Jacob is nine!

Jacob turned nine a couple of weeks ago. He thinks nine is a pretty great age. He loves to play outside and build things and work with his tools. He adores his baby brother. He is getting so tall, and wiry and strong. Jacob is a people person and is always up for fun! He brings lots of laughter to our family and we are thankful to the Lord for him.

Thomas: 16 Months

Babycakes is 16 months old. Thomas is walking now and tries out new words every day. His favorites remain yay and uh-oh! He also says yeah and thank you a lot. So cute! He loves to be read to, especially Sandra Boynton's Snuggle Puppy. He enjoys the silly songs we make up for his entertainment. He also likes to "help" me in the kitchen. He has his favorite cooking pot and spoon to play with on the floor while I prepare meals. We love you, Thomas!

Covid19 Cookie-Baking

The kids and I have been baking cookies every weekend. Here are some of our favorite recipes. Yum!

Peanut Butter Cookies
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Cream shortening, butter, and sugars. Add egg, peanut butter, and vanilla. Then add flour. Roll dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Chocolate-Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz milk chocolate chips
Cream butter, sugars, vanilla. Add eggs. Then mix in flour, soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Granny Annie's Icebox Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and almond. Then mix in flour. Put dough on wax paper and form into a roll. Refrigerate over night. Slice dough and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Nora's Ballet Recital

Nora's ballet recital also looked rather different this year. She put on her costume and I fixed her hair and make-up, and then she danced for her family and Honey and Poppa. She did a great job and knew her dance so well! She was so poised and confident, and was very pleased to receive flowers afterward. We videoed her dance and her teacher is going to put all the little girls' videos together into a "recital performance." I'm sure she will enjoy watching it again and again!

Piano Recital!

Annie and Jacob had their piano recital over Zoom. They did well and we enjoyed celebrating them!

David's Third Heaven Birthday

Three years ago today our son David was born. He slipped from life in the womb to life in heaven. He never took a breath and I never looked into his eyes. And until the resurrection, the anguish of that day will never pass. I haven't forgotten a moment of his pregnancy, delivery, our time together in the hospital, his burial. Those memories are so very vivid. I have come to the end of my questions, only to start over again. 

A few months ago, our pastor said that we can keep searching for answers to our grief and never find an answer that will satisfy. And then all we can do is rest in the truth that our God is sovereign and He loves us. That statement resonated with me. 

During our Covid-19 quarantine, I've been reading Elizabeth Goudge. In her novel The Bird in the Tree, an elderly woman advising her daughter-in-law says, "Life is a rather unhappy affair, dear . . . And it's just as well to face the fact. It's essentially sad, woven of grey stuff; yet embroidered with such bright flowers." Life in this broken world is inherently sad, because all is not as it should be. We are living in the absence of shalom. Yet in God's grace, there are bright flowers along our journey. David's life was grey and bright, all at once. 

So today we will take flowers and a balloon to David's grave, and eat doughnuts in the cemetery. We'll take a family hike and look through pictures and remember together.