Brogue Fever

I *adore* these shoes. That is all.

Aunt Bekah Comes to Say "Hi!"

Brothers!!!

My nephew Clark with his brand new brother Wrangler!!!!!!

Our Butt's Our Saved!

This was our rash paste of choice (along with Johnson & Johnson cornstarch baby powder). This video is for my mom and sister.

Welcome, Wrangler Dean Ackland!!!

Our newest nephew was born Monday night: Wrangler Dean Ackland! The fourth child and second son of my "baby" brother Jonathan and lovely sister-in-law Robyn!! My kids now have -- and boy, do I not take this for granted! -- 6 cousins on my side of the family (Atticus is the oldest)! And 3 cousins on Brad's side (Atticus is the oldest)!! Isn't that so wonderful?! I am so thankful.

And so proud of Robyn and Jonathan!!

Yay! Baby Wrangler -- I can't wait to meet you in person kiss one of those ridiculously sweet cheeks!!

Photo by Leah

Someone I know...

is awfully good at being a two-year old (in all of that wonderful and awful and wonderful)!!

Goodbye, Two Front Teeth.

Strange Tiny Drawings by Deke

These are all about 1"x2".

Rocket Car

Ice, Ice....

Our kids' first time on ice. Notice: Thea Belle's immediate response to the ice. And Atticus' glee! And Dietrich directly began attaining the skill -- first using a push guide and then furiously making his way over and over across the ice, falling in rage, an yet, he did good. He was really pretty good. He was doing better with his frustration when a kid about 12 came out on the ice in hockey skates with a stick and puck and did some serious skating. Deke looked at him and started off for his 300 attempt and when he lost his balance and skidded out, he started screaming in rage. So it was a pretty emotional time for him. Even so, when we left, he was crying on the edge of the ice because we were leaving and he wanted to keep going at it. Atticus went back and forth between skates and boots, enjoying all of it, even the slapstick falls. We kept Thea Belle and Lincoln in boots. They played in the snow at the edges and fell quite a bit, but were heavily padded in snow gear, so no one got hurt.

Our friend Dana was walking by our house when we were falling and tripping and forcing our way out of our house to the park and we invited (or lassoed?) him into joining us. He's from Michigan, so he can skate (-: (p.s. Do you see the yellow patches in the ice -- this is melted and frozen over goose poop/pee.This was the stinkiest ice rink I've ever experienced. Everything that touched the ice had to be washed with lots of soap and hot! water. Revolting.

And he has brothers so he can do seriously fun boy-play...

Valentine!

Dietrich learned how to draw hearts on Valentine's Day which resulted in lots of practicing (-:

And, though this photo is from Christmas photos down in Iowa that I never posted!!, my mother- and father-in-law watched our kids up here in Minneapolis while Brad and I went to the L'Abri conference down in Rochester. This was our annual weekend away without the kids. We had originally planned to stay two nights in the hotel coming home Sunday after breakfast, but my poor mother-in-law came down with the stomach flu the first night! So after my father-in-law heroically watched all four kids for Saturday morning and most of the afternoon, Brad and I made our way back to arrive before dinner. So thankful for Nancy and Tom giving us this gift of a little break together!!! Great Valentine's present! (-: We took Sunday slow and easy with puzzles and games and spending time together as a family. It was a good transition back into the week.

 

The day before Valentine's Brad brought me home two treats from my favorite!!!!! bakery -- Patisserie 46. This piece of wonderful was a brownie (though that word seems like an insult compared to the reality) covered in caramel and some kind of nougat with two kinds of chocolate overlayed. Mmmmm....oh, and two edible gold-leaf embellishments. Shiny! Pretty! Tasty! And I must say that God was particularly gracious in Brad bringing this home the day before Valentine's because on the actual day I came down hard and fast with strep throat and wasn't able to eat anything until the following evening when the penicillin finally started turning the tide of the bodily invasion. I am so thankful for 2-minute strep tests and penicillin. AND Brad still had two days of his antibiotic (for strep) left so he was safe until I was no longer contagious. Again, just plain God-graciousness.

So, I feel shy about this, but this year I started drawing a couple times a week (not long -- since I don't have much time -- but regularly, which is important) to begin training myself back into that kind of creating/making. So I decided to make a drawing-valentine for Brad. He is so incredibly supportive and encouraging of me finding time to draw and sew and write. So thankful for this man, for this best friend, for all the ways he builds me up and pushes me.

And glitter -- because the kids used it for a project; because it is valentine's; because I *love* shiny-sparkly. It doesn't really make the drawing better -- but I kinda don't care because it's not a piece of fine art -- it's a valentine.

And this! This! This piece of awesomeness is the valentine Atticus made for Brad and me. It is so very Atticus. It is a picture of Brad and I before we were married.

Brad asks, "Be Mine?" (or more factually, states, commands! "Be mine!" (-:) and I answer, "Yes." Which, when you think about it, is either an agreement to that sort of experiment/commitment or an assertion that I am, in fact, already his. Anyhoo...

Ha! This guy is perfect -- especially the heart-shaped ears and the arrow through the teeth!

And lastly, how about Cupig -- yep, CuPIG.