Baby Smiles!

 I really couldn't say in words what delight this picture brings me.  There's something SO special about capturing one of those first precious smiles to look at again and again.  Bronwyn seems to be congested.  She woke up coughing and snorting this morning.  Despite not feeling too great, she was giving me the happiest looks.  Not all of these pictures are good quality, but I was enjoying all of the different looks she was giving me.

Baby!

 The pictures go from oldest to newest. 

This is the beautiful blanket that my Grandma hand-embroidered for Bronwyn!  I love this blanket, Grandma Bethel!  There's nothing better than getting a package in the mail with this kind of love inside. 

I love how she got nestled down on Cecily's legs and just hung out there for a while.  She was very happy.

All in green.

Amelia picked out Bronwyn's outfit and helped to get her dressed.  She is happy to hold her at any opportunity.

One month old.

Big brother finally got a chance to hold the little sister for a few minutes.  He was so proud of himself.

This is the most recent picture that I have of her.  She's looking at me like I've betrayed her trust.  She was none too happy at being placed in the water.  She tolerated it pretty nicely, only crying at the end when I washed her hair. 

She is smiling now and cooing just a little.  She will be 2 months old next week.  She's very strong and very content.  Doing just great. 

Amelia in the Fall

 Showing me her tree-climbing skills.

 Love her.

 One of many "Millie" looks.

 I was just taking advantage of the lovely foliage to take some pictures.  I have a feeling I'll really appreciate these photos some day.

Cecily is 4

 Two months ago, Cecily turned 4.  Yes, I'm finally posting some pictures of her special day.  Her birthday is October 2 and since Bronwyn was born October 12, I got behind in putting them up. 

 Cecily's birthday dinner.  (We had pork chops).  Notice her expression.  She can be sincerely sweet...

 ...sincerely sassy...

 ...and sincerely goofy.  All three expressions are very much a part of her personality.  She's a dramatic and spicy little girl.  Lots of laughs and surprises with her.

Two siblings are ready to give their gifts.  Don't they look a lot alike in this picture?

 Gifts.  :)

 Yay for cards.  At the last moment, Elijah decided to point to the dog on the card and say, "Dah!"

 Little girls delights: umbrella and a child-sized broom (below)

 Purple horse.

 Her horse from last year wore out.  She's a horse lover and loves to gallop.

 Easy cupcakes were the choice of very-pregnant mom.  Amelia helped me make them.

Trying to get used to holding up 4 fingers.  What a special girl.  She means so much to us.  It was wonderful to celebrate her life and her place in our lives even at such a distracted time.

Picture Trouble

Well...I haven't updated the blog because...I can't.  At least not with photos.  Meanwhile, I have photos stacking up and I feel like I'm getting behind!  And you haven't seen Bronwyn in weeks!  My husband is on the job and we're working to figure out what might get me up and running again.  In the meantime...my apologies.  The Lord's blessings be upon you this Lord's day!

Fall At My House

 This was several weeks ago...which is amazing because it looks so vastly different after the attack of Hurricane Sandy.  The cold and snow wiped out all that was left of the fall leaves and color.  For the sake of remembering and for enjoying it one last time, here's some photos I took around our house.

 I thought this pumpkin was adorable.  It was grown by a friend (9 yrs. old) who brought it to us as a gift when Bronwyn was born.  What a lovely gift.  I will be cooking it soon to make it into pies.

This is the hill in front of our house.  It was stunning this year.

Games and Fellowship and a Ball

 For the month of October, we had a games and fellowship event at the home of one of the families from church.  We had a potluck-style meal of sauerkraut and sausage on hoagie rolls.  The weather wasn't very nice, but we managed to do a three legged race and a gunny sack race outside.  The men and boys played some football too.  One of the special things planned was dessert.  We joked that this picture above was "Cooking with Kellen."  Kellen is standing on the left and about to amaze everyone as she fries funnel cakes!

 Kellen even brought an apple filling that could be served on top, as well as the traditional powdered sugar.  Yum.

 The hosting family asked a coworker to come and play his accordian as some back ground music.  Boy, was that fun.  The kids loved to watch him play.

 He was a very nice man and let Ben try to play a little bit.

 All the little girls enjoyed dressing up and playing with dolls.

 Here's how Bronwyn and I enjoyed the party.  Isn't she cute all curled up in there?

 Last Saturday was the annual fall ball hosted here in Morgantown for homeschooling families.

 Samuel is dancing in the white shirt on the far right.

 Sarah Grace, from church, and Samuel, ready to do the Salty Dog Rag.

 Miss Hannah and her niece, Jemima.

 A dancing break for refreshments.

 Smile.

The Jones family at the 2012 Reformation Ball.  All 10 of us this time!