Our New Little Man....

He was born around noon on December 14th, and weighed in at 8lbs. 14oz. Everything went very well. Thanks for all the prayers!

Busy....

Planning.......Cooking.........Cleaning........Thinking........

Waiting........Wondering......Wishing........

Praying.......Preparing.......

......and Cherishing each moment.......

White Snow, Bright Snow....

Softly, gently in the secret night,

Down from the North came the quiet white.

Drifting, sifting, silent flight,

Softly, gently, in the secret night.

White snow, bright snow, smooth and deep.

Light snow, night snow, quiet as sleep.

Down, down, without a sound;

Down, down to the frozen ground.

Covering roads and hiding in fences,

Sifting in cracks and filling up trenches.

Millions of snowflakes, tiny and light,

Softly, gently, in the secret night.

~Alvin Tresselt

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!

No straw from Peterbas!!! Hurray!!!!;)

Puppet Show......

I took these last night. Here are the little ones, trying hard to keep their eyes closed, while Daddy installs himself behind the couch with St. Nicholas and Peterbas.



......And here is St. Nicholas!!

Daddy....er....I mean the puppets;) soon garner a standing ovation from most of the audience.......and Boots has to climb up on to the couch to get an even closer look.

Everyone has been trying to be so very good, so that when they wake up in the morning they won't find straw from Peterbas instead of goodies from St. Nicholas in their shoes....;)

This is a little "family tradition" we started last year on the eve of St. Nicholas, before the kids put out their shoes. I got the idea from The Year & Our Children. It is a great book, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for ideas about celebrating the liturgical year with their children!

The Elf on the Shelf

My mother grew up with him, and passed him along to me. Each Advent he makes his debut, and my dear husband and I take turns hiding him in a different place each night so that the children can have the fun of finding him the next morning. They know that they have to be very good.......the Elf on the shelf is watching.....;)

Jack Frost

Look out! look out!

Jack Frost is about!

He's after our fingers and toes;

And, all through the night,

The gay little sprite

Is working where nobody knows.

He'll climb each tree

So nimble is he,

His silvery powder he'll shake;

To windows he'll creep,

And while we're asleep,

Such wonderful pictures he'll make.

Across the grass

He'll merrily pass,

And change all it's greeness to white;

Then home he will go,

And laugh 'Ho! ho! ho!

What fun I have had in the night!'

~Cecily Pike

Little Moments......

I folded up some freshly washed receiving blankets, and she helped, managing surprisingly well. We talked about the new baby. She wants a little sister so badly, and I hope she is not too disappointed if she gets a little brother instead.......

Chattering away, and perched on the bed in her orange fairy wings......she told me she is an angel. I live for these little moments.

Shovels and a Broom

........will keep the little ones occupied outdoors for hours! Boots didn't have the stamina of the older two, who stayed out playing til almost dusk (~with mommy insisting on a few mandatory potty breaks;).

My little masked bandits..........;)

Last night was so perfect. Around dusk, everything outside changed to a deep cobalt blue.(.......I love it when that happens on a snowy night, and always find myself wondering what causes that phenomenon........one of these days I will try to research it.) The house was so cozy, with a bright fire burning merrily away in the wood stove, and the smell of beef stew and homemade bread..... It was one of those nights where I found myself wishing it would never end.........

Snow......

The children have been going crazy ever since they crawled out of bed this morning to discover a lovely light snow falling out of the sky! And it is still coming down quite steadily ~in fact the porch is now completely covered in a downy white blanket. I promised the children that I would dig out their snow boots as soon as their chores are done, and that we will go for a nice brisk walk.

Boots is entranced, and keeps going to the window and gazing out, spellbound......

and I find myself mirroring his sense of wonderment.

I do love snow.