Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Visit from Pops!

In early November we had a fun visit from Pops (my dad). The first time Sarah saw him, she broke into this huge grin, which I managed to capture:
We introduced Pops to two St. Louis classics: Steak 'n' Shake (no photos, but it was yummy--our kids' first time there too!), and the Missouri Botanical Garden, which we love:
















He also joined us for Sarah's baby blessing at church (actually, we had her blessing that day because he was there). She was given a beautiful blessing by Luke, and it was a special day to celebrate this precious new member of our family.

















Now Sarah has met all four of her grandparents. We're so glad he could come!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

October Recap

Abby and Katie had some fun bike rides with Daddy.   :)

Katie's preschool was visited by a real fire engine and a real firefighter!
We took a fun field trip to a farm with Katie's preschool. Katie loved petting the animals, of course.



Katie on the tire swing at the farm












We celebrated Alex's 3rd birthday by going to Grant's Farm. Here he is on the tram with Daddy!











Abby and Luke with the baby goats at Grant's Farm

 
Alex's "bulldozer cake"
Our jack-o-lanterns (carved while we watched the Cardinals win the World Series--what an exciting time to be in St. Louis!)

Katie and her class on Halloween
All ready for trick-or-treating!

Baby Sarah: One Month-Old

We had a lot going on in October! Of course, Baby Sarah was the star of the show, with all her new tricks:

like smiling . . .

. . . sitting (and snoozing) in the Bumbo seat
. . . and just plain being cute!










Baby Sarah with our neighbor named Sarah






















This is one VERY loved baby!!

More from September . . .


One week after Sarah was born, Luke took the three older kids to the annual family picnic with his residency program at Hulett Farm. I was sorry to miss the outing, since we have loved it the past three times we have gone. But I was also glad to have a quiet afternoon with Baby Sarah. They had a great time, and riding horses was a highlight, as always!













Of course, Baby Sarah continued to grow . . .

. . . and she got to meet Grandpa and Grandma Linscott when they came to visit for a few days!

 

September Catch-Up

Now that life is starting to settle down a bit, it's time to catch up on the blog! I hardly know where to start, but here's my attempt . . . beginning with a few pictures from early September.
We were incredibly grateful to finally bring Abby home from the hospital after nine days. Her surgery went smoothly, and she was on the road to recovery when she was inadvertently administered a large dose of a medication that was intended for another patient. This led to some internal bleeding and set her back a few days, but thankfully, she recovered fully. We know that she was watched over by our Heavenly Father and are so grateful that the many prayers in her behalf were answered in this way.
She brought home quite a stash from the hospital . . . balloons, dolls, toys, books, etc. So many thoughtful relatives and friends reached out to her and to our family to lend support.
 After reading every American Girl book that we could find in our library system over the summer (about 100 chapter books), Abby was thrilled to receive an American Girl doll from each of her sets of grandparents at the time of her surgery. Here she is with Kit and Kaya.
And of course, the whole ordeal was more bearable with her best friend, Roo the Dog, at her side (as well as her loveys--two blankets from when she was a baby).
Abby is full of energy and is continually bursting with a million ideas and questions. I feel so blessed each time I see her dance through the house or climb a tree--she is truly a miracle.
Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos, Katie started preschool . . . and has loved it! She carpools with her friend Lynette and attends three mornings a week, at the same school where she was last year. She likes learning her letters and numbers and is beginning to read. She also enjoys the singing class, gym class, and art projects at preschool.

Katie also enjoyed some great bike rides with Daddy and has become quite a strong biker, even on rough trails!