Merry Christmas from the Wiebes

I can hardly believe it's almost Christmas!  I really meant to send out an actual Christmas card this year, but despite having all my presents bought before December, and a pretty lax calendar, somehow I have been too busy yet again.  I did, however, convince my darling sister Chloe to take pictures of my family, so I didn't completely fail in the matter.

In any case, let me tell you about what a wonderful year it's been, and how blessed we are going into this Christmas season!

We started out the year living in a new home, pregnant with our third child, and Jared deep into his articling year.  In April we were blessed with our third boy!  Atticus Booth was born at home on April 11, 2012.  It took us almost five weeks to name him!  He has been such a joy in our family, and we are grateful for him every day. In his eight months he has mastered breastfeeding, rolling over, sitting up, and in the last month has become completely mobile, crawling all over the home, wreaking havoc as he goes. His brothers love him completely and he is never short for entertainment. 

Silas is three years old now, and has really blossomed in the few months since his birthday.  He was wearing 18-24 month clothes in the summer, and now he's wearing size 4.  He is his own little man who insists on the whole world slowing down just a little, as nothing and nobody can seem to hurry him.  He is very independent, happy to go on any adventure he can find.  He went to his first art class this fall, and loved it. He also loves his nursery class at church and playing lego with Eli.  He is honestly the sweetest boy on earth.

And my darling Eli: he continues to amaze us with how clever and charming he is.  He mastered his bicycle this spring, well before his 5th birthday, and his world opened up.  We spent hours and hours this summer following him around on his bike as he explored the neighbourhood. He has taught me that as the mother of boys I may as well get rid of everything in my home but Lego, because Lego is all there is! We are homeschooling the boys, and so Eli is, in theory, in kindergarten. We spend our days doing art projects and engaging in a lot of creative play.  He is learning his letters and how to write.  I am so lucky to spend my days with him!

As for Jared and I, we are often surprised when we sit back and look at our lives and realize that we are not young marrieds any more.  We've got three children, two mortgages, one dog and all sorts of responsibilities.  Not that I'm complaining, I'm just often surprised by the fact. 

Jared is a lawyer, not a law student, not a student-at-law, a lawyer.  After a year of articling, in October he was admitted to The Bar and is now a full fledged lawyer, the real McCoy!  After 8 years of marriage to a student, we are glad to be where we are at.  He is working as an associate at a firm in Calgary, and enjoying what he does.  He still enjoys music and is determined to spend more time pursuing it this year. He works with the young men at church in the Scouting program, and loves it. 

Life as a mom of three boys is far busier than I ever dreamed it would be.  Don't get me wrong, I love it, I'm just exhausted most of the time, no big deal. I'm homeschooling the boys, teaching a language arts class, knitting up a storm and pretending to be a horseback rider, although I don't often get out to visit my horses. I have put my Doula business on hold, as I can't leave Atticus any longer than his next meal, but I still am immersed in the natural birth world. I am dreaming of moving from our tiny condo to a home, and eventually to some land where I can have chickens and goats and horses and lots of room!   

And there you have it. The life of the Wiebe family in 2012.  We have had a fantastic year and expect the same for 2013.  We know we have been blessed immensely by our Heavenly Father and are mindful at this time of year of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. May all who read this feel his love as we have felt it, and be blessed by it in the year to come.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

 

All photos taken by Chloe Taylor Photography, 2012.

Thankful November 30

And, after a month (and then some) of "Thankfuls," today I can't help but be thankful for the opportunity to be grateful.  If I could find the time, it would be easy to come up with something I'm thankful for each and every day of my life.  The list would go on and on and on.  I remember once in a freshman religion class at  BYU my professor challenged us to ONLY give thanks in our prayers for an entire week. While humbly asking for blessings from God is certainly not a bad thing, for one week we were to only look for the things which we were thankful for.  I still remember, after a few days of struggling to give meaningful prayers full of thanks, walking to school and seeing a tiny pink bud peaking out of an otherwise brown bush; the beauty of it did not escape me, and I thought, "Wow, what a blessing Heavenly Father has given me in that little bud." And, as I continued on the blessings around me just flooded to my mind: the cheerful chirping of the birds, the friendly smiles from unknown students, the young men who held doors open for me...  That night I had no trouble filling my prayer with gratitude. And, after a month of thinking of things I am grateful for, I feel the same way, like I could go on forever about all the things I have been blessed with.  As I am so close to Christmas, I hope I can carry those feelings of gratitude into the season and share my blessings with others.  

Thankful November 29

Today I am thankful for kind strangers, the ones who remind me what it means to be good.  I went shopping with my sweet nieces, and a woman totally unknown to me walked up and gave us a bear from Build-A-Bear.  We weren't looking particularly dejected or poor. We were happy to be out on a Christmas shopping date, in fact. But, this kind woman was looking for a good deed to do, and so gave us a teddy bear. Moments like that remind me to be just a little more generous, a little kinder, and a keep my eyes a little more open for opportunities to serve.  If you haven't read my letter to strangers just like her, check out this post, as it expresses what I'm thinking today much more eloquently. 

Thankful November 28

I am thankful for my sister-in-law, Renee. She is one of my best friends.  When Jared and I got married she made my dress.  At that point I barely knew her and butted heads a bit about the "fruiffy" factor on my dress.  Now, I love her fruiffiness, although still glad I didn't let her put any of it on my wedding dress.  I talk to her on the phone at least once a day. She is wonderful and I love her so much.  I trust her with my children.  I use her for her incredible sewing expertise. I am lucky to have her has a sister-in-law.

Thankful November 27

I am thankful for Christmas. This year we decorated early, because we were having a party with Jared's family to put something together for his parents in Halifax.  It is fun to have the reminders in my home about Christmas. My favourite decoration this year is a little nativity set that my friend Cheryl made for me.  It is so beautiful, and one of many nativity sets I have that remind us every day that Christ is our Saviour and the reason for this wonderful season.

Thankful November 26

I am thankful for knitting. I am.  It's true.  It keeps me sane. It keeps my family warm. It makes me happy.  I don't think a few years ago I would have ever thought I'd become the knitting obsessed woman that I am, but I am thankful for it.  I get giddy when I get a new ball of yarn, like this one:

 And these:

I like to create things, and having a saddle making studio, or even a scrapbook room, is not feasible at this point, but pulling out a knitting project to work on on my lap, sure is.  I am thankful for knitting. (And my Grandma Betty would be so proud!)

Thankful November 25

I am thankful for Primary.  Eli spoke in church today all about being a missionary.  He was so cute. He bore his testimony about his Granny and Grandpops in Halifax, and recited the song, "I want to be a missionary now."  There's a few more years before I have to think about him filling the shoes of a missionary, but I sure am proud of the little man he is now.