my biggest hope). She is teaching Phoebe to play and that is a special treat.  Her cello continues to blossom and she's enjoyed duets and chamber music. Emmie has great artistic talent and has been creating the most lovely portraits of people. She's also taken to making paperdolls and writing books for her sisters as gifts.  She has a wild imagination and it's so fun to watch it grow. Emmie loves to be outside and is always busy biking, playing in her fairy garden or the Forest Bakery Kitchen. She is becoming an independent cook in the kitchen and loves cooking historic meals or surprise treats.  She strongly dislikes reptiles, loves to sew and create, learned to drive the tractor and isn't afraid to get muddy. Emmie is faithful, gentle, and sensitive, always serving her family with a loving heart and taking life as it comes.  May God bless and keep you always sweet Emmeline, our dear heart and precious girl.