Our sweet, fiery, loud, hilarious, adventurous Beatrice turned one this week. My goodness, she’s such a joy.

I was really proud of the cake I made her: a simple yellow cake with cream cheese frosting (both delicious recipes from Sally’s Baking Addiction), decorated with blueberries and mint leaves. Sally’s recipes never fail me. I’m so glad my sisters-in-law introduced me to her website!

Like I did for Michael on his first birthday, I made her two things she can have as a keepsake: a little felt bunting she can hang in her room, and a birthday crown.

Her actual birthday was quiet and simple — we saved gifts and cake for the day after, when we could celebrate with family. However, we are very grateful for the family and friends who remembered her on her birthday and texted or called us to sing to her, belated or no. Even though she’s still little and may not remember her first birthday, both Jake and I realized how much it means to us when people remember and celebrate our babies.

Beatrice loves putting things on her head or around her neck: necklaces, towels, clothes — whatever she can find. She still prefers crawling to walking, and if she has something she doesn’t want to drop, she’ll clamp it between her teeth as she crawls. She’s as active as her brother, and loves to climb up on tables and the backs of chairs.

She’s got quite a voice, and she uses it. All the time. At max volume. And honestly…I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m proud of my fiery girl, and I love her so much. May she never be afraid to use her voice.

We’re grateful for the beautiful weather we’ve been having — it’s allowed for more garden time. Michael has been hunting “good bugs and bad bugs” (roly-polys and centipedes). He releases the good bugs back into the garden and throws the centipedes over our fence.

I got one more garden bed weeded and cleared: one more to go! We’re past our last estimated frost date, so I’m excited to get more veggies in the ground. I’ve also got a robust compost pile started — I’ve been researching composting methods and hoping I can make enough to healthily amend our soil without having to buy it in the future.

Michael’s been assisting in making meals lately, and he’s a very big help. We really enjoyed pizza night: homemade pizza is one of our favorite meatless meals. He’s been very patient as I still recover from sickness — even after a round of antibiotics I’m still fighting a gnarly cough. It’s made our outdoor activities less frequent, but we’ve had some fun sensory bins in the meantime. Dry pasta, rice, ice, and pompoms are the current bin filler favorites, and pipe cleaners, pots and pans, and bulldozers are the favorite toys.

We’ve survived the first week of Lent without too much strife: I did, however, somehow manage to crack our kitchen sink by dropping a soap bottle less than 4 inches from the surface. It’s a nice three-way crack that goes straight through the sink. I put pictures below because I know I wouldn’t have believed it without seeing it. The warranty-covered replacement is back ordered til April, too. Thankfully it’s still usable for the time being, but I look forward to when I can use our sink without constantly checking for leaks underneath.

I’ve been spending more time reading: I’m finishing up Lloyd Alexander’s Westmark trilogy, which I’d never read before and am thoroughly enjoying. I read aloud the short chapter book The Dragons of Blueland to Michael in one sitting, and we’re now slowly making our way through The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald while Bea naps and he plays in his sensory bins.

As for making, I finally finished my huge comfort knit shawl. I currently only have a picture of it before blocking: it bloomed beautifully large and lacy after blocking. I also finished spinning 4 oz of a combo spin, and I’m working on the second bobbin now. I’m still working on a handful of other projects and I hope I’ll have a few more finished objects to show soon.

As I mentioned previously, for Lent I deleted all social media apps except Pinterest from my phone (I use Pinterest for a lot of recipes and crafting tutorials/ideas, and don’t get sucked into “doomscrolling” on it). I’m actually really enjoying my self-imposed break (and the accountability announcing it has given me, lol).

I’ve decided to pop on Instagram/Facebook again on Saturday evenings to share my blog posts and do a brief catch-up on faraway friends (the two things I appreciate social media for most). It’s a good balance; one I’m hoping to maintain even after Lent. It’s helped me reclaim my time for things I enjoy more: reading, knitting, and intentional play with the kids.

I don’t know if it’s my lessened screen time or Lent or what, but recently it’s been easier for me to find things to be grateful for in the midst of the chaos of life: baby giggles, dog or cat snuggles, an unexpected extra hour of sleep, toddler rain boots, the way sun comes through the living room window at 7:35 am, new music to listen to, morning lattes. The smallest things I might’ve passed over have become tinged with the golden light of gratitude. And I hope that golden light finds you, too, as we move onwards through this fasting season.