Hello sweet friend, how are you?

Its been a short while since I have been able to post, but today I thought I would give you some awesome and joy-filled news that has been a wonderful surprise for us this summer and fall.

Life moves on sometimes at a super fast pace, and part of that is watching your precious children grow up and turn into adults right before your very eyes. For many of you, you have watched our kids grow up right here on these very pages, and so I thought it only fitting I introduce you to our newest soon-to-be-son, Boaz. 🙂

Yep, that’s his name.

And yep, he gets asked that question all the time.

And yep…we tease him he is now going to be “Ruth-less” his whole life, at which he rolls his eyes. LOL

Even more precious, he absolutely “fits in” in every single way, and now that he has asked (and she agreed) to marry our oldest daughter Annalise, I am thrilled to welcome him into the family (and the Littles to have a big brother who loves and teases them just as they have always wanted.)

He came into our family this summer after being asked to a wedding by our daughter…and quickly became a permanent fixture at our home, bringing laughter, and silliness, and his amazing cooking right along with him. To say he has been a blessing for us during a difficult time would be an understatement, and we are excitedly looking forward to their wedding around Valentine’s Day!

He’s from a homesteading, homeschooling family, which of course, just adds to his awesomeness, so watch for years of posts about how crazy we are and how he just adds another side of crazy to the fun we have here. He is also one very hardworking young man, who loves to work with his hands, tells terrible “almost dad” jokes, and can bake a mean apple dumpling…all of which add to his charms. I know we will never need to worry about whether our daughter is taken care of, or if he will step up and do what is needed for her or their eventual family. He’s just that awesome, and exactly why it was so easy to love him immediately and welcome him into the family.

Since it is going to be a laid back wedding with lots of fun and quirky pieces to it, you can also expect that we will be showing how we make the table settings, being creative on the wedding flowers and decorations, and the food, and so many more things. They are very responsible young adults, and wanted to make sure that rather than spending a ton of money on a wedding, they would instead direct that money towards their new life together, which of course we approve of around here!

And as you can see, the “Littles” are not so Little anymore, and totally adore him. Both girls are now almost into the teen years (can you believe it???) and watching very closely how this amazing guy is treating their big sister, which I have thanked him for about a million times. Always a gentleman, always considerate, and always setting a good example, which is such a blessing for this mom heart to watch unfold!

Other big changes we have seen around here is the new Welcoming House Blog Shop going up (have you checked out all our awesomeness we have for sale over there?????) which is now a big part of supporting our family now that we are down to a single income through me. With the economic changes and many challenges, we are thankful for everyone’s prayers, support and encouragement through this summer with all the many big things happening here at the House!

We hope this new post brings you joy, and I know that Anna and Boaz would LOVE to read congratulations and comments from folks who have followed us for a very long time! Feel free to wish them joy and we will make sure that they get to see it from you!

Blessings to you and yours,

Heather