Feeling Blessed

We are blessed by my mom,
known to the grandchildren as “nanny“,

visit for a few days.
It is a delight for us all. 

Thoughtfully, she brought with her a box of goodies for the children,

not to be snatched, grabbed, and tossed, 

but to take out one item a day and enjoy.

Tonight, with all the big people gone to Bible Study except myself and nanny,
we brought out a story on CD, the color books,and made popcorn.  

With rocking chairs pulled up close to the fire,

keeping our wee bundle warm,

children sprawled all through the living room, 

we listened in cozy silence.

Toddlers always need an extra measure of attention 

and nurturing to keep them secure when

a new babe is brought into the family. 

Gabe is taking to Olivia well. 

He speaks of her as “my baby,” and loves to stroke her minky soft hair.
 He has been sick all the last week with canker sores in his mouth,

poor little guy. 

He is learning that he sometimes needs to share mama’s lap with Olivia,
 but if she is sleeping, mama will gladly put her down

and give preference to  him. Such a sweet little boy!

I never tire of watching him play.

Bethany has suddenly picked up her doll 

and been busy dressing and redressing it,

wrapping it in blankets, then undressing and dressing it again.  

She would love to hold Olivia more, but Joe usually beats her to it.

 Bethany and Ben have been playing "kittens", 

where they are the mama and daddy cats,

with multiple baby (stuffed animals) kittens to care for. 

This keeps them occupied for hours,

as they first must build a suitable nest, 

and then protect their kittens from predators-

such as Joe and Jim.

Rose, Joe and Jim are on a Bible Quiz team. 

This year they are memorizing the book of John. 

They have a quiz match this Sunday, so are studying hard. 

Anna spent the week with a toothache, a sinus infection, and a birthday.
 She still managed to do most of the cooking and cleaning,

bless her heart.

John and Brian have been working on the snowplow 

and insulating little gaps and cracks throughout the house,

when they are not at their jobs. 

It melts my heart to hear them visiting in the early morning

before anyone else is up and about,

or to see them working side by side in the afternoon. 

Always a willing servant,

John has recently been seen cooking, doing dishes,

and even changing a diaper. 

But then, his daddy is a good example of a servant leader,

and can be seen daily doing those things.  

Ah, I am so very thankful for my wonderful family.  

Each evening, I look around the table and feel so very blessed. 

We are not perfect, 

but we enjoy each other, laugh together, 

forgive one another, learn together, 

and live, what I think, 

is a beautiful life. 

My heart is full and overflowing.

  God is good,

his mercy is unfailing,

his blessings, too numerous to count.

Celebrating a Baby

We are a family celebrating a baby.

  Although it is cold and snowy outdoors,

with the icy wind singing in the pines,

inside the lodge you will find find us nestled together,

with the head over heels in love siblings,

begging for their turn to hold our pretty in pink bundle.

Her arrival brings about a sudden holiday occasion, 

as mama is supposed to be resting, 

recovering from surgery. 

This means no school,

no cleaning,

and plenty of time for snowball wars,

board games, Lego messes, tea parties,

and staring at that captivating little perfect face,

 with amazingly tiny fingers and toes, 

all wondrously fashioned, 

filling a soul with awe.

 This season, we remember another family who long ago celebrated,

with great joy, their wee babe. 

The world outside was cold to them,

yet, I imagine inside their hearts were not only falling in love

with their newborn son,

but overcome with awe that He would be their Savior.

He was truly perfect, 

how they must have marveled at this as He grew.

Jesus' entrance into the world created a most wonderful holiday.

The promise of hope fulfilled, 

the Gospel revealed in one small child.

O come let us adore him!

O come let us adore him!

O come let us adore him, 

Christ the Lord!

Advent Candle of Hope

 The candle for  this, the second week of Advent, is the Bethlehem candle of Hope.  

Many people were a part of this story.  Which one do you most relate to?

• Mary – honored at the privilege of serving God, giving of oneself over to the will of God… what ever it may be. 
• Joseph – not really understanding… but trusting and walking in faith.  Taking a path in life that people scoffed at… because God told him to.
• Inn Keeper – absolutely clueless… the King of kings and the Lord of lords right under his nose… but he is too busy to see Him, to know the Scriptures.
• Angels & Shepherds – True joy and worship over what was taking place… in joy and hope the shepherds ran to the Savior… they were in awe… that God had come to them… Immanuel… God is with us.
• Simeon & Anna– aged, faithful, patiently waiting for the hope of their salvation… serving God faithfully as they waited, not resting, not disappearing into the background.
• The Magi – intelligent, foreign, searching for truth, recognizing the Christ child for who He was… coming and responding.  Interestingly enough… their intelligence didn’t get in the way of their response to the KING.
• Herod – arrogant, hateful, jealous, afraid… afraid that this New King would take away his throne.

In the crispy cold of winter's evening, we gather at the table for dinner and tea following.  Just as tea is served, a knock at the door.

Visitors come by to see the new baby Olivia.

Or course, they must sit down and enjoy the tea, goodies, and baby.

 Our tea this week consisted of peppermint tea and goodies,

ambrosia, rice crispy treats, 

and the joy of company.

They also shared in our story, desert, 

Advent book, many laughs, 

a sleepy, cuddly wee one,

and well sugared little ones chasing each other around the house before bed.

As we prepare for this holiday season, there is one thing needful.  

It's not a gift list, or yummy deserts, or family time,

or sweet moments that we will remember all our lives, 

but this question answered:

Is your heart ready to cradle the King?

Baby Girl

Tuesday morning Brian and I were of one mind that it was time,

for the safety of this mama,

to go to the hospital and have a c-section delivery.

Over the weekend I had become pre-eclampsic; 

extreme swelling, blood pressure issues and other unsafe stats.  

As we prayed, we were at peace with the thought of a c-section. 
We also both felt that there was something holding the baby up,
such as being wrapped in the cord. 
We were then very happy to have our good friend and ob doctor do the section.
 At 9 pm, our wee one was safely delivered from the womb
with the cord wrapped around her neck.

She weighs 7 lbs, 6 oz, is 19 ½ inches long,
and is the most beautiful baby we have ever had. 
Of course, we say that with each baby.  

“Each baby is the prettiest and the best,”  

Marilla Cuthbert of "Anne of Green Gables" would say.

 We named her Olivia Serene.

Olivia means peace, and Serene also means peace.

Mama still has a way to go before she can go home, but is improving daily.

Olivia, however, well, you can see for yourself: 

Praise the Lord for a safe mama, 

a new sweet bundle, 

and the soft whisper from the Holy Spirit telling us it was time.

God is Good!