What's In My Teapot?

First of all, if you wish to be sane, don't do as I did! In other words, don't get married on December 9, have baby number one on December 22 and baby number 3 on January 2!!! Those three events on a pile would be a lot without cookie bakes and gift exchanges and Christmas caroling and family gatherings and family letters (oh, wait, that didn't happen this year!) and lot's of extra food and Christmas programs and pork and sauerkraut! With them, it's exciting at best...stressful at worst!!! I don't think we're extravagant with our giving, but we have chosen to celebrate birthdays and Christmas with a few gifts. So...right about now I am trying to organize and buy birthday gifts for two and Christmas gifts for many!!! It can get a little confusing, as in " wait a minute...did I get this for Parker's Christmas or am I saving it for his birthday?"  It can also get a little expensive, although a few of the gifts this year did come from thrif...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I am hoping this sentiment is true even if the photographer is me- an amateur- and the photographs are candid shots, at best! Just in case the pictures don't speak for themselves, I am planning to add some narration to fill in the inevitable blank spots! In mid-August, our family went to a cabin near Brickerville, Pa for several days. This spot is about one-and-a-half hours from us and it was the perfect vacation for the particular stage of life we're in...namely 3 children, including one whirlwind of a toddler. On Wednesday, the 13th, we packed & loaded the van & trailer and actually got out the door before noon! Wesley had outfitted our van with a hitch, and the trailer, on loan from my brother, was perfect for bikes & the overflow of luggage & food that didn't fit in the van. We made a stop at McDonalds for lunch and another in Ephrata to procure a key for our lodging. The next stop was our planned a...