New Little Blessing!

About six weeks ago the Lord blessed us with a very special blessing.  It came in a very small package weighing 8 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19" long.  This sweet little blessing was the first grandchild to enter the Alexander family; Tayte and Martha's first child.  Miss Alexandria Lea was born on September 23rd, just five minutes after midnight.  With a beautiful complexion and a very peaceful, content disposition, she was just perfect.  Babies are such an amazing thing.  Such tiny complexity; they are truly amazing works of God's hand.  We are so thankful for this little girl.  It is so precious watching Tayte and Martha be parents, and Alexandria has very proud grandparents and uncle and aunts. :-)  Here are some pictures that we've been able to capture over these past weeks that capture these special moments.

Tayte, Martha, and Alexandria

Beautiful Little Family

Little Alexandria

just a couple hours after she was born

 'Grandpa' & 'Daddy'

with Alexandria

Those are two thrilled guys!

 A special moment very late at night.

'Grandma' holding her first little granddaughter while she slept.

The morning after Alexadria was born we had four kiddos at our house who were very anxious to meet her. :-)

I love each of their expressions.

 'Aunt' Elizabeth holding her for the first time.

 'Aunt' Sarah holding her for the first time.

 'Uncle' Titus holding her for the first time.

 'Aunt' Esther holding her for the first time.

Since little miss Alexandria's birth, there have been many trips down the lane to check in on everyone, and we are enjoying watching Tayte be a daddy and seeing Martha being a mother.  And there are always many arms that want to hold that special little girl.  Here are some more random pictures.

 Titus is a wonderful uncle; very tender and sweet with his little niece.

This picture was taken the first day Tayte and Martha brought her down to our house.

 A very thrilled, awe-struck 'Aunt' Breanna

 and a very delighted, amazed 'Aunt' Brittany

 Sweet Martha and Alexandria came down for their first little visit one afternoon.

We all so enjoyed that!  That little girls gets passed around the room a million times. :-)

 ~ First Time Babysitting ~

We were all so thrilled when Breanna came back home from Tayte and Martha's with Alexandria in her arms one day.  It was only for about an hour or so, but that was one special hour with a very loved on little girl.

 We never just stand around gawking at her. ;-)

 Alexandria definitely likes her thumb.

She was sucking her thumb like crazy just a couple hours after she was born.

 She likes her pacy too. :-)

Esther enjoyed holding her outside and Alexandria seemed contented by the environment.

 Everyone wants a chance to hold her.

That smile could not get any bigger!

 Precious Picture

Father and Daughter looking at each other.

This was taken on Tayte's 20th birthday.

 Baby close-ups. - A favorite at our house.

Beautiful little baby doll.

 Such a cutie!

She really had Breanna and I cracking up on this one.

She kept pinching her cheeks and chin and making cute little expressions.

She had two very captivated aunties for sure.

Time to get out the baby toys!

The girls had lots of fun keeping Alexandria happy with all our baby toys.

It is so neat to be using these saved toys with our first little grandbaby!

So there you have a brief overview of the past six weeks of baby activity around our place. :-)  I hope you've enjoyed seeing the newest little member of our family.  We are truly blessed, very thankful, and totally thrilled!  We are praying that the Lord will work in little Alexandria's heart, draw her to Himself and use her for His glory and for the building of His kingdom.

~Brittany

Mid-Year Family Pictures Post

It's time for another picture post. :-)  May, June, July, and August.  A little delayed, but better late than never. :-)  It is amazing to look back over the months and see what all has happened.  The Lord is so good and so merciful; he blesses us in innumerable ways.  Here we would like to share with all of you some snapshots into our lives over these past four months.  Truly, family is one of His greatest blessings, complete with the daily tasks and joys of life.

May

Roasting Hot Dogs

Campfires are a family favorite. :-)

Daddy and his little girlies standing at the entrance to Lowes

Through all the years of house remodeling, since the time we older three children were little, we have developed many fond memories connected with this store.

Martha's first Mother's Day

(as an expecting mommy :-) )

Special Mother's Day Brunch

The blueberry lemon scones have become one of Mom's new favorites. :-)

I cannot express enough how thankful we are for our mom.

Truly, we have been blessed with a godly, virtuous mother, and we are so thankful for her example.

And then our Dad :-)  He is an amazing guy and a wonderful dad.  We are very grateful for his godly example as well.

And then there is them as a couple.

