Welcome back to 66 Goodbook Avenue! We ended Year 6 with a number of burning questions and I have answers for you on all fronts!

Firstly, Exodus is actually a pretty great little dude without the smugness I feared. He is diligent in his homeschooling, shares a particularly precious bond with Leviticus, and is upstanding in his walk with the Lord (whew! Had to throw Jesus in there). He is also learning how to workout from his father, who couldn't bear to witness the End Times in Spandex at the gym, so is performing calisthenics Safe At Home and getting in pretty good shape. (Genesis is doing all of the above AND a lot of cleaning, but that's her role as Godly young elementary-school girl so why mention it)

Secondly, Adam realized that in order to be the Spiritual Leader of the home that he was ordained to be, he needed to spend more time with his kids. He was much more involved in Year 7, and was actually even there for the (outdoor) birth of his 6th child! (June 2016, 13 months after #5)

Welcome to the world baby boy Joshua! We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you! (And hope you don't mind having the only normal name of your siblings so far!)

Speaking of siblings with weird names, Deuteronomy aged up to a toddler! Happy birthday sweetie! Very relieved that you got "charming" for your toddler personality! (Her color will be pinkish)

A "good" toddler personality is no guarantee of peace though, because even good toddlers can't control their emotions all the time. Independent and obedient Numbers, the easiest kid so far, was so distressed by the addition of her newest brother that she smashed the treehouse in a fit of rage! Elsie was so embarassed that CALE, who was spending time with the family, had to witness her niece's sinful nature. (In the picture below, notice Eva coming to yell at Numbers - though not blanket-train her - and Elsie in SWEATPANTS!) Though Elsie was NIKE in her workout attire, Cale didn't seem to mind and they enjoyed time in athletic pursuits together. Elsie had of course learned her lesson, and let Cale win.

Soon after Joshua's arrival, Eva and Adam hey-hey-heyed to their hearts' content with Elsie potty-training Deuteronomy the next wall over.

So it should be no surprise to anyone anymore that Precious Blessing #7 is on its way!!! How neat!

For those of you concerned about space issues, fear not! My maximum household size is 25, and the Edens bought bunkbeds!! (custom content downloaded)  Below, see the toddler bunkbeds for Numbers/Deuteronomy and all the precious babes asleep. See? There is still lots of room to stack those arrows for Jesus like cordwood. 

The last question to be answered in Year 7 again concerns our pet-fundie Elsie. After chatting on the phone in front of their families and going to the park again with Genesis and Exodus, Cale asked Elsie to Chez Llama for a Very Special Date. (picture taken by a chaperone who was obviously there)

Though he couldn't work up the courage during dinner, in the romantic night air Cale finally asked Elsie if she would enter into a Courtship Relationship with him! What?! Elsie and Cale had only been getting-to-know-each-other/special friends for 1.5 years now. She completely didn't see it coming! 

But OF COURSE she said TOTALLY! while they sweetly held hands for the very first time. They may not be on the level of a no-touch engagement, but what a Godly example these two are. 

The Edens had a better 2016 than most, but can the happiness last? Hoping for new blessings, sweet family moments, and a successful Courtship Relationship in 2017/Year 7, Edens out!