{ Celebrating Annabelle }

{ Peek-a-boo! Annabelle would like to thank each dear one of you for all your precious wishes and birthday love }

{ as you can see her skill at showing how many fingers/years old she is improving daily }

{ we had so much fun at the park, on her birthday, Daddy came home with a tiny carton of Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream and two miniature cakes, that were just her size, then we went out for pizza, just us...such fun! }

{ David had the day off yesterday, and the sun was out so we spent it picnicking at one of our favorite spots and took a walk around the lake and played at the park }

{ Annabelle riding her tricycle around in the darling sun dress that her beloved and amazing Auntie M. made for her happy birthday... I thought the dress looked so sweet on her that I literally couldn't stop taking pictures of her in it. }

The last few days with her have been a pure delight.

And I don't see how today could possibly be any sweeter, but then again...

{ 3 }

I am going to try and hurry and write this before my little birthday girl wakes up. Earlier this morning before he left for work, David and I were leaning together over her sleepy little head and just had one of those overwhelming moments where the tears well up and without saying a word we each knew the others thoughts...how much we love her, so much it hurts...how much she's grown... how glad we are that she's ours...and for the sparkle she brings to our every day lives...and how beautiful she is to us.

Oh I think I hear a little someone waking up. Time for happy birthday snuggles.

A little bit later:

The first words out of her mouth this morning were, " Now is my happy birthday! Sing to me Mommy! " As she holds up three fingers, which is so unspeakably cute because it takes so much effort with her mouth twisted to one side, and her nose wrinkled up as she winks with one eye, and uses her other hand to hold down her pinkie and thumb.

I have a feeling, it's going to be a good day. A really good day.

And year, while were at it.

{ Rewind }

Thank you each for your kind words and comments on my last post. What a boost they gave me. Seriously, I feel so loved. I had put off and put off putting up a picture of Jack and I, not because I don't think he's cute, I am already convinced on that point, but because I feel and have for a while like I look like a hippo. So your reassurances not only surprised me but made me realize how much grace is in the eye of the beholder. Thank you.

And now to backtrack a little. Here are some pictures of Annabelle taken during our wonderful Christmas in ID.

The next few were taken on my sister in law Deb's amazing new camera, a Christmas present from her sweet husband.

These are off of my new camera, a Christmas gift from my Mom and Dad. Which I was shocked and oh so very excited to open. Thanks guys, I still can't believe it.

As hard as it is to believe, one month from today, she turns three. Strawberry cupcakes have already been requested, as has a visit from Poppy and Nana. And I am hoping it will be a gloriously sunny day, like the one she was born on and maybe we'll be able to sneak in a trip to the zoo, to "visit the monkeys." And we have been telling her for months now...after your birthday a little bit, then your baby brother will be here.

And my goodness are we ever all excited about that.

{ Precious Cargo }

{ baby tummy with our sweet, growing like a weed Jack inside

24 Weeks, and falling a little more in love with him every day }

{ Annabelle amused by Mommy taking pictures of her baby brother bump in the mirror }

{ How Great is Our God }

My Christmas gift to you, dear one.

I promise your mind will be blown and your heart almost burst, in complete awe and worship of our amazing God as you listen to this message. Don't be surprised if you find the tears from falling from your eyes and your heart transformed by this incredible message of pure, overwhelming, unfathomable Love.

I wish I could give you each hugs for Christmas and show up on your doorstep with a smile and a basketful of goodies but instead I am going to pass along a gift that my Dad blessed us with this morning, one that has left me deeply touched...we'll call it a gift of encouragement.

{ Part 1 }


{ Part 2 }


{ Part 3 }


{ Part 4 }

To you and yours, with all my heart and love, merry, merry Christmas!

{ Highlights: of the Merry Sort }

{ Can I just say that watching the two of them, as David pulls Annabelle around town on our old radio flyer runner sled, out in the snow together has seriously got to be one of if not the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. }

{ showing off her oh so cute mouse cookie, at the Nutcracker }

{ pointing out the ornament Daddy bought for her last Christmas }



{ here is the view from our couch

in the evening glow of our Christmas tree,

where we've been known to sneak in a snuggle or two }

{ No Sew Wool Felt Mittens }

To make these felt mitten ornaments you will need:

- Scissors

- Hole punch

- Fade Away or Dissapearing Fabric Pen ( I just used a regular ink pen)

- Small piece of wool felt in color of choice

- Embelishments of choice

- Ribbon/embroidery floss/bakers twine, etc to string them with



Instructions:

(1.Trace your template onto a piece of cardboard.

(2. With your cardboard template trace out your wool mitten.

(3. Cut out mitten.

(4. Embellish with: Felt Stickers ( I found these Martha Stewart felt stickers at Walmart ) or rick rack hot glued or sewn along the wrist, or felt words from Creative Cafe centered and either hot-glued or sewn onto the mitten, buttons, etc.

(5. Punch hole on either the top or bottom of the mitten, which ever you prefer.

