The Fam

It's hard to believe that it has been 14 weeks since Thane was born. Time sure does fly when you are running after a 2 year old and an infant! I apologize for the delay in getting the blog updated, but the truth is that we are too exhausted to play on the computer at the end of the day.

Thane is growing and growing and growing! He is in the 90th percentile for his height - he's already grown over 2" in his short life (er, maybe short isn't the right word)! He is such a relaxed, easy-going little guy. He smiles and "talks" all day long, and is very good natured.

Annabel turned 2 years old the week before Christmas. She can count to 15, says her ABC's, identifies colors and can sing along with me on several songs. She talks a lot now, and she does have a knack for picking up on the words we don't really want her to repeat! With a house under construction, she hears those words more than we would wish. I'm just praying that she won't one day get kicked out of preschool for having a trash mouth!! She is a lot of fun and her little sense of humor is beginning to develop.

It's also fun to watch Annabel as she starts relating to the world around her. There is one particular incident that was really sweet. In the hectic weeks leading up to Christmas, we had managed to get a Christmas tree, but I just hadn't had time to decorate it. We had been to several people's houses where Annabel was delighted with the pretty lights and beautiful ornaments on their trees. I finally stayed up late one night to decorate our tree, and I made sure that I was in the living room the next morning to watch her reaction to our newly festive tree. After a minute or two of play, Annabel finally noticed the tree. Her face lit up, she raced over to the tree, clapped her hands and shouted "Yea, Mommy - YEA!" as loud as she could. Here's a photo of Annabel at her birthday party. You can just catch a glimpse of the tree in the background.

Lastly (drum roll please!!!)................. Here's a much requested photo of the four of us. Oh well, at least the kids are cute!

The Farm

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas season filled with blessings from the One whose birth we celebrated. Although December was crammed full of Christmas preparations, we purposed to take time to enjoy each day and to try to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Jordan informed me that it's high time that I updated you on the progress of the farm. We have done some butchering and are now down to 10 sheep (8 ewes, 1 wether and 1 ram). They are all fine animals, but one in particular, Estelle, is especially sweet. Estelle and Annabel are buddies, and Annabel just loves going down to our temporary barn to say Hi.

Our work on the outside of the house is complete until spring. We managed to get two coats of plaster on the exterior, which leaves one coat to apply in the spring. This coat will be tinted with a lime paint, and then we'll build proper doors, shutters and paint the trim. In the meantime, the house looks like this:

The latest addition to the farm is our 4 wheeler. Jordan insists that this was only purchased for snow removal purposes, but I don't believe it for a second! He and Annabel love to take rides whenever the weather is warm enough. I suspect they'll find lots of excuses to get out this spring and summer!

Speaking of snow, we are definitely in the throes of winter. We have gotten lots of snow, although a lot of it has melted over the past few days. Annabel just loves the snow and spends as much time outdoors as we will let her (or until her hands get too cold!) It's been a bleak, gray winter here, but that's life in the north. I take heart in knowing that the days are already starting to get longer, and winter never lasts (just read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe if you don't believe me).

All the very best for 2010. Please keep in touch!