We feel like we have the most wonderful parents in the world. :-)  Truly, thanks to the grace of the Lord, we would not be the people we are today without them!

Beautiful Lilies

Mom's Mother's Day gift from Tayte and Martha

 

Baby bunnies the kiddos found.

 Our Beautiful Little Flower Waterers :-)

 Green Beans from the Garden

We were so thankful for all the produce the Lord provided from our gardens this year.

We have a lot to learn about gardening in Georgia, but the Lord is so gracious to provide.

Elizabeth trying her hand at Calligraphy

One of our many snake adventures. :-)

Our faithful dog is always on the spot.

Family Trip to Ohio & Indiana

 On the way there.  It's a long haul, but we have a lot of fun just being together.

Now is that face cute or what?!  :-)

 Our uncle brought Katie over to Grandma's to spend an extra day with us.  The kids all had so much fun. :-)

Here they all are in the U-Haul we rented to bring some things back home in.

 Family get-together at the Frame's

We so enjoy these precious times of catching up.

 And so do the guys. :-)

This is a very typical capture of amusement among our guys.

 Lilacs - Mom's Favorite :-)

:-) Best Buddies :-)

On our way to Grandma Webster's

 Mom and Great Aunt Jenny

sweet conversations

 Grandma and Elizabeth

 Mom and Aunt Tonja ... and Sarah

Playing "Mother May I?"

Traveling back home we made a stop to get out and walk around a bit.

 These two are so much alike! :-)

 These two are best friends. :-)

 Who wouldn't want to be together? :-)

Curious little minds :-)

 These two little girls love their big brother!

And he's very fond of them as well. :-)

 Repainting Bedrooms!

Titus was a phenomenal helper.

Enjoying the outdoors, their playset, and a snack. :-)

 Dad and Titus working together making a gun rack.

 Our Gardens and Chickens

 There's something so special about being a big sister. :-)

We sure do love all our little siblings.

 Pruning Rasberries

 Sunday afternoon fellowship with two precious sisters in the Lord.

We are so thankful for their friendship.

A stop on our way home from church to see the newest little member of our congregation.

June

While painting bedrooms we girls received a sweet note.

Titus is a sweet little guy. :-)

Setting up the swimming pool!

Very happy kiddos!
They enjoyed many, many a day this way.

 Such a sweet thing to see.

Bell working on crocheting her first baby blanket.

Giving Daddy his Father's Day gifts.

We have such a loving, caring, faithful, godly dad, and we're so thankful for him.

Setting up Martha's Co-Sleeper for coming baby!

Produce is coming in from the garden.

Canning tomato juice and spaghetti sauce.

The two little girlies making cookies together.

They both love being together and in the kitchen.

July
Family Get-Together at Uncle Trent & Aunt Deena's

 Jake taking the kids on one of many rides.

Watching "Audacity"

Playing a game of Hearts

Water Balloon Toss

 Water Balloon Fight :-)
These two were definite ring-leaders.

 Group Photo
We so enjoyed getting to spend this time together.

Grandpa and three of his four children

 Picking Elderberries

Little Sarah sweeping the kitchen floor.

So tickled with her new hair things.

Sweet Bell is so creative, and very grateful and joyful.
One evening we found this precious little note written on a piece of bark in our dresser drawer.
We wouldn't know what to do without our younger siblings.

August

Some neighbors were kind and shared their abundance of pears.

We had fun picking, and just being together.  Even Tayte and Martha came along.

Canning up Pear Sauce

We so enjoy the times when we're able to do projects with Martha too.  She is a precious sister-in-law.

Bell was so excited to start her own kumbucha.

She even made the little cover for it. :-)

 Mom and Dad's 26th Anniversary

opening all their gifts

 Their special dinner, set up out in the camper.

 A friendly turtle made his way into our yard.

The kids were so thrilled. (and the dog was intrigued)

 Esther's 7th Birthday!

For each of the children's birthdays up to 12, Mom and Dad give them a dollar for each year and let them pick out whatever they like at the Dollar Tree.  It's always so fun to see what each one comes up with.

Here Mom and Esther are getting ready to leave.

Thus ends the overview from these four months.  A very long post, I know, but I think it's neat to be able to look back, see and reflect on the happenings of life.  I hope you all have enjoyed getting another little glimpse into our lives as well.

“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.  The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.  Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”

~ from Psalm 72 ~

~Brittany