“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:4-8
I have a warm and tiny newborn girl on my lap right now, dressed in soft pink with polka dots. Her cuteness makes me want to hold her nonstop, and squeeze and kiss. I took this picture this morning:
Rich left on Saturday to go to his Mom’s house with the children. His brother got married over the weekend and his Mom said, “When you come out for the wedding, leave the children with me for a week, so Shanda can rest.”
So, that’s what we did. Jacob, Ethan, Grace, Davy, Caleb, and Seth are all at their Grandparent’s house. It has been so slow and quiet here for the past couple of days. I got my first emailed update this morning and it sounds like they are having a wonderful time (as they always do, at Grandma’s house).
Rich came back home on Sunday night, but while he was away, Sarah and I had a treat……my Mom came to stay with us! My Dad had to work, and she drove out (4 hours) by herself, so that she could see Sarah for the first time. Having her come made me feel extra-loved, and I cherish the time we had together, just the two of us, and our sweet baby girl. We talked, looked at magazines, watched TV, ate our meals, went for a walk, took care of the chickens, cleaned Grace’s room…..just spending time, doing whatever we wanted to do. It was cozy and nice.
My mom, Cindy, holding her 12th grand-baby;
Yesterday was very quiet! Rich went to work and I was home all day with the baby. It was wonderful to spend so much time with her, nursing her as long as she wanted, changing her diapers and clothes, holding and rocking, looking at her, loving her. I did manage to get myself off the couch, and out of bed, a couple of times, to walk around outside. With the children gone, it’s up to me to take care of our chickens, and the bunny, and the dog.
C.C., Grace’s bunny. I pick clover for her, “bunny salad”, and she loves it.
George, the rooster:
The chickens are always thrilled to get out of the coop in the mornings. They eat bugs and plants.
I enjoy collecting the eggs. These are from yesterday afternoon. This morning I collected three big brown ones.
These are elderberry blossoms.
Yarrow, and daisies.
The weather is beautiful today. I drank my coffee, wearing my robe, out on the porch this morning, with Sarah wrapped up in a blankie in my arms. We listened to the birds. I got to see a Scarlet Tanager way up in the top of a tree by the side of the road. It was brilliant red, and was singing. I also heard a wood pecker, but I didn’t see it. We heard funny conversation down by the stream and pond, I wondered if it was frogs. The air is clear and sweet, and the sun is shining. It really is lovely.
A lovely day, a lovely baby, a lovely life. So much to be thankful for.
Good to be Home 
She is absolutely beautiful, and so precious! I wish I could give her a kiss! I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing week. It’s so nice to have that special time with just you new baby girl. =)
Oh so peaceful and restful. I love all the descriptions of what you are seeing and hearing around you. What a special time for you and your sweet new girl. I know you will miss your others this week but you know they are having such a good time. Sarah is a beautiful little baby. I wish I could kiss her too! What a treat to have your mom with you for a bit.Love the verse…one of my favorites. blessings to you, Jenny
Sarah has such beautiful coloring!! What a precious time you have with her!! Enjoy EVERY moment!
She is so alert! Glad you are having a restful week, love the polkadot outfit. Have fun with your dolly. Love ya Sis
Such a nice sounding time. I am going to try to make something like that happen here with our three, not so quiet, lovelies.
Oh a whole week to relax!! Sounds like heaven…enjoy every moment!!!! What a beautiful baby…makes me want another:):)
Oh, what a blessing to have the time with your precious bundle!! Enjoy it! Loved your post. The music and musing of your life soothed me this afternoon…thanks.
She is precious! Wonderful gift to have a week to rest!
WOW she has changed so much already! She is starting to look more like herself,not Seth! Her hair looks darker(what little she does have).She is so cute! Love the Bunny!And the chickens….i want chickens so bad,but one step at a time for us. Looking to get a goat first.(for some yummy mlk,i think..not sure about the yummy part but i know it’s good for us.) I love the header picture of the kids..you need one with all off you in it! Thats one of my favorite Scriptures!
hi shanda…….a simply beautiful post. and how wonderful to feel so much love from the family, helping you out. what a big boy seth is – first time away from you, yes? i’m sure he’ll be fine with all his brothers and sister around him. sounds like it will be a great week for everyone!!!
Another wonderful day in your life ~ thanks for sharing ~
There is a warmth and sincerity in your words and thoughts Shanda. You really are soaking it all in, these moments, this time, this season. Your life is rich in beauty and I’m just so happy for you.
Simply Beautiful!! so glad you have the chance to focus on her (and yourself) for a week!!
