My Messy Manger: Updated: Annual St. Patrick's Day Pictures

If you've been following my blog for a very long time, you may remember that I love St. Patrick's Day. I love the color green, I love it when large groups of people wear matching things, and I love the story behind the real St. Patrick. We've been taking a family picture on St. Patrick's Day since Jude was born, and this has become a space for me to chronicle our changing and growing family over the years.

2009: This was taken at the seminary, one of our first outings after Jude was born. Jude was just over a month old, and I was still in a lot of pain.

2010: In our apartment at the camp in Moldova. Jude made up for not having much green last year by sporting green from head to toe.

2011: Again in our camp apartment in Moldova. We both taught that day, so I actually got fixed up this year. Standing Jude up in the windowsill had become one of the only ways to get him to be still enough for a picture.

2012: We were back in America, and Murray State played in the NCAA tournament on St. Patrick's Day, so we had to find a way to celebrate both at the same time. You can barely see my green t-shirt under my Murray State one.

2013: St. Patrick's Day fell on Sunday this year, so we got a picture after church. We'd been driving down to Mt. Tabor for several weeks for Josh to preach, and they were about to vote on him a couple of weeks after this. Jude was grumpy and clinging to his empty to-go food container because he was hungry.

2014: In Jude's room in the parsonage, our home. The picture quality isn't as good on this one, because we took it with the front camera on my phone, but that's the best way to get Jude to look at the camera. This one just melts my heart. Also, maybe it's time to get Josh a new green sweater.

2015: Finally some new faces in our picture! I have no idea what we were all saying, but it was almost certainly something to get them to all smile. Haylee was in a phase where she thought it was funny to make that face for pictures, she really was happy, I promise! Josh's shirt had little green stripes in it that you can't even see in the picture.

2016: I can't handle how much they have all grown in a year! Sweet little faces.

2017: Another new face! And these kids just keep getting bigger, even though we tell them to stop.

2018: Our fourth and last year on this gray couch, cause we are selling it when we move this summer! I just love these people so much. Also, Abe is wearing the same shirt Jude wore in 2011.

2019: Our first St. Patrick's Day in Malawi! It fell on a Sunday this year, so we were all dressed a bit nicer this year and took our picture right after church.