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Welcome to the Spiering Family website. This is our new blog. For older posts, please go here: http://www.freewebs.com/jaeljud/

Friday, September 23, 2016

Autumn Hills in the Woods

JMJ
This will not be a wordy post, but a picture post.  Eliza is 2 mo. old now and we are settling into our new home for the autumn.  Craig is busy taking out overgrown brush and selectively thinning the trees to make the property into what we want.  It's hard work, but I never hear him complain about using a chain saw or moving good, heavy wood.  the kids are helpful, most of the time.  The grass is long because the lawn mower isn't working, but there are plenty of places to play and plenty of other outdoor work that needs to be done.  The grass can wait.  
I love wood piles.  They are so beautiful.  

It looks pretty trashy, but the kids made this fort that they are really proud of.  

And a bridge across the gully.

Looking down from the start of the trail.

Some of the trees and branches Craig took down.



The grape vine that will have to get some attention next year.



As you turn in the driveway.

Small woodland creatures.





















Craig tried his hand at splitting rails.  They look great!  


Friday, August 5, 2016

Front Porch sitting with Lil'Lizzy

JMJ

We finally got Craig, the camera, the sunlight and Elizabeth all in the same place at the same time and awake, so we took some pictures.  It's been a pretty restful three weeks for this mama, though Craig has had three weddings and we both got a pretty nasty cold in week two.  And, of course, I mean restful as in we've had lots of help with meals and kids and housework so other people are making up for where I'm slacking off.  ;)


Lil'Eliza (we're still figuring out what name suits her) is pretty happy and falls all over herself smiling those big, open mouth, goofy baby grins.







Her siblings all adore her.  Lucinda especially wants to be holding her all the time.  When Lizzy was just a couple days old, we had put her in Lucinda's lap.  Lucinda puts her arms around her and says, "Baby. . .uh. . .baby--mine."   



She adores her little sister so much that she wants to possess her for her very own.  Lucky for her, Lizzy is going to be with us for a very long time.  Lucinda will always have a little sister; she will always be a big sister.  






For the first time, we have more girls that boys in our family!  



But the brothers are pretty devoted, too.  Look at these sweet older brothers:
"Brothers . . . Brothers . . . there were never such devoted brothers . . ." (I couldn't help myself!)





Saturday, July 16, 2016

Elizabeth Perpetua

JMJ

We are proud to announce the birth of our daughter 
Elizabeth Perpetua



Born July 13, 2016 at 2:30 am
8 lb. 12 oz.
21.25 in long



Thank you all for your prayers as we awaited her arrival.  Prayers are always answered and she was worth the wait!  After waiting so long to make her entrance, she decide she wasn't messing around anymore--only four hours of labor and she was here!  

Thanks, also, to our amazing midwife who came out in the middle of the night (something we thought would NEVER happen with a Spiering baby) after being at a birth the night before.  Two days.  Two babies.  No sleep.  How blessed we are to have such an amazing midwife to be on this wild ride with us!  


     St. Elizabeth of Portugal's feast day was July 8th in the old calendar.  She is the niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and was known as the Peacemaker.  Our little one will probably get a nickname like Eliza or Betty, but time will tell what suits her most (we're hoping for Eliza sticks).  We chose Perpetua as a middle name for two reasons: We've tried to name each of our girls after one of the martyrs from the Canon of the Mass.  So, St. Perpetua is one of her patronesses.  We also have a devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  Her feast day was June 27th, the day before our due date, so it seemed fitting to dedicate this little girl to Our Lady in this way.   

We are so very grateful for this beautiful little life joining our family.  Deo Gratias!