December in Review

Well, I don't know about you, but December just flew by for us! So, I guess I'll just try to sum up the whole month in one post. This is always such a busy month for us between wrapping up high school volleyball, beginning club volleyball, piano recitals and concerts, and that little thing called Christmas! It is an enjoyable time of year, but I usually give a little sigh of relief when it's over. And, now that it's over, I have a little time to update my blog, so here we go...
We started off the month with a little ride aboard the Polar Express, courtesy of Aunt Jill. It was pretty fun for the girls (but quite cold with no heat!). You board this old steam engine and they simulate going to theNorth Pole. And then you arrive at the North Pole and you get to meet Santa, have hot chocolate and cookies, and make a little craft. It was cute, although did I mention cold? Mom was ready to leave the North Pole...


Jaclyn also had her Winter Recital this year and did very well. She played Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Morning Has Broken. Ashlyn has demonstrated ability to play also, so she was able to start piano lessons this December. She is doing very well, so she will get to be a part of the next recital!




This year we decided to stay at our house for Christmas morning, so we celebrated at home for the first time! Over the years, we'll see which activities "stick" and become traditions, but this year we tried out a cinnamon role Christmas tree. Kinda fun, I thought. :)

And then came the presents! We had a lot of building and activity gifts this year, which was great. So, the girls have been building and creating ever since.

Christmas afternoon, we packed up and went to Des Moines and then on to Kansas City on Monday. We had a wonderful time with both sets of families. We spent 5 days in K.C., so the girls got their fill of cousins...hopefully it'll last until Summer.

We always have a little "concert" in Kansas City for the cousins, so both of my girls got to play their songs this year. Ashlyn played Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Jaclyn played her songs, and then Kendall couldn't be left out, so she ran up to the piano and "played", but her song was accompanied by some pretty hilarious dance moves. She kinda stole the show.

Then more presents...

Jaclyn had a desire this year to learn to sew with a sewing machine, so my Mom was very kind to give her an introductory lesson. All the girls wanted to be involved, so they all got a chance to give it a try. They made a little cupcake blanket.

And last but not least was a trip to the new American Girl Store in Kansas City! Our gift to Katelyn was to get her doll's hair done at the salon, so she and Jaclyn got to go together and give their dolls a spa day. (I needed that for my Christmas present!)

It was a fun month. I hope that all of you had a blessed Christmas season too!

Merry Christmas!

State Volleyball!

Congratulations, City High, for an outstanding performance at the State Volleyball tournament this weekend! Of course, we are very proud of the coach. :)

They played in the finals today against Iowa City West (our cross-town rival). It was a very, very close, nail-biting game. They ended up going 5 games with them, and the score was tied all the way to the end. The game could've gone in favor of either team at any time, but in the end, West ended up winning with a score of 18-16 in the 5th game.

So, we are a little disappointed, but very, very proud. They had an outstanding season.

(Many thanks go out to Uncle Russ, who was extremely helpful in entertaining 3 little girls during the game. I actually got to watch a lot of it, and it was a huge blessing!)

Quick Trip

Jaclyn and I made a quick trip to North Carolina last weekend. Well, the drive wasn't quick, but the trip overall was. Yes, 7 of us piled into my sister's minivan and made the long, 2-day drive. Unfortunately, it was because my Aunt Barbara had passed away. She had suffered from ALS for the past 3 years, and while we are saddened by her death, we are also thankful that she now is in heaven with her Lord and is no longer suffering.

So, while the occasion was a sad one, it was also nice to see my cousins and give Jaclyn some time to spend with her 2nd cousins. We all had a great time and the girls played and played! Here are some pictures of Jaclyn with her cousin, Katelyn, and her 2nd cousins, Morgan, Caroline and Madison.

Halloween 2011

We had a bug-filled Halloween this year. Jaclyn wanted to be a ladybug, Ashlyn wanted to be a bumblebee, and I already had a toddler bumblebee costume for Kendall, so they all got to be in the bug family! It worked out great and they all had a lot of fun. It was so sweet to see Kendall on her first Halloween. She did so great and worked so hard to keep up with the big kids. She was very excited and that made the whole night fun.

We were fortunate to go trick-or-treating with our friends, the Hunters, again this year, so that was a lot of fun for us all.

Happy Birthday, Kendall!

My sweet baby is 2!

Her birthday was on Oct. 21st, and we had a fun little celebration.

She loved blowing out the candles and got very excited with people singing to her. It was sweet. She also did really great with opening presents. She enjoyed unwrapping them and seeing what was inside.

So, let's see, what are some details about her...

*She is really starting to talk. She doesn't have a lot of words yet, but she babbles on and on as if I could understand everything she's saying. Some of her words are Mama, Dada, ball, blue, baby, ni-night, and her most recent favorite one is MINE. :)

*She loves her sisters. In fact, when she gets in trouble they will run to her and she will go to them for comfort. There's good and bad to that, but for now, it's pretty cute. (Although the older ones are getting a lot of instruction on how not to baby her when she's in trouble. Hasn't totally caught on yet...)

*She wants to be big! She follows her sisters and tries to do many things that they are doing. It's so sweet to see her toddling behind them, curls bouncing, trying to keep up with them. Oh, and she doesn't really walk, it's kinda like a bouncy run...I can't totally explain it, but it's soooo cute!

*She likes to "do school" with us. The other day she sat at the table, scribbled in a booklet, and then brought it to me. I looked at it and said, "Good job," and then I turned the page and said, "Now, can you do this page?" and she toddled back to the table to do her "assignment". And, another time, I was quizzing Jaclyn on her math facts with flash cards, and Kendall pushed Jaclyn out of the way, sat down, and started saying the answers, "a, e, i, e, a..." It was very cute. Doesn't matter that she was saying letters instead of numbers, it still made us all giggle.
She also sits with us when the kids are reciting memory verses and tries to do the motions with them. She's definitely watching and picking up what they do.

*She still LOVES her milk. In fact, some days that's about all she has to eat.
*Definitely has a mind of her own. She can be pretty ornery and throws many fits, but she's different from the others. Her fits are sometimes silent where she just gets in a little ball on the ground, but you can clearly tell she's mad. Other times she'll yell for a while and squeeze my arm, and then be done and walk away. I know I shouldn't laugh at her, but I do, cause it's just too cute. (Don't worry...I also take it seriously, so I don't think I'm giving her the message that it's o.k. to do this. I'm just far more relaxed about things this time around. That's the beauty of the third.)

Kendall is a delight. She brings so much additional joy to our family, and we are so thankful to the Lord for giving us a third, healthy girl.

We love you, Kendall!

School at Home

Well, to be honest, I really never thought this would be something that I would blog about, but that's exactly where we are today. We have decided to homeschool.

We started this year trying out a local school, and after 5 weeks, we decided that it just wasn't right for our family. I was quite reluctanct to give homeschooling a try, but I really felt that was exactly what I was supposed to do, so we took the plunge.

That was 5 weeks ago, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how well it is going for us. Not every day is great, and there are definitely those times when I feel "stuck" at home, but for the most part it has been enjoyable with much less stress than the busyness of going to school. I can tell that we are all more relaxed...and with that comes a more pleasant environment. So...so far, so good. More to come on this topic, I'm sure.

Thank goodness we were able to get the basement done this summer! Here we are at "school".

And, one of the advantages of homeschooling is freedom! We were able to take advantage of a free day at the zoo. The girls enjoyed a day with friends and wild animals (both in cages and out!). I'm looking forward to many more field trips!

Beautiful Days + Beautiful Girls = Some Pretty Good Pictures!