Kids growing . . .

JMJ

Working with one hand here, but I wanted to share these photos of the kids.

Welcome Charles Thomas

JMJ

Introducing Charles Thomas Spiering.  Born February 19th at 6:26 pm.  8 lb. 12 oz.  All is well and we are so blessed to have him!  Our biggest concern is we won't be able to tell his baby pictures apart form the other children's because he looks just like them!  At least we won't lose him in a crowd of strangers, just his brothers and sisters.

Our midwife, Tierney Dovan of Marshall Midwifery is fabulous!  It is her hot-pink sleeve you see holding Charles out for all his older siblings to see for the first time.  

A Lenten reflection from Reed of God by Caryll Houselander

.  I have been reading Reed of God by Caryll Houselander for a LONG time; I will get a paragraph read here, a page there.  I am finally getting enough of it read for it to be fruitful for me.  This thought really struck me as I was looking ahead to the beginning of Lent, and the birth of another child.

                This is another of the things to be discovered in contemplating Our Lady.  We ask Him to come and abide in us; we ask the Holy Spirit to form Him from our Lives; we believe that He does do this. 

                If Christ is formed in our lives, it means that He will Suffer in us.  Or, more truly, we will suffer in Him.

                "And He was made man."

                Our Lady saw at once what was meant in her case: supernaturally, He was made herself. 

                If He is made man in you, He will be made you. . . . 

                 And we shall thus come to realize that when we resent our circumstances or try to spare ourselves what we should undergo, we are being like Peter when he tried to dissuade Our Lord from the Passion. 

                There is one tremendous answer to the question which is reiterated to the point of utter weariness: "Why should I?"

                It is another question: "Ought not Christ to suffer these things and so enter into His glory?"

That is the question I ask myself every time I am presented with a sacrifice, even the smallest little inconvenience or discomfort.  "Why should I?"  I feel as if I don't deserve to feel that little discomfort, and I ACT like it!  I roll my eyes or sigh when one of the kids spill something or whines.  But, Christ wasn't above suffering these little trials of life.  He, of course, did NOT deserve them, but he chose to suffer them--at first through Mary in her womb and the very body that she formed through Him and for Him, then as His own human body, and now, through each of us.  

So, that is the main thing I am doing for Lent, or more properly said, that is what I am trying to let Christ do for me.  I pray He becomes me, and I Him.  My death to sin will be much less dramatic (not crucifixion and public martyrdom).  Mine will be wiping bottoms, doing laundry (that I just did the day before, but some child decides to wipe his hands on his shirt instead of using a napkin), being so tired from carrying this big belly around, but still getting up to put someone back in her bed for the 10th time that afternoon.  It will be me not showing my frustration when I have to spoon feed every bite to children who are turning their noses up at the dinner I worked so hard to make, with their tastes in mind.  These things aren't really trials at all!  But they sure feel that way to me, and I know there is nothing noble about doing these tasks, but He is so humble, he will help me, and thereby making them the most noble act for me.  He will help me bear this child, He will help me suffer all these little things perfectly.  

And, though the season has passed completely, here is our family photo from Christmas.  Here are my crosses and my salvation--I know I'm their cross, too!  And, yes, we took about 5000 photos (a little exaggerated)  and this tolerable one is the best of the whole lot.  At least everyone is looking at the camera!  

Blessed Lent.  Please pray for me! 

Anastasia--5 years old

Here is a photo of my big girl from each year of her life.  Two months late is better than never, right?

Anastasia at 10 days old:

One-Year-old.  She got that sparkle in her smile right about then: 

Two-Years-Old.  She was so young, but such a good big sister, already:

By Three-Years-Old, Aine really started to looked like herself:

 Four-Years-Old.  She was a big girl in preschool that year:

And by Five-Years-Old, she had lost her first tooth!   

JMJ

Both my girls have fall/winter birthdays, so we have celebrated them pretty recently.  I thought it would be fun to post photos on them on their birthdays.  It is something they have done in their Atrium class and I think it is a beautiful way to celebrate their growth.  

I'll start with Cecily who turned two-years-old on All Saints Day:

Birthday

1 year old

2 year old

She has become quite the little lady and MUST be carrying around, not one, but TWO baby dolls, AND their covers, which are homemade dolls blankets my mother made for her.  She has just caught onto potty training and I think she is over the hump.  She went on the potty all day today, without me having to sit her down every 10 minutes.  She impressed the heck out of Craig and I by coming to tell us she needed to go!  She seems so much older, just by being a "big girl" and using the potty.  This may be the first time I don't have any children in diapers when the new baby is born.  I can't imagine not changing diapers . . . it's almost a part of me.  :)  Almost.  But like my mom always says:  when you stop changing diapers, you really don't notice it, but you sure don't miss it!  I am really hoping that I get a month or two of very few diaper changes before the onslaught of a newborn, but I'm not going to hold my breath.  

JMJ

Just after Thanksgiving, Craig's father came out for a long over due visit (we hadn't seen him since the Thanksgiving after Cecily was born).  It was a wonderful visit, and he also gave us a gift that I can't ever thank him for enough: he finished the remodeling of our kitchen.  He put in a new floor, trim, the remaining counter top, and threshold on all the doorways.  It looks FANTASTIC!  He also put the trim in our upstairs bathroom which we have needed to do since we remodeled that bath in 2006.  Oh, and he patched a big hold in a wall, replaced a broken window, secured some loose drawers in one of our dressers, and finally helped us process our venison.  And that was just in the time he has leftover between playing with the kids and relaxing with Craig and I.  We are SO grateful to him.  I feel that we are so much closer to being ready to rent this house out now.  I wish I had a picture to post of the new floor in the kitchen; actually I before and after comparison is definitely coming!

While I'm at it, here are a few more pictures from the last year, having nothing to do with the fixing up of the house, but having everything to do with our beloved children.  I wish I knew how to place the photos in a more pleasing composition.  If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

 Good night and Merry Christmas to you, on the eve of Epiphany.

but he hasn't out-grown those dimples!  Thank goodness! 

Getting to be such a young man . . . 

The Boys

Doesn't he look all grown up and handsome?  

Aine was having too much fun to care that
her face was covered in dirt.  

I think the dirt makes her look older,
 what do you think?  

Cecily trying not to smile.

Cecily giving up the fight.

JMJ

Um, wow.  It's be a long time since I've posted anything to the blog.  I think I started a few posts that never were polished enough to post, but, wow.  To anyone who has been wondering if that chicken EVER got done: it did!  And it was delicious.  But we have moved past rotisserie chicken to brined, fresh ham.  If you have not tried brining, you are missing out!  As I type this, Craig is out helping to sort out the cuts of our pig-and-a-half for this year and I can almost taste the sausage that we will make on Monday!

Just for fun, here are some photos of the kids from this fall.  And I can't promise I will post again soon--baby Spiering #5 will be arriving in about 2 months.  So much has happened!  :)