Sarah is adorable in the polka dots! And her expression in the last photo made me laugh!Praise the Lord for Rich’s mom – what a thoughtful, wonderful lady.Your mom is lovely. Now, when in the world was the last time you had an opportunity like that, a quiet visit ALONE with your mother? That is so, so special! It is amazing how the Lord has provided just what you have needed, including this extended time alone with Sarah, an opportunity to bond more with her. God is good!
So So special that you had that time alone with her. Your mom is wonderful..so nice of her to come and see you, especially when you need it most!Lovely post!!!
What a sweet little bundle of joy! Glad you got some one on one time with her. Also glad you could have a special time alone with your mother. {{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
loved everything about this post~ especially those polka dots!!
this post was so, so nice 🙂 I am glad that you have some time alone to cherish your newest little love…what a blessing both of your mothers have been!! Those eggs look so cool, I almost wish we had chickens!! Sarah is just so beautful and is starting to look more and more like her own little person and less like brother Seth or maybe she still looks like him, but a much more feminine version!
She is just adorable! Love the polka dots also!
I wanna come sip coffee on your porch in my bathrobe and hold your baby, too! :o) I’m glad you are finding time to enjoy all the little things around you. It shows what a thankful and sweet spirit you have. Sometimes, as mammas, we see all there is to do and all that’s not done. I believe it makes God happy when we delight in His creation.
She’s growing so fast and she’s beautiful! I’d like to have chickens so I could have some of those pretty colored eggs!!
Your mother looks very young to have 12 grandchildren! Baby is so pretty.
Glad you’ve had a chance to rest this week, and that your Mom was able to and visit. ❤
An adorable baby for sure!Enjoy your”alone”time with her!
what a blessing! I am so happy you have this time to just be with your little one and enjoy some quiet.
Sounds like a perfectly lovely day…
Your mother and mother-in-law are more precious than gold. What a blessing they are to you! Sarah is growing so quickly and looks much older than I know she really is! (not sure that sentence was grammatically correct – but you get my drift!) She’s very alert. I’m so glad you have this time to slow down and get your strength back. I’ve been praying for Sarah and you during the day time – praying for help for you and Sarah to be an extra “good” baby! Sounds like my prayers have been answered, Shanda! xo
Shanda~ What a lovely time you had, just you and sweet Sarah! Delightful. I loved all the pictures. She looks so well formed and older than she is. Soooo pink Glad you are getting rest and enjoying your sweet little blessing!~Cinnamon
Sarah is Precious in Polka-dots! She really is beautiful….and how wonderful for you to have a stretch of alone-time with her. Hope the entire week is filled with peace and joy for you….
Enjoy your special time with Sarah, who I have to say just one more time, is adorable!
What a lovely, quiet time of rest! How precious to have a few days to spend with just your newest little, a chance to get to know her on her own. Beautiful pictures and Scripture, too – thank you for taking some time to share with all of us!
good to hear things are going well! Lovely pics! Tell your mom she looks incredibly young!!
Congratulations!!! I totaled missed that you had had your sweet little baby! Xanga stopped sending me my email with new posts for a few weeks and then randomly started again this morning. She is precious and beautiful!! And I am so excited for you and your family. And what a blessing to have your Mom there. May God richly bless your new family!!~Cheryl
Amazing how quickly little Sarah is growing! Her eyes are so big and beautiful! So glad to hear how much you’re enjoying your time with your new little one.
She is adorable!! Glad you are able to have some quiet time with your adorable daughter:) I’m sure the other kids are being spoiled by Grandma.
Shanda, after reading your post I went out and picked wildflowers and put them in a vase to make me feel good here at home. You always inspire me to think or do something. Just seeing your photos of the yarrow and dasies brought back wonderful memories of last spring to me of time spent in the mountains photographing the same things. You delight in the simple things in life and that is good because God gave us those things to enjoy on a daily basis. We only need open our eyes to see the good. You are blessed and that new baby is too cute for words!!! God bless your day today as you have blessed mine.
Shanda, Congratulations on beautiful Sarah – she is adorable, a real ‘doll’ if you will. I’m a bit late on this – Xanga hasn’t been sending me email updates & this totally went by me! So glad you’re having a quiet time for yourself & baby Sarah, what a blessing that is for you right now! Again, Congratulations!
Your newest blessing is so beautiful. What a reason to rejoice.
She is beautiful. I love the picture at the top of your blog with Grace holding her. My your 4 big kids are starting to look so big! My folks have 12 grandchildren also. But I’m only responsible for 5/12ths of them.:) I think it is wonderful you had a week to bond with your newest little one.
Good morning Shanda, your post makes me so very happy. You are so loved. Your mother glows and sparkles with her 12th grandchild ! How good and considering of your mother in law…Great women make great families and strong bonds…don’t they.EnjoyGodeliva van Ariadone
You look so beautiful!