Abigail Ruth Johns

At 6:30am on December 24th, 2015, our sweet Abigail came into this world amid much of the usual chaos and adventure that our family seems to experience on a daily basis.

It was a memorable Christmas for all of us, even though we didn't all get to spend the actual day together. Abigail and I were in the hospital while Ellis was home with three very sick kids. Though it wasn't what we had imagined, we were still very grateful for the unexpected blessings that God brought. The kids got to see Grandpa and Grandma Johns, and I got to spend a lot of extra one-on-one time getting to know our tiny new member of the family. 

And now a whole month has passed already. Here are some pictures/videos of Abigail's first four weeks of life:

Ellis was the first to hold her, as I was too exhausted to even raise my arms to receive her after she was born. She reminded us so much of Corrie:

I enjoyed getting to know her during our time together in the hospital:

And soon it was time to go home:

Ellis and I were really grateful for a couple of days of just us and Abigail:

We have enjoyed having Abigail home:

It's been a definite change having four kids, as there is another (very time-consuming) plate spinning in my day now, but I wouldn't change it for anything (and neither would Abigail's big sister and brothers!)

(David thought Abigail would like to sleep with his new beanie baby owl that he got for Christmas. Mac and Corrie thought she would like theirs too)

And although there is so much chaos, there seems to be more than a few sweet moments to enjoy each day, if I take the time to stop and recognize them:

It's been a long and short month at the same time. I often look at Abigail and marvel at her beautiful and cute features. Maybe because she is our fourth baby, I savor every moment that I have with her.

David is THREE

It's hard to believe, but our David is three. As is our tradition, I let him pick out candles from the Walmart baking isle for his cake. Mac and Corrie added their own special decorations that they thought Davey would like. 

David is very into dinosaurs these days, especially the T-Rex. I loved his reaction to opening his presents! He is so expressive. Not a day goes by that David doesn't make you laugh at least once. 

And here are a few recent pictures that help capture David's personality these days. Here's to another adventurous, not-boring year with him!

Trying to dress himself...

Getting to sit in a real fire truck and on a real motorcycle!

Being silly after a bath

Sleeping in his new big boy bunk bed

Trying to escape from Mommy at Corrie's preschool

Spending time with Grandpa Vetterlein

Just being Davey

Happy Birthday Corrie

What a blessing we had this past October to be able to celebrate another birthday with Corrie. She had been asking all year for a piñata, and I was really looking forward to seeing her enjoy it with some of her friends. 

I have not been much of a party planner in the past, but I really wanted Corrie's day to be special. I prayed that God would grant her just the right kind of birthday for her little heart. I think He did!

We surprised her with friends from Front Royal coming to visit and decorated the table with a Paw Patrol theme:

If there is one thing Corrie loves, it's a reason to eat cake:

And then there was the piñata. It was so funny to see the kids express their personalities through their interactions with the piñata. David's performance was the most surprising and humorous of all. Quite the change from his normal destructive ways!

And lastly, a short video clip of Corrie singing at her AWANA awards night last year. The last time Corrie was on this same stage, she cried and refused to sing and had to be carried off of the stage. We were expecting more of the same, but were greatly surprised! 

Ellis and I sat in the very back of the large sanctuary that night (a must when Davey is with us), and we could hear Corrie's voice loud and clear above all of the kids! It was a mixture between screaming and singing, and somehow it was hilarious to us. We sure love her.  

Elks Club Harvest Fun

On Sunday our next door neighbors invited us to be their guests at the local Elk's Club Harvest Festival. I don't actually know what the official name of the event was, but that's just what I am calling it.

The kids had fun dancing to the music for the cake walk, decorating pumpkins, getting their faces painted, and most of all, getting to ride on a real horse!

It was definitely a sweet surprise and a beautiful afternoon to be outside enjoying the scenery of mountains in the distance and colorful leaves.

 I would also like to add a picture from a few weeks ago. I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and noticed a very unusual calm/quiet in our house. What a pleasant surprise to find all the kids sitting together on the couch with Mac reading Corrie and David. Sweet moment!

Lastly, some pictures of the scenery from our church's women's retreat this past weekend. Turned out to be the peak weekend for Fall color. I could have sat for hours taking it all in.

Summer Vacation, Part 1

Perhaps it is a bit overdue, but here are some pictures of summer 2015. It was a sweet one. 

Mac had been asking for over a year for a pet turtle. It was a lot of fun getting to keep one for a day!

We went to Sandy Point State Park on the Chesapeake Bay. It is right next to the Bay Bridge, and it sure makes for a fun and inexpensive "beach" day! (Shaded picnic areas included)

Mac and Corrie had a blast in the water. They floated for hours with their water wings, and even made friends. Davey was mostly just happy to play in the sand. 

And as always, Aunt Joyce's pool was a highlight of the summer!

Today

Corrie solidified her title of the best-dressed member of the family 

Mac's dream of getting to hold a yellow swallowtail butterfly finally came true 

And Davey helped harvest some carrots from the garden!