Merry Christmas From Our House to Yours!

2010 was not without its surprises, joys and intermittent drama at our house!

Just 2 days ago, on Tuesday, as our family prepared to sit down to dinner, Ellia sent us rushing out the door to the emergency room.  Standing in her little, wooden chair, watching me cook as she often does (but won’t anymore ;-)), she turned around in the chair, and while holding the back of it, the chair fell, slamming her hand between it and the tile floor.  As soon as I scooped her up I saw blood spilled everywhere and all but panicked.  Even when I ascertained that it was “just a finger” (as my husband tried to remind me to calm me), her finger was split almost in two, from tip to joint, with a tremendous amount of blood. All’s well that ends well, I suppose, and after a long wait in the ER, we got her stitched up and my blood pressure down. There’s just something very traumatic about your baby being hurt, “just a finger” or not.

That hasn’t been my only near-heart-attack this year…

My husband thought it would be fun to take the kids on a wagon ride, pulled by our draft horse.  Leading it by a rope in front, he had no idea that Rex would “freak out” a few minutes into the ride.  He took off in a full gallop with Aaron still holding the rope, trying to stop this huge beast from running away with Avalee and Brooks.  Once the rope had given him 3rd degree burns on his hands, he was knocked down, and run over by the wagon.  The horse continued speeding away into the woods with our children.  Finally the wagon broke with the horse dragging the front axle and the cart hitting a tree.  God, in His tender mercy, held my babies inside the cart.  After a panicked few minutes figuring out where all the blood was coming from, we were able to treat only a gash in Brook’s head and a banged up lip on Avi.  I’m too old for this.  Aaron is still not fully recovered from his injuries of a torn shoulder ligament 🙁

The near-tragedies have been balanced with joy, however!  As we anticipate the birth of our son in March, the Lord reminds us of the sacredness of life and of our responsibility as parents to nurture these little ones and point them to the glory of our Creator.  Contrary to popular assumption, every one of our children is excited beyond words for this little one’s arrival.

We rejoice in the friendships among our children!

We also rejoice to watch them grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. As Bria becomes a woman, we are so humbled by God’s goodness through her. She is a best friend, an example, even to her parents, of a heart thirsty for the things of God.  Her constant joy, love and gifts to this family are beyond measure.

Bria is enjoying all the freedoms and young energy to pursue her loves and gifts…she is developing a photography business, has an incredible gift of sewing clothing without a pattern, is still enjoying her love of violin and piano,  is devouring every book in the house and in all her delicacy, is a strong, sturdy, athletic girl who loves to work and be outside.  I wish I had been less occupied with trivial pursuits when I was her age, and had the freedom of spirit she enjoys.

Mallie, as each child does, brings her own unique personality to the mix.  She is, hands down, THE most affectionate child I’ve ever known.  She runs to me, periodically throughout the day, just to “give me love”, and then scampers off to play again.  Her smile is infectious, her laugh contagious and she’s been nicknamed “My Squishy”.

One of Brooks’ favorite things to do is to ride Ellia around on this rolling box 😉

Ashton sneaking some sister love after her bath…

Kyla loves playing in the hay with the others.  We are blessed to live on my parents’ farm, so adventure is never far away.  (Children, PLEASE do not fall in the cracks of the hay….)

We almost escaped the year with hardly any sickness until a few weeks ago, when the stomach virus wreaked havoc through our house.  There’s always a bright side…the children are much more calm and quiet and they love to snuggle!

Ashton has really grown in his love and gift of art.  We are blessed to host art lessons at our house each week and he has started his own website, hoping to expand it soon!  He sold some of his work at various craft shows this year. Nothing like cash in hand to fuel his entrepreneurial fire!

Summer fun at the creek on our nature walk.

Just because she’s so cute 😉

Alexa is a rare gem.  I could wax boastful as a parent and list all her amazing qualities, but I won’t.  She loves to make things–sewing, crocheting, etc.  But her real gift is in the kitchen.  She loves to cook and she’s great at it.  What a blessing to us!

Another perk of living on the farm is raw milk and butter, enjoyed immensely this year.  Don’t be mistaken though…it’s hard work.  Aaron and Bria handle that task and just laugh at me when I offer to do it.  (What’s with that?   Oh well, it’s really convenient on cold, rainy days.)

Avalee–funny, cute, spunky, smart–this, my fourth-born child, the first child born to us after our decision to “let God”.

I wouldn’t think of closing this post without telling you all what a blessing you are to me.  As we wrap up the 3rd year of Generation Cedar, the Lord has taught me so much and has encouraged me through these friendships here. Please know how warmly I think of you all and how blessed I am to share this little part of the net with you.

Above all else, may we glorify Him whose birth we celebrate this season, and may we His love spur us on to remain faithful to share it with all those around us!