"Mama? Do the angels sing at night?"

~Jacob

A few weeks ago, we had the privilage of driving up to Oakhurst to spend a wonderful New Year's at the Telian's home. This family blessed us once again with their energy, their wonderful hospitality, and loads of fun! :-) Unfortunately, we did not come home with very many pictures (we were enjoying fellowship too much) but we do have a few. Thanks again, Telians!



All the guys, enjoying one of Mrs. Telian's delicious meals.


The girls loved Susannah's story reading. :-)


'Banging' in the New Year. :-P A lot of laughter erupted in those moments!

Yummy, yum, yum!

Mom, enjoying the evening.

Miss Julia, charming us with her adorable smiles.

Names

The other day, Lillyann was able to get all our names out:


Dat (Dad)
Momma (Mom)
Maaa (Max)
Elll (Sally)
Bop (Bob or Simon)
Em (Jeremy)
Jawnee (Jayni)
Bee-cup (Jacob)

Holiday Cheer

This holiday season, we had the opportunity to praise, worship, and honor Christ more than ever before. In a word, it was wonderful!


Last month was also a season of "firsts" for the Parishes. :-) It was the first Christmas and first birthday of our sweet little Jaelynn Grace, the first Christmas we celebrated with our precious new children, the first birthday we celebrated with Jacob, and the first time we exchanged gifts. It was the first Christmas that a nativity set graced our piano, and our house was cozily decorated more than ever. ;-)


All these new things made December a unique month that was significant in the change of thinking that we have been experiencing the past two years.


The pictures below are a summary of our holiday season!



Happy Birthday Jacob (December 17)! Praying that you will grow to be a man of valor, and humility. May you become a man who is close to the heart of God.

We love you!

Max is Lilly's knight-in-shining-armor. Her world stops when he walks in the door, and she is enthralled with his smile . . . or is it Max the enthralled one? ;-P You'll have to come visit us to find out.

Happy Birthday Jaelynn (December 23)! She greatly enjoyed her chocolate cake, much to the amusement of everyone around. :-)

Praying that you will grow to be a virtuous woman, Jaelynn girl, and one who loves the Lord your God with all your mind, soul and strength! What a blessing this year with Jaelynn has been. She is a such a gift.

Here's the clan at Grace Community Church, waiting for their Christmas concert to begin. We enjoyed this concert the same day we took our family pictures with Daniel and Kendra. Amazed and inspired by this majestic outpouring of praise, we all were awed again by the miracle of Christ's incarnation.

Jaelynn is growing up so fast, and is walking now. Every time we see her we are all amazed at how much she has grown and changed. :-)

The Seymour children preformed in the Fresno homeschool choir this year, and we had the opportunity to attend! It was a fun night, and we enjoyed their beautiful voices.

Christmas time. . .

Blowin' out the candle!

Our sweet Christmas baby.

December is just not complete without a gingerbread house! ;-)

This picture is a few months old, but since we missed Thanksgiving on our blog, I thought I'd pop it in here! Actually, Kendra has a whole bunch of pictures on her blog at www.laparishs.com of that special day. It was great to have our first Thanksgiving at Dan and Kendra's house, and see the traditions being passed down. ;-)

All for now!

~Sally

Dinner with the Castangs

Mr. Castang's playing and singing made a jolly time for all of us!

I showed Mrs. Castang the latest horse book I'd been reading,

and we all enjoyed some great guitar music!

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a lovely evening with Mr. and Mrs. Castang and Matt Creek. The Castangs have been a large part of our lives over the year and have reached out so much to our family. Mr. Castang is a flight instructer, and taught Max how to fly in exchange for yard work. Mrs. Castang has been my equine mentor, and has taught me so much from her years of horse experience. Now, Jeremy is learning from her also, in exchange for work up at her ranch. They have been a great blessing, and we are so thankful for their willingness to pass on their knowledge to the next generation. Matt is a young man we have met through the Castang's. He rides with Mrs. Castang also and is her "son" in her heart.

It was a great evening, with Mr. Castang keeping us in stitches, singing old patriotic songs, and playing some lively games of spoons. :-)

Tea Parties

Jayni and Lilly recently were given a darling little tea set by Mom. They have been playing with it constantly since, and have enjoyed many tea parties! :-) Sometimes a gentleman is needed to make the party complete, so Jacob happily obliged.

Picture Time!

The following pictures were taken during a weekend visit to Daniel and Kendra's. We finally took the plunge and scheduled this event, enjoying the added bonus of an awe-inspiring Christmas concert at Grace Community Church. It is always wonderful to go visit Daniel and Kendra, and this weekend was extra-special. With late night visits, photography, Christmas concerts, and joy of having babies around, how can you go wrong? :-)

Merry Christmas to each one of you!

~The Parish Family


P.S. We finally got a taste of what is was like to take pictures with a large family. :-P With wiggling, tiredness, Jacob's enormous pants, (we had to get the only size they had) and a zillion people all trying to get the little ones to smile, we were grateful when the process was complete.

"That's the most strictly feminine utterance I ever heard," said Mr. Minturn with a short laugh.


" Thank-you," retorted Leslie, " The compliment is high, but I accept it. I ask nothing better at the hands of fate than to be the most feminine of women."

~ "Michael O'Halloran" by Gene Stratton Porter


I just love that! :-)

New Babies!

When we left on our trip back East, we had a sweet young lady named Carol take care of our animals. On accident one day, our dogs were able to get our chickens, and all that was left when Carol discovered them was a few survivors and a whole bunch of feathers. When we returned home Carol delivered to us a box of 25 baby chickens to replace our murdered flock. Thanks to Carol, we were able to enjoy baby chicks again! :-)

"The Magic of Ordinary Days"

God has graciously provided us with a new horse! Sam and Jeremy have begun a new relationship that has been great to watch. Cowboy is thrilled to have a pasture mate. :-)

Petting the horses at Mrs. Castang's ( my horsemanship mentor) ranch.

Simon shows his enthusiasm for our almost daily chore . . . mopping the kitchen floor! ;-)

The girlies pose for a quick photo in their jean jumpers.

Who's this boy smiling so nicely? Why, it's our Jacobi! ;-) Otherwise known as "Mr. Snap"

A peek into everyday life here at the Parish Ranch. Lilly waiting patiently in her high chair, Jeremy doing school on the kitchen table, Jayni getting up from her school to ask Mom a question, and Mom fixing a meal in the kitchen. :-)

Big brothers and little sisters; an unbeatable combination. Max and Lilly, Aaron and Julia Telian.

Jacob's first haircut! Buzzzz!

Dancing to our after-dinner praise music. :-)

Wrestling with Daddy

Lots of coloring