Bethi's birthday :)...

 Here are a few pictures from Bethi's birthday :). I don't have as many as I did for Peter, partly because Daddy took just her out, not the whole family :), and partly, too, because I didn't have my camera while we did her cupcakes :P... but, I still have these...

 

Emmi greatly enjoyed Bethi's birthday breakfast of waffles ;)...

 Bethi opened a very special gift before Daddy 

took her out... a pack of earrings. Guess where they made 

their first stop at? Hint- she didn't have 

pierced ears in this picture :)...

 Daddy and Bethi, going out for lunch, fun, and to get 

Bethi's ears pierced. She has been looking forward to earrings, 

but didn't think it would happen for two more years!

 Bethi :)...

 Emmi "guarding" the un-iced cupcakes ;)... 

(love the cupcake outfit for this picture ;)!)

 

 ...in full dress. (By the way, Mommy snuck a 

whole half a cupcake out from under her nose, hahaha!)

While they were gone, the rest of us were busy icing Bethi's cupcakes (we made them sea creature themed :), per Bethi's request), decorated the house, cleaned up, and started supper. When they got back, we watched a really neat video on what happens when you wring a cloth out in space, and Bethi opened her presents :)...

 Bethi-boo :).

 Cards...

 Tiny gift!

 She got a book by Emily Barnes... what is really 

neat, is that Bethi picked up one that we already 

owned the night before to read, with no 

idea that this was coming :)...

 This is a interesting gift :)... it has been 

sitting in the toy chest for years, and Abbi 

or Emmi wrapped it up for Bethi... 

...and Bethi just found out that Mommy made it

 for her when she was two! She didn't know 

it was her's, hahaha!

 Oh, the camera has been around a while, too ;)...

 Letter writing supplies! Bethi loves to write letters :)!

Bethi is so sweet :). She always buys items for 

each of us while she is out on her birthday :).... 

Abbi loved these puzzles she received :). 

(And I loved the note cards Bethi gave me :)!)

We then enjoyed supper and Bethi's cupcakes :). (Some of which, Tori would like me to know, looked like they were decorated with an octopus, not a jelly fish, haha....).
We are so thankful for the gift of Bethi, and thankful to the Lord that he has placed her in our family!

 And look at her little ears :)...

Happy 8th birthday, Bethi!!!

Bethi is eight years old! It doesn't seem that long since Tori and I ran into the kitchen to find our Aunt jumping up and down telling us that our little sister was here, haha :)...
It has been a delight to be with Bethi, laughing with her, talking with her, learning things together, helping her with her craft projects, and watching her grow this past year :). She has taken a great interest in helping the little ones at the orphanage in Pleven, Bulgaria, and it has been precious to see her enthusiasm in making items to donate to help bring them home :). She has also enjoyed getting to play the role of "big sister" to Peter in different ways then she was able to when Emmi was a baby, as she was older when Peter was born :). She has grown in the Lord, and her comments often bring us a smile :). She told us a couple months ago that "God is like a vase of flowers, because he holds all of us, and we are the flowers!", which I thought was a wonderful analogy :).
I am so blessed to have each and every one of my siblings, and today I am so thankful to take a pause in our lives and praise God for all that he has given us, especially, today, Bethi, a precious gift in our lives for eight years :).
Happy birthday, Bethi!!!

Peter's birthday...

You could say that Peter's birthday celebration started the Saturday before his birthday, since that was the day Daddy made it home and stuck his head around the corner of our screened in porch, haha :). We were thrilled, especially since we had thought that he would only be able to make it back for a day or two. He ended up staying until Wednesday :).
Peter's birthday, which I said was on that Wednesday, was actually that Tuesday, the 23d, haha :). (Am I great with dates, or what?!) ;) Mommy and Daddy's original plans were to go strawberry picking, but the strawberry farm wasn't open that day, so we chose to go take a picnic lunch and take a hike over the old Peak railroad :).

 On the road as we head out to celebrate his birthday :).

 Daddy and the birthday boy :)...

 

 Here I am taking a picture of Tori taking a

 picture of Daddy taking a picture of me taking 

a picture of Tori... haha! It gets better every year ;).

 Birthday boy :)!

 No, she wasn't taking the show for a

 while there, why do you ask ;)?

 Behind the scenes ;).

Ready to see what is on the other side of the fence :).

I thought the whole train aspect fit for a boy's birthday, even if he doesn't know it yet ;). Even if there was no train around ;). The railroad was destroyed in 1876 to stop Sherman's men on their route, but was re-built in 1904. Now it is being included in a trail that will, Lord willing, cover SC from the upper west corner, to the lower east corner! It was a lot of fun, and it was beautiful, not too hot, either, which was a blessing :).

The rails happen to be over a river ;). Some of us 

happen to be afraid of both heights and water. 

And yet, we all enjoyed it :)!

 Love :)!!!

 I love getting to be with my siblings all the time!

 This is really pretty :)...

 Birthday boy photo shoot :).

 Emmi wanted so badly to see turtles, but they 

just looked like rocks to her, poor baby...

 First time standing on a bridge, let alone an old train rail path ;)!

 Love her :).

I believe that is a Pearly Crescent, but I could be wrong. 

Daddy helped me with this one, if I hadn't cropped 

it you would see that his hand was three inches away,

holding up a leaf :).

When we arrived home, we started making Peter's birthday cake, a very special one :). It was so much fun! I'll share a picture later :)...
Daddy and Abbi and Emmi then went out to get the pizza for supper. Peter was happy to play with a balloon for a while, while Tori and Mommy decorated the house for his actual "cake and presents party", but was more than ready to eat by the time the pizza got here...

 "Little Brother" loved the balloons :).

See? They haven't even made it home yet, 

and he sat himself down ;).

Peter then opened his gifts, and he loved all of it! We have never seen a one year old get so into his birthday before, haha! He played with every toy as it came out of the paper, peeking into the packages when Mommy asked what was in the next one... He was adorable! I was thrilled when he loved the lamb I knit him (inspired going off the bible verse "He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep." John 21:17 :).). We are joking it was because I worked on the pieces in front of him, and he caught me once while I was sewing it together, haha ;)! He asked for it every time, so we guess he was thrilled he finally got his hands on it and I didn't hide it ;).

 Cards :)!

 "I get to tear it with permission?!!!!"

 "Help me out here...'

 "Aha! That is a perfect fit!"

 What is this?"

 

"I really think...

...that I am excited!" ;)

 The first in our family to own a smartphone ;).

 Look at his little hands putting the nails where they go :)...

Concentrating very hard :).

He equally enjoyed his "cake"... this little boy wouldn't eat more that a couple bites of solid food at a meal just a month ago, but he finished off almost all of this "smash cake" that evening. He LOVED it! Although some of us had pound cake, also, he thought that his first taste of watermelon was the best thing in the world, and needed nothing else!!!

 Isn't this neat?!

 A TRUE "Fruit cake" :)...

 Peter's own little "smash cake" ;).

 Excited :)!

 He is too funny...

 ...and adorable :).

 We hung this monkey on the back of Abbi's chair for her 

"monkey birthday" last year, and I think it has been on

every birthday person's chair since then :)...

 Looking up to Bethi :)...

It was a wonderful day, spent celebrating a precious, precious gift from God, with the whole family together, and lots of fun and laughter :). Love this little boy...