There Were Three In The Bed

Elyse loves to hold Grace each night as I am tucking her into bed. She suggests that I go do something so she can take a few minutes to snuggle with her baby sister. This particular night Mack decided to join in the cuddle time. I love Grace's face in the photo with her and Elyse.

Look Out For Firetrucks

As I was putting Noelle to bed tonight I noticed that she had a goose egg on her temple. Surprised that she had not come crying to me about it, I asked her how she got it. At first she told me that Pepper (our dog) did it. That was believable as Pepper will sometimes resort to using his teeth when Noelle gets too rough (which she often does). However, as she thought about it, she decided that it was not Pepper but Bella (our cat) who gave her her boo-boo. Then the story changed again. A firetruck did it she told me (we had just finished reading a story about a firetruck). The firetruck not only got her but also Mommy, Daddy, and Jesus! How did I miss all this?!! The moral of this story...be aware of rogue firetrucks!

"Snow Day"

We had a "snow day" here in SC. Schools cancelled last night in anticipation of the coming snow. I was so excited thinking that my children would actually get to experience a snow day just as I had growing up in DE (though I knew there probably would not be very much snow here).

We woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow. We were thrilled that we got any snow at all. Everyone got bundled up and headed outside. Grace was less than thrilled and Noelle was not sure what the fuss was all about.

Mack and Elyse went "sledding" down the hill, though they slid more on the wet leaves than the snow. Mack threw a few snow balls and Elyse fashioned a teeny tiny snowman. We tried to give him a face with some raisins but they did not stick.

So, not much snow, but at least we had the fun of a snow day. :)

One Month Old

Grace is now one month old. It has definitely been a month filled with joy. Grace is a sweet happy baby and we are all enjoying her. Her brother and sisters always want to hold her and love on her. I so enjoy cuddling her, especially in the evenings after the others have been tucked in for the night. I know that this newborn stage will be over in the blink of an eye and I want to enjoy every moment. Grace is a wonderful gift to our family and I treasure this precious baby.

Happy Birthday, Mack

Mackenzie turned 7 years old on December 31. 2008.

He celebrated earlier in the week with his cousins at Chuckie Cheese.

For his birthday he requested cinnamon buns for breakfast. He remembered that I had made them the previous year on his birthday. Patrick took Mack to the indoor shooting range and Mack thoroughly enjoyed himself. Apparently he is a pretty good shot. The paper targets are now displayed in his bedroom.

I made him birthday brownies for dessert and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

It was a very enjoyable birthday.

Happy Birthday, Grace Christy Lengel

Labor began on Thursday, December 18th and 27.5 hours later, Grace Christy Lengel came flying into her Daddy's hands. The doctor did not make it for Grace's entrance and the nurse came in at the tail end. Daddy and Doula Mary did a great job, but Patrick has not been induced into a career change. :0)

Official stats:

Date of Birth: Friday, December 19th, 2008

Time of Birth: 5:53pm

Weight: 8 lbs 3 oz

Length: 21.5 inches

Looks Like: Big sister Elyse, they even sport the same cleft in their chin like their Daddy.

Grace is a wonderful baby. She is sleeping well and nurses like a champ. We are all in love with her (our Australian sheep dog, Pepper appointed himself Grace's guardian the moment she came home.) and the kids are always wanting to hold her and play with her. What an amazing Christmas gift we have received this year. I am so thankful to have baby Grace. She has brought great joy to all of us.

St. Nicholas Day 2008

Here are some pictures from our celebration of St. Nicholas Day (December 6th). St. Nicholas Day is a European holiday; one that Patrick's Father and siblings grew up celebrating as their mother was German/Austrian. We decided to incorporate this holiday into our Christmas celebration a few years ago and have really enjoyed it.

St. Nicholas was a real person (a bishop) who used his wealth to serve God and others. He was a very generous and loving man and a wonderful example to us as we remember the reason for this Christmas holiday-- God's generous gift to us--His Only Son.

On St. Nicholas Eve the children put out their shoes and in the morning they are filled with small treats (this year they found gum, fruit roll-ups, water paints, glue sticks, chapstick, etc). We don't focus on the Santa Claus aspect of the holiday, but more on the aspect of giving. We try to come up with a way the kids can give to others on this day. This year we made sugar cookies and decorated them and the kids shared them with the men who were putting new siding on our house.

Doing the cookies together was a great deal of fun for all. This was Noelle's first year making cookies with us and she got right into it like she had been doing it all of her life. Most of her cookies were rather unrecognizable after she cut them out but she sure was enjoying herself. Elyse was very much into the decorating part and put her all into adding her special touch. Mack very much liked the cookie dough and I had to keep reminding him that if he ate it all we could not cut out very many cookies! :) He was also a champion cookie cutter outer and icer.