Beth's

Wednesday was Beth's birthday!

Beth was our 5th child and 3rd daughter.

She is an important part of this core family

which caused this large family (which she photographed)

and a very important part of this beautiful family.

I wrote about Beth in this post last year for her birthday and clicking on that link will take you to links to all her previous posts.

so I'll just post a few pictures here to show how she's changed 'through the years'

and focus on what's been going on in her life during the previous year - and it's been a monumental one for her!

First of all, this year, she continued working out with her good friend Sarah (right) and under the guidance of good friend and trainer, Lynette (left).

and she started running and ran in two 5ks - the first in March with Noah

and the second in May with Dan and Teresa in Florida.

In April she photographed her second cousin's wedding and it was one of those rare occasions where she got to cut loose at the end of the night and I got to see that she still has 'all the moves'.

and where she got to share a few special moments with Anna.

Shortly after that, she and Adam found out there was going to be a special 'addition' joining their two families together.

Then her then youngest, Clara, graduated from preschool!

Oh and they got more additions to the family in the form of chickens!  They started out like this in July,

looked like this in September,

and are doing this now.

During the summer, Beth became involved in Monat Global (the name comes from Modern Nature because they produce only healthy products that produce healthy hair).  Here are before and after shots of Beth's hair.  The first was from an old Timehop that came up for her and the second is how her hair looks now after Monat.

She loves the product and she loves being a representative for the product.

And right now she's pretty busy enjoying her special birthday present who came home on the day before her birthday.

and helping her lovebirds at home get acquainted with her.

So yes, it's been quite a year for Beth.  Now you know a lot of the highlights that transpired but I have to talk about the person that is Beth.

 She's very special, very evolved, and very smart and practical.  She's thoughtful beyond what's even good for her because she's so selfless and always prioritizes with her own needs at the back of the line.   She's such a worker too!  She could have taken a pass cleaning up at Thanksgiving 'under the circumstances' but no, she strapped on an apron and got busy!

She loves fiercely and gently.  She's protective and wise.  She's an amazing mom and an amazing daughter!  And it only follows that she's an amazing sister and friend - loyal, helpful, and honest.

And it's hard to believe, but after all these other attributes there's another that really stands out and that's her wonderful, quirky, sassy sense of humor.  If you're around Beth, you're probably going to laugh.

So, Beth, Happy Birthday!  I hope your day was amazing - no matter how tired you were - and that the coming year gets better and happier every day!  We love you and could not be more proud of you.

Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane's birthday was January 27th!

Sarah Jane is our 21st grandchild and 11th granddaughter!

She's a very important part of this large family although it's hard to see her in the picture since she's still in her mommy's belly

And, of course, a very important part of this wonderful family (and once again, hard to see her since she's still all cozy in Mommy's belly.

Since I wasn't there for much of Sarah Jane's existence in and out of the womb, I'm going to let her tell her story the way she remembers it.  Is that okay, Sarah Jane?  Sure, I've got it from here, Grandma!  What I remember most is being warm and cozy in my Mommy's belly.  I felt loved and secure and I looked forward to meeting the people who belonged to the voices that I so loved listening to.  Everything was pretty uneventful until around Christmas.  There was a big noisy party going on and all of a sudden everything got quiet because my mom had a special gift for my Aunt Sarah.

It started with Aunt Sarah reading a little poem.  She read,  "The physical gift you are about to receive, may seem a bit strange.  It's something you can't keep.

We'll take it home, and let it rest on our tree, but the meaning behind it will always be

At this point in time, you'll announce her name, which is only appropriate.....

Because she's

Sarah Jane."

After that, there wasn't a dry eye in the house and I was starting to realize how special I really was.

Things went along as before after that.  There were lots of doctor appointments and a few hospital visits but I still felt pretty secure until, all of a sudden, on January 27th, a door opened and I was out!

Obviously I wasn't real pleased about it at first but I soon got to see my mom and dad and that was awesome!  My Dad took lots of pictures of me and Mommy. 

And my world became all about goals,

and wires,

and strange garments and lights

I worked hard to gain weight

and get that breathing business figured out.

I could tell my mom and dad were proud of me and pleased with all my accomplishments but they did have a few anxious moments when the doctors did a special procedure involving intubation to help my breathing.

  They were led to a special waiting room and were comforted to see the rocking chair donated to the hospital NICU in memory of my brothers, James and Jake.  After that they knew the boys were looking out for me and I would be fine. 

And after that, my turnaround really was remarkable!

My mom was so proud of me!

and so was my dad!

and I was proud of me too.  Even though sometimes I just couldn't figure out some of the stuff they had me wearing.

And then I started nursing (like a pro - I guess because I loved it so much),

wearing clothes,

and sleeping in a big girl bed.

And then, the best moment of all - I was going home after just 10 days in the hospital!

It was really cool that the nurse who put the bracelet on my wrist when I was born, was the same one who cut it off so I could go home.

Then I got acquainted with my very own car seat

and enjoyed a quiet, happy, comfy ride home.

When I got home, I was pretty worn out

but I had a busy afternoon ahead.  I was finally going to meet the people that belonged to the voices I'd been listening to.

And that was wonderful.  I think Mommy and Daddy might have had a long night because I had a really hard time staying awake for my meals but boy, I'd had a really long and eventful day.  And that's my story. 

 Now here's Grandma.  Thanks, Sarah Jane!  What a wonderful story but I do have a little more to add.

From the very beginning, Sarah Jane has been amazing and full of surprises.  She turns her head to see who's talking and Beth says she nurses like a 3-month-old.  We're so happy that she's here and healthy and we're looking forward to watching her grow.  Although it's hard to believe she could get any cuter and prettier than she is already.  So Sarah Jane, happy 0 birthday!  Sorry your post is a little late but I was waiting til you got home!  We love you so very much and are so happy that you've joined our family.