Christmas Letter

This year I didn't get family pictures taken in time to get Christmas cards made and mailed so I just skipped it all together. There is always next year right! Maybe I will just send out a picture of the kids...that might be easier. On to our Christmas letter. This was our first full year in our new house. We have done quite a few projects in our home this year. In the family room we bought an entertainment center so the television got off of the table it was on! Then we made shelves in the closet and put the kids toys in it. The dining room floor got ripped out and replaced with the same flooring we have in the living room. We also painted the dining room. In the kitchen Jeff took the little closet that had only one shelf and added 3 more to make it my pantry! So much better than having boxes on the counter tops :) We got the stairs and upstairs hallway refinished. We also got ceiling fans in all four of the bedrooms. And the BIG home improvement of the year was the PINK bathroom. We gutted it and replaced everything. It looks so much nicer and it was finished yesterday! It will be exciting to see the changes we make to the house this coming year though I do feel like I need a break from construction and spending money.
Our trips this year, we went on a cruise to the Bahamas sans kids. We went with another couple from church. That was in February. Then in October we pulled the kids out of school for a couple of days and went with Jeff on a business trip.
This year for GG...she is in 5th grade! Which is the year they can be apart of different sports teams at school. She tried out for the cheer squad and made it. She also made co-captain! We have enjoyed watching her perform.
Monkey: He played baseball for the first time and was a natural. I look forward to the next season. He is in 4th grade this year and has a male teacher. He is doing great this year academically!!!
Red: He graduated Kindergarten and is now in 1st grade and is gone all day. I miss him a lot during the day. This summer he went off the diving board for the first time and a week later he mastered the high dive. He is my little fish.
Peanut: She is loving gymnastics and has gotten really good at cartwheels. This school year she is being homeschooled by me. We are having a great year being together just the two of us. I am not looking forward to her being gone half days next year.
Jeff is still in the same position at work and we are loving his hours. God is so good to us in that way. He has been able to be involved with the kids activities which is GREAT!
Me: I'm just doing the mom thing and I added watched a few kids a couple times a week to my to do list! I really enjoy my new job. And Peanut does too because I watch a little girl who is 11 months younger than her.