(6. String with ribbon, embroidery floss, bakers twine, etc.

Wha-la! Promise this is worlds fastest and easiest little ornament/something cute to tie on top of a present. Ever.

{ Sugar-Plum-Fairy-Delight }

nnabelle and I are giddy with anticipation of our festive outing tonight. Or splurge, as I have been known to call it. After hearing about it for weeks from me, David very generously ( and might I add sacrificially as this is about as far from his cup of tea, as it gets ) said to me, " let's do it" and then of course I squealed and hugged him and said " really ?" and then happily ran to book tickets to see The Nutcracker .
And they aren't even the cheap seats. It's our last big downtown Seattle hurrah, now that our house is for sale and we are hoping to soon be moving closer to our family and away from this area.
We girls are gladly making the most of our last Christmas to be in the majority in this family, with our sugar-plum fairy notions and love of twirling! It's one of those girlhood dreams of mine, to watch The Nutcracker, live and in person! And since acquiring a little girl all my own, the wish has only grown stronger. And to hear her talk about it with such excitment, just makes my heart swell with happiness. Cutely enough, she usually calls it " The Firecracker."
So we are dressing up and going out to enjoy an magical, cultured evening downtown, together...

Expecting enchantment.

{ beaming }

And that is an understatement.

Take a look at this:

And if you pay particular attention to the picture in the middle ( taken from the bottom up ;) and you'll see as our midwife told us with a little chuckle..." ...girls don't have these parts. "

And wow, is he ever cute?

I am seriously cuckoo-brained over you little boy of mine. More than I can say. Thrilled to know it is you, our very own longed for, dreamed of Jack Dawson. Tonight as I tucked your big sister into bed we sang a song to you...it goes like this:

Little boy, little boy, God made you so beautiful,
Little boy, little boy, we just wanted you to know....

Little Jack, little Jack, God made you so wonderful
Little Jack, little Jack, we just thought that you should know.

Today is...

Find-out-if-this-baby-is-Jack-or-not-Day!

• Counting down the hours till 6 o'clock.

• As David says, the outcome doesn't actually matter because either way we are already so very much in love with exactly and whoever this tiny one of ours is.

• It's more a matter of satisfying my wild curiosity
• And seeing whether not David's hunch and ( along with some of the rest of you ) or Annabelle's hunch is more than a hunch.

But for little just a little while longer we'll savor the not knowing...

{ Apology }

Dear Little Blog,
I do apologize for how badly I have neglected you. All is well in our little corner of the world, I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and confide all the sweet little goings on in our life that I would like to and that does make me a little bit sad. And I was on such a roll last December. I promise to try and do a little better. Hopefully.
Yours Truly,
A Most Apologetic Blog Owner

The Peasant Princess # 6: My Dove

( remember to pause Project Playlist before hitting the play video button ;-)



Description:

You don’t just feel bad… you are bad. Many of the problems in your life come from within yourself, and you need to confess, repent, then seek restitution and reconciliation. Learn more in this sermon on Song of Songs chapter 6.

{ Just another ordinary miracle today }

Here is Annabelle drawing a picture for Granny Annie.

To the casual onlooker this is probably does not hint towards much in the way of genius but to Daddy and Mommy it's huge. Without any help she made her first two smiley faces and ( most of the time ) can properly write a capital A and a capital N, everything its correct spot, . We are loving these light bulb moments. Watching in amazement as she starts to " get " stuff, and as her hand to eye coordination begins to kick in. Of course David sees it as more of an miniature academic accomplishment...... and I see it as a beautiful and creative work of art. We both agree that on this roller coaster ride that so often parenting a toddler is, we'd have to say that this morning adds up to an absolute high.

Chanting to herself as she writes with a flourish....

" A, for Annabelle....up....down...and...across!!!"

So my house looks like a disaster area...

...but at least it's a pretty mess...as the dining room table and floor are covered in scrappy tidbits. I am in a hurry to finish up my projects before tomorrow's deadline...while Annabelle entertains both of us, by riding her "horse" otherwise known as the vacuum cleaner in a twirly skirt and cowboy hat, which she likes to wear sideways. Every few minutes she comes over to pick the threads off of my pants. We carry on these funny little conversations about nothing really. She asks me random questions like, " Mommy will you be my hugaroo? " If you are wondering what exactly a hugaroo is, take a look at this precious little book we are enjoying from the library this week. I say, " Yes, of course!" She replies to me " Okay. Thanks. "
Melt my heart, why don't you kid?

And I think to my self, life is so sweet. Everyday, ordinary life...big fat messy messes and all.
Speaking of which, I actually better get started on it now, if I hope to have the house back in to even the smallest semblance of order by the time David gets home. Because it's that bad.
So while I am working on that I will be thanking Jesus for all the little ways He sweetens each day...even the particularly not so easy ones.

Remember this cute little sun dress?

And this too sweet for words pinafore?

They were made by a lovely and talented friend of mine. Who also happens to have her very own, very lovely little shop on Etsy. Need something done up in a particular size? She does custom orders. :) And I can vouch for the finished product....lovely, lovely, lovely.

