Christmas Letter 2010

I'm not sure when the last time I did one of these letters! I got some motivation today to write one so I'm going with it :)

Let's start with the youngest! Peanut just finished her first class of gymnastics and had so much fun. Bonus she just got some money for Christmas so that she can take another class! She is in preschool this year and is learning so many things. She is just so funny and when the teachers have stories to tell me I get a little nervous because that girl has an imagination! They had their Christmas program on Friday and she did so good singing her songs and it showed on Sunday when the toddler Sunday School class did their Christmas program in front of the church. She pretty much had a solo for Away in a Manger! She is not shy in the least and my parents tell me all the time she is much like me as a child. The funny part is that I can totally see me in her! She loves to help me clean when she is home from school and she does a really great job. She still takes naps and I want to hold on to them as long as I can...that girl has energy!

Red is in Kindergarten, which means I get to spend the afternoons with him alone every day and I really cherish that time we get together. He is able to get his homework done and have some down time before the other kids come home from school. I LOVE listening to him and see how his brain works. Just the other day we had a conversation about bed sizes at the water park. There was a king size in the one room and a queen in the other room. He asked what size his bed was and we told him a "twin". He gave us a funny look and said "What's a twin? Isn't it a prince?" He is so logical and I love that about him. He is very excited to grow another inch so that he can be 48 inches and can go on rides. He was very sad he wasn't able to go on a few rides at the water park. He is still a real snuggler which I hope lasts a long time.

Monkey he had a big year in the teeth department! He lost his first tooth, then a second one and has one loose. Those adult teeth make him look so much older. This year in school he is doing great. He had on his first report card straight A's. He loves to write poems and draw pictures both of which he is really good at. And that isn't just my opinion his teacher has told me this on numerous occasions. He got a set of drums for his birthday this year and really wants to take lessons I just need to get on that. He also had a first week at away camp over the summer. I missed him so much. But he was in good hands with his dad and other men from church being leaders at the camp. He still has a smile that melts my heart and has such a sensitive spirit. I love that boy!

My oldest GlamorGirl. Where to even begin with this girl. She wants to do everything and wants to be great at everything. She gets that drive from her daddy! She started playing violin at school October 16th. My birthday is the 31st of that month and she taught herself how to play Happy Birthday! She is certainly a natural on the violin. She had her first recital on Dec 15th only 2 months after starting lessons! I am so proud of her and her determination to learn to play the violin. This year she has her first male teacher and is loving school. She is also in the Junior Liberty Choir because she loves to sing. Her dream is for our family to start a band with her playing the violin and singing, Monkey on the drums, Jeff on guitar, Peanut on piano, Red on bass and me singing with her. She is so cute. I have made it a priority to spend every Thursday night with her after the other kids go to bed and I love hearing about what she does at school and her friends. She is going to be 10 in less than a month so this is the last year of single digits for her!

I am loving being mommy! It definitely has its rough times but the good times far outweigh the hard times. This school year I became a Junior High Ministry (JAM) leader on Wednesday nights during the kids Awana and then on Friday nights for the out reach night. I love getting to know the kids. But the high light is that this year we are doing the Bible Instruction Class (Wed) and I'm learning so much more about the Bible. I have joined a mom's Bible study at my friend Melissa's house and we just started Daniel and am really excited to get into that book. Jeff and I just celebrated 11 years of marriage on the 18th and I love him more today then I did 11 years ago. I also understand more what loving someone truly means.

Jeff is still doing the school police officer which has blessed our family so much. I love the schedule this position gives him. He is so involved with the two older kids homework which frees me to make dinner. He is leading in the Junior High (JAM) for the second year now. He leads worship for JAM and also has a worship team he leads once a month on Sunday night. I love hearing him sing to God in front of the church. He really has a heart for God. We have just recently bought our second home and it has kept us busy with updating it room by room. He loves getting the kids involved in helping in the destruction phase of the different projects we have completed. You can see some of the pictures on his blog! We are so blessed to have him as the head of our household.

As for trips we just took the one and only family trip this year to the water park for the kids Christmas present! We had a lot of fun but are so glad to be back home. Other than that I took a trip to California for the first time in January with Peanut and it was so beautiful there. Hopefully in the year to come we will take more family vacations...here's looking forward to a wonderful 2011 :)