It's That Time Again!

And yet another year comes to a close. How does this happen? This year seemed to have a summer that would never end. I thought we would never make it to the beginning of school. But then I blinked and the whole year was gone!

Caity- Caitlin is 9 this year and is growing taller and more independent by the day. Caitlin still loves to read and is our little scholar. She is enjoying her 4th grade experience at John Adams Academy, a new charter school in our area, and made us very proud with her first straight-A report card. Caitlin asked to begin horseback riding lessons this year and has become quite the entrepreneur since being told she needs to come up with the funds for 4 lessons all on her own before mom and dad will take over the financial commitment riding will bring. She is excited to be past the half way mark of her goal and was thrilled to receive riding boots for Christmas this year.

Amber- Amber just celebrated her 6th birthday. She has begun Kindergarten at John Adams and is loving school. Amber is already counting down the days until she too can begin riding lessons (heaven help my bank account). Amber will forever be our ball of energy. She is the life of every party and brings joy and energy to our family daily. Amber is our little athlete and was thrilled to play soccer for the first time this year. She scored her first goal and played her little heart out all season long. Amber's other passion this year is painting. It is uncommon to go more than a day or two without hearing, "mommy, can I paint?"

Drew- My precious boy is 2 and 1/2. He is so different from his sisters! Every day is entertaining with a son; I love watching the way he plays. Drew loves music. He frequently plays his favorite tunes on daddy's iphone but also likes to sing 'twinkle, twinkle' and dance to any recognizable beat. One of his favorite songs is "tonight, tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae and he will sing it anytime, anywhere, sometimes at the top of his little lungs. We are excited to watch as he learns new colors and numbers and blows us away with his words. At Christmas dinner he enjoyed the sparkling apple cider and announced to us all, "That drink awesome!"

Brad and I are just along for the ride with these sweet little ones. Life for Brad continues to revolve around work at Weatherite with the occasional weekend family outing. My focus is keeping up with the wild indians and trying to keep the house standing. So far, so good. I did take great pleasure in coaching both the girls' soccer teams this year. That is probably why the year went by so quickly at the end. Soccer 4 days a week will make time fly.

We are grateful for an abundantly blessed life and wish you and yours a happy Holiday season! Hugs to all!

crunchy

I LOVE FALL! September through December is the best time of year in my opinion. School is in session, the heat subsides, the holiday rush swoops me away to January, and I get to soak up the cool breeze, beautiful fall colors, fresh rain, and rekindle my love affair with the great outdoors.

Family activities are fun year-round. Skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer, and whatever it is we do in the spring. But there is something special about jumping into a pile of leaves when you're little. The fall breeze making the leaves race down the walkway. The cool weather and coarse leaves requiring long sleeves and pants. The "crunch" and "crackle" the leaves make when you plunge into the pile and climb back out. And what is more fun than fishing leaves out of long hair and finding leaves hidden inside your sweater after arriving home?





Unfortunately all of the romance tends to fade when you've grown to the point that no pile of leaves is big enough to cause you to settle gently on the ground after a giant leap. But watching the kids light up with excitement was a great reminder of fun times.

playmate

Amber and Drew are my animal lovers. They are both naturally drawn to animals and love being around them. Unfortunately for our pets that means the constant attention of an active toddler is unavoidable. Fortunately for us, our pets are all wonderful with children.

Drew has a special interest in our cat, Joseph. We frequently question whether Joseph is just super sweet and tollerant or if maybe an important part of his mental development is missing. Either way he continues to seek out the attention of our Great Dane puppy and busy toddler on a daily basis. Bella is grateful for the chew toy and Drew loves his playmate. Here's hoping Joseph makes it to his second birthday.