Merry Christmas!

Britton Brigade Christmas Newsletter - Telegram Style 

(because that’s what a busy mom can manage!)

Merry Christmas! ’Tis the season to bring you holiday greetings and family news! We hope you are well as we send much love from Ohio!

Family News

Our family grew! Hosanna Marie joined us on August 19. 7 lbs., 2 oz., 21 inches long. First hospital birth due to continually stalled labor. First helicopter ride to NICU for breathing trouble. 3 days in the NICU under observation. No major problems - praise God! Just working through some ongoing mild health challenges. Everyone LOVES this baby girl!! Happy, sweet, adorable. Producer of big smiles and explosive diapers.

Anniversary trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. in April. Included beach wedding for dear friends. Nathan officiated. Loved our R&R as a couple! Lots of beach walking, shell finding, and eating out!

Britton family summer vacation in Maine. Highlights: fishing, hiking, beautiful nature, blueberry pie, ocean views, family time.

Farm News

First batch of baby goats born in the spring! 5 total. Lost one baby. Lost one mama. Many lessons learned. Thankful for fresh milk and eggs. Kept garden simple. Canned green beans and corn. Sweet potatoes laid up for winter. Will return to soap making soon! Sofie the dog grew huge!

Nathan
Preaches, teaches, disciples young men. Loves basketball nights with the guys. Led first men’s retreat in the spring. Took Isaac and Josiah on first fishing/camping trip in the fall. Followed an herbal/dietary Lyme disease protocol for 9 months and experienced great improvement in health! Oversaw gardening and new basement renovations. Takes care of all family finances. Most expensive year to date due to basement project, new heat pump/AC, medical bills, new oven. But God provides abundantly!! We praise Him!

Katrina

Word for the year: Gentleness. (Still working on that one!) Finds motherhood to be greatest joy and greatest challenge. Grew and birthed a baby. So delighted to have a daughter! Greatly enjoyed experience with new midwife (now a good friend)! Homeschools, leads young mom’s Bible study, milks goats, enjoys hosting people, runs 2 little businesses, climbs laundry mountains, loves dates with her husband. Organized 2nd Secret Sisters project at church. Planned and led 2nd ladies’ retreat in the fall in Ohio’s Amish Country. Rarely sleeps (or so it sometimes seems!). 

Isaac, age 6

Creative, intellectual, competitive. Leadership skills growing! Handles all chicken chores for the farm. “Marketing Director” for soap business. Loves to build and create. Especially loves to play games. Reads up a storm! Enjoys reading his Bible at night and memorizing verses through AWANA Sparks Club. Played basketball in the winter. Learned to ride a bike, tie shoes, swim on his own. Lost several teeth. Lego extraordinaire.

Josiah, age 5

Artistic, strong, nurturing. Dotes on youngest members of family. Loves to color/draw, do gymnastics, wrestle, swim, climb trees. Is learning to read and write. Outgrew his nap. Joined Sparks at AWANA. Still enjoys cooking and make-believe. Official class clown of the family!

Adoniah, age 4

Enthusiastic, strong willed, bookworm. Loves preschool, puzzles, and crafts. Often has his nose in a book! Enjoys playing outside and helping with animal chores. Trains, tractors, fire trucks, and diggers are his favorites. Wants to be a deer hunter one day. Loves to go to Cubbies Club!

Silas, age 2

Helpful, cheerful, curious. An opinionated, full-sentence-talking, spit-fire tag-along! Loves to cook, play with play dough, catch stink bugs, play with tools, get into all.the.things. Is finally potty-trained. Dotes on Daddy and loves to wrestle with him! Occasionally snuggly, often bossy. Enjoys being a big brother. 

We pray your Christmas season and new year is full of the HOPE that comes through knowing Jesus as your Messiah and believing in His gift of salvation! “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope…” Romans 15:13

Adoniah Turns 4!

So it's officially embarrassing how long it's taken me to get this post up about Adoniah turning 4 considering that it is December....and his birthday was in August! 😝 But I stick with the mantra, "Better late than never!" Let's just say it's been a very full four months welcoming a new baby, dealing with some health issues for her, homeschooling, and keeping up with life. Oh, and did I mention laundry?!?

But now without further ado, we celebrate our third-born, Adoniah Wesley! It's been another year full of ups and downs with this munchkin as he continues to learn and grow in character and as he stretches me as a mother! He is my "larger than life" child with whom everything is a big deal! I love to see his utter delight in simple childhood pleasures as well as all the ways he has been improving in demonstrating self control - a trait we are constantly working on! Adoniah is super loving and affectionate, making tucking him in bed for naps and nighttime sleep a delight. 

Adoniah has enjoyed learning capital letters and numbers in preschool this past year. His knowledge of the Bible has grown by leaps and bounds as well! His favorite parts of school include reading books with Mom and anything involving hands-on, tactile objects. He still loves to do whatever his big brothers are doing, or lead his little brother into mischief with him (the two of them keep me on my toes)! Adoniah is very much a people person and does not like to be left alone. He enjoys helping in the kitchen and is getting quite good at doing simple tasks. He also loves to play outside, wrestle with Daddy, and help with farm chores. Trains, diggers, fire trucks, and tractors remain his favorites! 

I continue to trust that the Lord has big plans for Adoniah and the enthusiasm with which he lives life! In the meantime, he keeps me on my knees praying for wisdom in raising him and the ability to be the example of loving patience that he needs.

Here is the picture roundup of our blondie along with photos of his 4th birthday celebration!

Josiah Turns 5!

At the end of June, this little man turned 5 years old! His arrival rocked our world with an early, fast delivery, a challenging babyhood that had me questioning everything I thought I had figured out as a mom, and toddler years that were full of rough moments. BUT THEN, this special boy underwent a transformation and the sweetness I always knew was in there took center stage!! Today, Josiah Daniel is an absolute delight who loves God, loves his family, loves learning, and can't wait to love on his baby sister for whom he prayed. ❤

Despite the sometimes shy and sober personality many people think he has in public, Jo is blossoming into a child with a hilarious, wacky side too! He is constantly making me laugh with his facial expressions and silly antics! I have thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow this past year in his character, leadership, academics, and skills set. He loves to climb trees and wrestle, color, draw, swim, do gymnastics, build with Duplos, play dress-up, have books read to him, and do anything that Isaac is doing. He says he is not afraid of anything, and that is pretty much true! This kid has a heap of courage and daring when it comes to trying new things. I also appreciate the fact that Josiah is especially tender toward Silas and willing to always help him. Jo is my most orderly child who likes things just so and is very attentive to detail.

He has excelled in school and enjoys giving good effort toward his math, phonics, spelling, and handwriting. His favorite read-aloud this past year was called Twenty and Ten about Jewish children who were hidden and saved from Nazi soldiers.

To continue the tradition we started with Isaac last year, we got Josiah a big boy bike for his birthday with hopes that soon he can learn to ride without training wheels. He is loving the new adventure of being a bicycle owner (especially a red on)! 🙂

I am thankful for the work God has done in this boy's life and look forward to all the things He will continue to teach and develop in our Josiah!