I guess the biggest news this month is that Abigail was baptised! It was such a lovely service, and I was once again just really pleased that we did not get Abigail baptised at birth. It is so special watching a child grow in their faith and make their own decision to be baptised. Abigail gave her testimony confidently and clearly. She chose Lillie to be her sponsor (which is basically a support for the baptisee and someone who holds the towel and wraps it around the soaking wet person when she exits the pool). Happy sigh. It was just lovely:
Early in the month, Gary took Abigail and Becca back home to Northern Ireland. We could not all afford to go at the same time, nor could we find a time when all eight of us were available to travel. Gary hadn’t been home for a couple of years and really wanted to go and we knew the little ones missed their Granny and Grandad so it was logical that he took them. I needed to stay home just in case Charlotte became ill again. Gary only got one photo whilst he was there (!). Here is Abs and Becs with two of their cousins Bella and Sophia:
Schoolwise, Becca has been finishing off a study into Pablo Picasso, as well as her first term of work for her Level One in Textiles:
Abigail has been enjoying her Environmental Studies and Geography, and did really well on her first Spanish assignment at Wolsey Hall:
Ads and Charlotte have moved all their work into the shed, where they have created a his and her office area:
I’ve captured some really cute photos of the two of them this week:
Lillie has well and truly made her mark on her art studio, which is looking its usually messy, disorganised space:
But she is really enjoying university and has already been voted in as class representative, so that’s kind of cool. And she is vice president of the Christian Union. Oh, and she’s still working at the RAC as a waitress, and she has a social life which makes me exhausted just watching her! AND she is a leader for the youth group on a Sunday night. Honestly, when I think of her struggles a couple of years ago, as she watched her twin go off to school and not really knowing what she wanted to do with her life, and then now…Life is incredible good for Lil right now.
I’ve also engaged the (very reluctant) help of the remaining child/teens left in the house to come out gardening with me for an hour every day. Gosh, you would have thought I was trying to persuade them all to enter a torture chamber, and y’know, be tortured! But, I have to say, we all had an enormous amount of fun and after the first few times, they seemed quite the converts and some might say enthusiastic:
I can’t in all honesty say that an awful lot of actual gardening gets done, but we have lots of fun singing and dancing and joking around with each other.
Lastly, the twins turned 19 yesterday. They have had multiple celebrations, beginning with a dinner out with Ads (just Charlotte), a video night with a friend from her old school (Charlotte) and one from uni (Lillie), a pub night out with a few friends from church (where there was a live band who played and sung ‘happy birthday to the girls!) and waffles with the family, Lil is going out with some friends from work and they are both having a themed party (I think everyone is dressing up as someone whose name starts with the same letter) in November. Fortunately, I only had to think of the waffles and provide the pizza and ice cream for the video night! I tell you. I’m tired just writing about it!
But as exhausting as it all sounds, this time last year, Charlotte had just begun having seizures every few minutes. She was much healthier and much happier this year.
I hope you have all had a wonderful October, and I’ll see you in November!