The date is set!

April 6th, 2013

Kaden and Amy decided they wanted a small family wedding. It will be a simply beautiful celebration of two becoming one! 

Driving!

In January, Janessa and Jillaine both took their road tests and got their driver's licenses.

Whew! Nine down! Two to go!

Kaden's getting married!

Kaden talked to us, talked to the young lady's Dad, and took his Mom to look at rings. Then big brother Davis went with Kaden and using his vast experience the boys bought a ring. With great excitement, he decided he couldn't wait and go through with his original plan, but needed to propose yet that very day.

Kaden asked his mother and sisters to fabricate some plans and stories so as not to arouse any suspicion with Amy. Well, our stories worked. He proposed. She said yes! Lot's of pre-Christmas excitement!

 Davis & Danielle took some great pictures of Kaden and Amy right after Christmas. Here are a few!

Birth Announcement #11

Number eleven! Doesn't that just sound crazy? But God knew we needed a Christmas angel in our home and we were delighted to be her parents. My due date was December 25th and it even seemed she was going to make her appearance on that very day. The 'angel' expression came from her blonde curls. How could we not resist!

 

I had the idea of a bank cheque for several of the children but had never used it. Dave and I decided #11 was the one! I wrote the wording and with a new computer and a graphic design program, I was all set. But I needed the help of my skilled daughter Darla to be ready to print. She just took over for me. That's what happens when you have a child in 1979 and 1999! 

 

Maryn Elyse has brought so much fun to all of her brothers and sisters, not just us as parents. She is the actress, the graphic story-teller, a great little pianist, an amazing singer, a personality with lots of spunk and just plain cute. She is the first Kennedy Kid to break a bone. She loves Playmobil, cats and dogs. She has wild hair and often looks like she doesn't have a mother.

She is a sweet young lady and we are thrilled that God chose to entrust us with eleven.

Merry Christmas happened!

What would Christmas at the Kennedy's be without singing!   The kids went together and bought us (well, realistically for Mom ;) a camera. I, Beccy, was delighted, as our camera as well as our video camera's batteries would not hold their charges. We had an enjoyable day with Kaden, Janessa, Jillaine, Lehman, Maryn, Jared, Liana & Vienna. It was made complete by the turkey, Apple Dream Salad and Skor Bar Dessert!

Click to see and hear some home-grown music taken with the new camera!

Birth Announcement #4

When I was 20 weeks pregnant I took a bad fall while taking care of a neighbour's dog. I was so worried about the baby and was relieved to hear the heartbeat and know that all was well. I did have, however, incredible back pain and leg pain. Physio and chiropractic care just made my symptoms worse, so I was put on bed rest to wait out the pregnancy. The thrill of new life was a delight to Dave and I as we traveled through those dark days. A sign of God's hope!

Darla prayed for a baby sister, talked about her all the time and there was no convincing her that God might be creating another brother. When Lauryn was born she said, "Yeah, I knew it was a girl."

I laid on my left side with the typewriter on a piece of plywood set on the mattress to type these birth announcements. Head on the pillow, I reached over with my right hand and typed one letter at a time. Needless to say I only typed 10 announcements and it bothered me that I couldn't give out a multitude of announcements in honour of our new baby girl.

Lauryn was God's gift to us. We had prayed about God's will before she was even conceived. We rejoiced in her life while others criticized us for having four children. We learned about suffering and God's grace in a new way. We learned how to live in a new normal with a nanny while waiting for back surgery. Living life with four kids was a great time of life!

Her middle name was chosen for its meaning 'worthy of love'. The blessing of having a baby in the house helped time pass as we waited out the diagnosis and prognosis of my back injury. She grew and changed every day and the smiles brought joy to our home.

Lauryn was determined to keep up with her three older siblings and there was no holding her back. She was a real tomboy and had the uncanny skill of choosing the oddest of outfits. This is something that definitely doesn't characterize her anymore! :) She had a passionate love of dogs and other critters.

She had the cutest little British accent as a pre-schooler, loved to root around in her drawers and give gifts, and had the ability to get the last word in edgewise. We thought she'd become a lawyer. ;) Instead she was an amazing receptionist and administrator.

With Lauryn now married, the mother of three children and the only one still living in our home province, we are blessed to know that she too serves God. He has been good to us!


 

Birth Announcement #3

Happy Birthday Jared!
    I am so far behind in what I need to be doing! And does not do justice to my only early baby!

Jared's birth announcement was a white single folded card. I put car stickers on the front and the above wording on the inside. It was hand-typed and went out to family and friends.

My due date was January 5th and we were so delighted when Jared decided to make his early arrival.
He was such a good baby, sleeping 4 hours between feedings and automatically did a 6 hour stretch at night. Darla and Brent were thrilled with him. Jared made it a very special Christmas that year!

Jared is the quietest of all our children. He is the one who toilet trained the easiest and quickest. He required the least amount of discipline but he was the one who pouted the most. He was tentative in learning new things and often needed motivation for those 'get on the bike' situations. He is known as the encyclopedia - if any one will know the answer it will be Jared.

Jared is a fantastic husband, father, big brother and son and has a sincere and full devotion faith in God. What else could a parent ever hope for!