A Birthday, and a Special Dinner

Yesterday Leif turned 2!  He is such an amazing little guy, and such a blessing to everyone in this family.  (Yes, even Dante is motivated to pay attention when Leif is around!)

This weekend is extra special because Zachary is home from New Hampshire, and it is the last weekend until late November that all nine kids are here.  Tomorrow Zachary goes back up to Camp Good News for 5 weeks, and in 16 days Alexander will be leaving for his Army Reserve training, not returning until after Thanksgiving. 

Thankfully a co-worker covered my shift, and I was able to make a special dinner. 

This morning I put two roasts in the crockpot along with some green beans, then Leif sat on the counter eating strawberries while I peeled potatoes to boil and mash later. 

Leif of course had to keep on eye on what his siblings were doing, in case something more exciting than watching me peel potatoes happened.  He was fresh out of the tub and church was coming up, so playing outside was not an option for him! 

After church he and I went out in the yard to pick black raspberries.  He held the pail while I plunked them in, saying "Tank you" over and over.  Oddly enough, when we came back in the house the pail was empty and his mouth had a ring of purple around it.

Although ShanLin is obscured by Jamie's head, this is actually a photo of all 9 kids, plus Jamie and our friend Doug.  I seem to be the only one feeling melancholy about this being our last meal together for quite some time!

Leif was thrilled to have us sing to him, and he blew out the candles.  Kimberly is so aware of everything that goes on and was watching it all with interest.  Only 3 months until her first birthday!!

When Leif was distracted by a gift, Kimberly snagged the toy car from Nana and Poppy!  I think the bright red color really caught her eye. 

It was a wonderful day, even though you can tell from this photo of Kimberly that we were all hot. There weren't any arguments amongst the teenagers, and Dante has had a very good day.  Even as Zachary leaves tomorrow, Nikita continues working 3 full days a week, we have a number of medical appointments coming up, and Alexander leaves in 16 days-- I will remain thankful for this day with my husband and our children.


God is good.