Newborn Photos

Edythe is almost 10 weeks old!  How did that happen?!?  Seriously. I luckily have a very talented sister who was willing to take pictures, so that I could remember the fleeting newborn stage forever! And let's be honest, with my kids, the newborn stage is truly fleeting - according to my trusty bathroom scale, Edythe is 17 lbs - 10 lbs up from her birth weight!

The declaration has been made, quite unequivocally so, that I am never going to go through pregnancy or labour ever again - but when I look at these pictures of sweet tiny Edythe, it is easy to question my resolve. Am I seriously ready to never hold a newborn again, to never smell that sweet newborn smell again, to never dress another baby in the clothes that have been worn by all my newborns since Eli?  Well, I'm not resolved enough to get rid of all those clothes just yet, that's for sure.

These pictures were taken on day 2. I love every single one of them! If they don't make your uterus ache (for those of you with a uterus), you are probably a heartless, broken mess.

And Suddenly it's November!

 My life. It get's away from me. Daily.

One day it's June 2007 and I'm having my first baby, and the next day it's November, I have no idea what day or year because I've suddenly got 5 kids and the calendar is in the other room!!!

By the persistence of my little sister, Chloe, I did manage to pull myself together enough to gather coordinating outfits, comb through everyone's hair, and meet her for an hour for a photo shoot.

My favourite thing about these pictures?  Atticus's hair. I love it!  He's 2 1/2 and hasn't had a haircut, and I love it.

Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day to remember all those who have fought for the freedom of those who can't protect themselves.

This past week we have been studying the subject, and the boys have worked at memorizing "In Flanders Feilds."  Silas is pretty sweet, isn't he?

While I didn't want to dwell on the horrors of war, I did want to be honest about what it was like for the men and women that we are remembering.  The boys decided that they wanted to do a poster to show what they learned.

Here's Eli's.  He cut out everything so carefully and thoughtfully.  He also copied the entire poem on a separate piece of paper to put with it.  He is so wonderful.

And, here's Silas's.  I have to tell you, it is very interesting to me to homeschool two different children of two different ages.  As we started off making the posters, I kind of wanted both of the boys' posters to look like Eli's did.  But then Silas started cutting and pasting, and he knew exactly what he was doing, and he was just so cute. Then, when he cut out the big blob in the middle of the page, I was about to put a stop to it, thinking he was about to ruin the whole thing, and he said, "No, Mommy, it's the poison gas!"  That boy amazes me.  We'd talked about some of the awful things that the soldiers endured, and poison gas was one of those things.  Sometimes I think Silas isn't catching a word, but he got that.  I love him.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, that I am extremely grateful to the people who have fought for freedom, and for their mothers who are left behind.  Bless them all.

The Women in my Life

Lately I've been stressed. Really stressed.  I feel like I need to find reasons to be grateful, because I know I have a wonderful life, but through the piles of paperwork to go through, and the houses we need to sell, and all the other stuff that we are going through right now that we can't do anything about, sometimes it's hard to remember to enjoy the moments.

So, today I am going to remember the women in my life; the women who have shaped me to be the person I am; the women who I know have gone through moments just like I'm going through now where they felt that things couldn't get much worse; women whom I look up to more than they will ever know.  In no particular order, and for a myriad of reasons each, these are the women that I am grateful for today;

My mom and sisters, Cheryl Evans, Alice, Megan, Shannon, Joan, Holly, Chloe and Phoebe. Love them more than life. 

My grandmas, Edythe Jackson, whom we lost in 2010, and Betty Evans, who has blessed my life in so many ways.

The list isn't long, but my BFFs, the girls who are truly my kindred spirits: Adrienne, Cheryl, Sarah and Nicole.  I know that no matter how many miles and years may be put between us, these girls will always be my besties!

My sister-in-law Renee, who supports me in ways no one will ever understand.

My mother-in-law Barbara Wiebe, and the example of kindness, obedience and love that she is to me. And her mother, Granny Hudson. I don't know if other people love their grandma-in-laws as much as I do, but I do!

The women who for whatever reason have influenced and helped me along the way: Carmen Pearson, Marilyn Bennion, Diane Ryman,  Lizzie Ryman, Mindy Gallup, Irina Jamieson, Jewel Govern, Erin Wallace, Janine Zuk.

The list can go on and on.  I am so grateful to be surrounded by women of character and strength.  I am so grateful to know that I'm not alone in my struggles.  I love all these women and feel lifted by them today.

Oh where, oh where, has my little Jenny gone?

Here I am.  Remember last summer when I dropped off the face of the earth for 4 weeks?  Well, apparently it's epidemic!  You see, while I think my summers are worth green-eyed envy from everyone around me, I don't do a whole lot of anything.  Unless you call sitting on the lawn at my parents' cabin blog worthy...

So, until something more exciting happens to me besides my tan getting darker, I leave you with a few pictures to prove to you that I'm still alive, and I'll see you in a few.


First of all, Sandpoint, Idaho, and all that is wonderful there:

 Grandpa Fatboy giving a lesson on proper knife use, after Chase carved his palm off, necessitating a little living room surgery.

 Classic Evans pic:

And then onto the Wiebe cabin in the Shuswap.  A week full of knitting, quilting, girl power and good food. :