Shara, Finn, + Wendy

There's nothing quite like sisters. Sisters show up all wearing the same shoes. 

Even though we were missing one, we had a blast, the three of us.

(just for fun: who's the tallest? No tippytoes either! Maybe a few years of child-rearing will diminish me too.) My sisters made sure Fee was held 24/7. Which made for some rather needy days after they went back home! But so worth it; I loved seeing my sisters hold my little one after years (13 of them!) of holding theirs. It was surreal, to still be their little sister still, but with a baby. 

Fiona, & Finn. Finn & Fiona. I love saying their names together. Finn loved Fiona's fluffy hair & kept trying to grab handfuls of it. I can't believe how much a baby changes in their first year! Fiona will be no where near Finn's size when she's 11 months, but still, she might be walking, will be smiling, eating table food, & have a personality. Besides just being stinkin' sweet, that is. Like this little guy. Isn't his fauxhawk adorable? He was a trooper, tagging along with us ladies everywhere we went. 

Darwin was pretty busy, & took advantage of my company to work a little more. It's that time of year. He knows I like to have him home in the evenings, but he figured with my sisters here, he wouldn't be missed quite as much.

He's enjoying snuggling Fiona right now, but I know he's really looking forward to this stage!

We kept their short visit (much too short!) low-key & stayed local except for a jaunt to the fading tulips & some shopping trips.

Sisters. Love them. Next time, Lisa, you should come. (Better get your pair of sperry's first!) That's the only thing that would've made this trip sweeter. 

Fiona Kathryn steals my heart

There are so many things I absolutely adore about my little Fiona. I love her sweet smiles, which are getting more & more frequent. She has a way of raising her eyebrows inquisitively that makes me wonder where my newborn went already. One of her ears sticks out a little more than the other, which Dar finds slightly alarming, but I find absolutely charming. 

She loves the sprawl out, with her arms above her head. When she's awake, she'll intently study my face with wise old eyes, hands clenched in little fists tucked under her chin. She loves to cuddle and be held. I know it's going to come back and bite me, but I can't help but hold her right now...all the time. Her little noises, grunts & squeaks, are usually how she communicates rather than crying. 

After baths, her hair fluffs up in a flossy headed halo. She loves baths & will lay totally relaxed & eyes half-lidded while we massage shampoo in her hair. 

She is still so little of what she will gradually become! I can't wait to watch her grow & discover the world around her 

Easter 2015

I started typing this post over a week ago. It's crazy how a week at home can fly by so quickly & with so little to show! But it was good to wait: it gave me time to reflect on what Easter is. There aren't photos that can capture that, so you will have to settle for some pathetically shallow ones of us in our Easter finery.

We had a beautiful Easter this year. I have to confess that it was hard for me to focus on what Easter really means with the little Fiona occupying all my waking (& a lot of sleeping!) thoughts. But going back to church & again hearing the beautiful story of redemption helped. And having little Fee has given my heart a glimmer of what it really meant for God to give His Son, His only beloved Son as a sacrifice that we might live. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about my sweet darling daughter being tortured & betrayed, rejected by me, the one she implicitly trusts & looks to to meet all her needs. Yet that's what God did, & more. For a wretched race of people, some of whom will live their entire lives belittling & making a mockery of His ultimate gift of love. How serious it is! And I am ashamed to confess I think of it lightly all too often. I take it for granted. I think of how angry & hurt I would be if people rejected my daughter's good deeds--& that is a weak comparison to Christ's act of love! It was good to think about.

We spent Sunday with Mom & Dan & the Sinn's. I'm so thamkful for our wonderful families!

And this man & his daughter...it's impossible to describe the love I feel for both & how soft I feel to see the adoration he already has for her. I pray we will be good parents; patient, kind, & loving, able to confess mistakes & ask forgiveness. I pray little Fee will come to know what Easter means by our everyday example & teaching. Right now, it's hard to imagine her sweet innocence turning to a need for forgiveness, but it will happen. And when it does, I pray she can think of what Easter means & reach out to her Savior.
Hope your Easter was as thought-provoking & lovely!

tulips & babies

I love tulips. They are kind of bright & gaudy, but they are unpretentiously so, & herald spring. It's hard to imagine looking at a field of tulips & not being cheered up. With the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in full swing, and since I've been feeling pretty good, it seemed a shame not to go. My brother Evan, & sister-in-law, Laura, were here from the Midwest, so we went. It was a little breezy, but was sunny & the cheery tulips overshadowed any chilly breeze. It was so fun to watch Livy tramp through the tulips--no tiptoeing there!

Evan was the only one of my family who got to see Fiona right away. He'd been planning to come out over his spring break anyway, & it happened to line up with my due date. Yay! He was thrilled (insert sarcasm) with his new little niece & couldn't stop holding her & exclaiming how adorable she was. Well, he didn't say that, but I know he was thinking it. He is a man of few words. And don't you love that curl in the middle of his forehead?

 Little Kaso was a good sport with all the females (& Ev). Ten months ago, there were no grandchildren in the Tom Sinn family. Now there are three! And this is only the beginning. I'm so glad my children with have oodles of cousins to pal around with out here. It will be another generation of Sinn closeness.

 Little Fee slept the whole time, bundled up. She's been a little peach when I've taken her out. . I am twitterpated:).

 It will be so fun when the cousins are a little older & can fight interact. The family dynamics will change, but it will be good.

I'm so thankful for my sisters-in-law & bright flowers! It is hard not to think of God's blessings when I look at these photos of the people I've come to love & the beautiful brilliance of acres & acres of tulips.