Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Bentley Kyle - My New Nephew


On Friday, I met my newest nephew.  It seems that the Leister family just continues to grow.  

On October 23rd, Bentley Kyle made his appearance.  He was 8 lbs and 9 ozs and 20" long.  As you can see, he has dark hair and his mama says dark eyes.  I never did get to see his eyes.


I always forget how small they start out.



Brandi, Brandon (his dad), and Bentley stopped by for a bit on Friday.  It was good to get to hold Bentley and see my sister.  They both seem to be doing well.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Birthday Girl

17 years ago today Bailee was born.  Each year she gets older I get blindsided by the fact I am older.  I remember when I was a teenager and my mom would tell me she didn't feel old enough to have me.  I totally get it now.  When you have a child at 19, you just don't feel that old when they get to be in their late teens.


Birthday breakfasts are a big deal at our house.  Crepes are the most asked for item.  This morning we had crepes, bacon, and fried potatoes.

 

Saturday we had her birthday party.  Thank you everyone who came for it.  She felt very blessed by your presence.




Blowing out seventeen candles.




Thank you everyone for contributing to the iPod fund.  She is almost there.


Another year older - I cannot believe it.  Have I said that yet?!  I think I will probably just keep on saying.  I have yet to accept that they all just keep growing and getting older.

Monday, October 29, 2012

A Cascade Christmas - Book Review


A Cascade Christmas consists of four novellas with a Christian theme.  I found I really enjoyed three of those stories while find one very hard to get through.

Home for the Holidays - This was a cute story about being yourself.  Anna Wilkin is completely different from her older sister.  She is the boy her father never had and she is okay with that until she meets Jeremiah Tucker.  Once she meets Jeremiah, she wonders if being a lady would make him notice her as a woman and not just a pal.  In the end, she finds that being herself is more important that trying to be what others would like you to be.

One Evergreen Night - This was the story I had a hard time getting through.  I found that the writing style was very choppy.  It jumped back and forth between characters and different scenes way too quickly.  At times, I would have to go back and reread a section to make sure I was understanding the flow of the story.  The story line was good, but overshadowed by the writing.

All Ye Faithful - I would love to see this level of faithfulness happening in today's men and women.  I enjoyed this story, because the hero never gave up.  He thought about it, but determined to persevere.  I think this is an important lesson that has gotten lost in our "instant" society.

A Carpenter Christmas - This story was definitely my third favorite.  I found the story line a bit too much.  The heroine, Natalie Bollen, and the hero, Willum Tate, just seem to think too much.  I know our life experiences shape who we are, but this story just felt like they could see nothing else but their past.  I appreciate how the Natalie chooses to show her devotion my sticking with her man at the end of the story, but it was a bit much to wade through to get to that point.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I love reading novellas and having something I can pick up, read, and get all the way through the story in one setting.