As easy as it would be to keep her all to myself, I really can't help but brag on her and the beautiful things she creates...after all the rest of the world deserves to discover her too.

I love you Nan. And I can hardly wait to see that little Christmas dress you are sewing up for Annabelle. I am quite certain it is going to be sweet beyond compare.

The Peasant PrincessPart 5: My Beloved, My Friend

Description:We are fundamentally selfish. The question is do you want to change and to what degree? Will you continue in selfishness, or be more like Jesus and have a servant’s heart?

Song of Songs 5:2- 6:1

{ Signature Annabelle }

The following is a very cute email we just sent to some very dear family of ours.

Dear Mor Mor, Uncle Johnny and Auntie Greta,

This is the sail boat my daddy made for me. We played in the rain lasterday ( yesterday) and jumped in muddle puddles and floated our boat in the ribber (river: which was actually a creek).

It was fun.
I love you.
Bye.

XO,


Annabelle Lucy



She is in love with the boat. I am in love with her Daddy, for his idea to make it for her and all for the fun we had, sailing it in the creek.

{ Such Lucky Ducks }

The rain this week has kept us mostly indoors so Annabelle and I have been enjoying some fun fall projects. Waxed Paper " Stained Glass" Leaves to hang in the front window and a couple batches of homemade play dough. But by far her favorite " thing " to do all week is help me unload the silver wear from our wonderful new dishwasher. She is such an enthusiastic little helper and makes daily chores so much more fun. Her eagerness is contagious.

I have also been working away on stocking up my Etsy Shop with some cozy banners for Thanksgiving. And looking forward what comes next: Christmas paperie goodness!!!!



David has been home with us almost every day this week, thanks to the really stormy weather. Since we got married, five years ago, I have in particular looked forward to what we affectionately refer to around here as a " rain day." A impromptu day when it rains hard enough to cancel work and instead we get to cuddle each other up. We had gone through almost an entire paving season without a single "rain day" until they piled up this week. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and then of course our weekend. Annabelle and I are feeling pretty spoiled, as you can imagine. David even cooked dinner for us last night...a rare treat. Shrimp Lemon Peppered Linguine . It was so gourmet and yummy and for those of you who know David, a total treat to see him cooking. I was so impressed.
And Annabelle has been soaking up and loving all this daddy-time. One minute they are on the floor "wresting" and growling at each other. The next she's dressed in her pink princess dress with built in music box that plays Swan Lake, and her cloppy pink feathered high heels and waltzing and spinning away gracefully in her Daddy's arms.
I must admit I was a little bit reluctant to see this week end, even knowing we were being spoiled and what a truly rare treat it is to get random, unexpected at-home holidays in the first place.

This pretty little girl of ours has has either entered the almost-three-year-old stage or she has simply " up-ed her game " in the last couple weeks especially and has been known at times to give me/us a run-for-our-money. Little fire ball. She tells us knowingly , " some days I a good girl, some days I a naughty girl." So know we know she knows. And I have a whole stack of parenting books on order from the library. Feeling the need to be learning and growing in my parenting as our free spirited little girl learns and grows and becomes more confident in her spunky-ness. Don't get me wrong, we head over heels adore her at this age, even with it's challenges. She keeps us on our toes with her limitless energy and zip and we wouldn't have it any other way. Because of her there is twice as many smiles and twice as much laughter in our home.



New baby is now 15 weeks old. We had an appointment last week and can I just tell you what sweet, sweet music to my ears it is to hear that speedy little heart beating strong. I am sure I almost hold my breath until I hear it...and squeeze David's hand really tightly...and then there this is huge wave of relief, followed by a great big sigh and whipsered, "thank-you Jesus."

I am loving the gentle sensations of movement. At this point I only notice them if I am laying really still and quiet. Annabelle says, "Mommy is your baby bumping around in your tummy? " I cannot wait for those little flips and kicks to be big enough for her to feel and see.

I am beginning to feel less tired. And am excited to get back some energy. This pregnancy feels like it is flying by. In just three weeks we get to take a little peek-a-boo and hopefully find out who exactly this little person of ours is that we have come to love so much already. We don't have a girl name picked out and have decided to wait and come up with one until we find whether or this babykins is or is not another girl??? Such anticipation!

I cannot seem to get much written on my blog these days. But I am sure enjoying all the wonderful, creative and encouraging things you ladies have been posting. I especially am loving the 30 Days of Gratefulness posts that dear friends Andi and Jacy and others are doing.

The Peasant Princess # 4: His Garden

A wedding day is a beautiful thing, but the most important day of your marriage is the last day. In this sermon, Pastor Mark looks at the wedding day of the Princess and King Solomon. The first day paints the picture of a wonderful marriage, but later, the marriage is ruined because Solomon does not stay faithful to his wife, his covenant, or his God. A marriage should be lived with a focus on the last day, and we should learn from the sins of King Solomon.