New Year News

Our Christmas recap:

It seems like every year my MIL says that things are tight and she didn't get to buy as much as she wanted to and I always think there was more than enough. I will never be able to figure her out. She is still trying to "make up for" the fact that they were not able to do big gifts and stuff when their boys were young. My family has never been "wealthy" in the monetary sense. But we never felt deprived. Even though Isaac and I are financially comfortable we choose not to overspend for Christmas and birthdays. Sometimes during our over-commercialized culture we need to be reminded that there are more important things in life than things! Jesus is the reason for the season, people! ;-)

Nate got lots of fun new toys of course. He loved going to all the family gatherings and spending time with friends and cousins. Nate got to be Joseph in a pageant at a friends' party. He was so cute! Nate especially enjoyed our advent activity calendar. He reminded me nearly every day to open the envelope and find out what activity we got to do each day. He was very interested in doing crafts and wrapping gifts with me. He really got into the Christmas spirit.

Joe was very social over the holidays. He has gotten more brave about bouncing around and exploring when we are at other people's houses. We've had to keep a closer eye on him than we had to in the past. We had several people comment on how much progress they noticed since the last time they saw Joe. It is good for us to be reminded how far he has come.

Christine was the belle of the ball wherever we went. She has been all smiles lately which is such a fun stage! She enjoyed playing with paper and watching everyone else tear into their gifts. She was soaking in all the Christmas merriment. I enjoyed helping her open all her "girly" gifts! And her Christmas dress!! So adorable! I got it on clearance for under $4! Can't beat that! ;-)

Isaac and are happy to have celebrated another Christmas season together. We have had some ups and downs but I am thankful that we have been in a good place recently and were really able to enjoy one another during the holidays. Isaac got some nice gifts but all were overshadowed by the custom guitar that he got. He had been saving for it for awhile now and was very excited that it was completed just before Christmas. I got several books on crafts and sewing that I am eager to put to good use very soon. :-)

Coming up for us in 2011:
Isaac and I are looking forward to celebrating our 8th anniversary in a few days. Its hard to believe its been 8 years!
We are discussing a family road trip in the spring. We have never done a long trip like this together at all, much less with three kids and possibly some extra family members. I am praying that all the planning and executing of this trip goes smoothly! ;-)
I will be starting a new curriculum with Nate and we will be continuing to be a part of our homeschool group. He is so smart - sometimes I am not sure if I should be doing kindergarten with him or 3rd grade!
Joe is going to be getting sized for a new wheelchair. We are definitely working on getting him to walk but in order for him to ride the bus he has to have a wheelchair. Praying for that process to go smoothly.
Christine is developmentally behind where she "should" be. We've been trying to be patient and hoping that she would catch up on her own. But we are going to be arranging to have First Steps come out soon and do a developmental evaluation and see what therapy services she qualifies for. I am hoping that we will be able to use the same coordinator and therapists that we had with Joe. We are praying that she is just a little delayed, she will benefit from some therapy, catch up and it will not be a serious issue like it is with Joe.
I have really been enjoying sewing and the other crafts that I have been able to tinker with. I am considering creating an Etsy store online to sell some handcrafted wares to make a little money on the side... basically to fund my hobbies! ;-)