Year End Update

2010 was a big year for us. It started with the birth of our precious Grace in February, just a few days before John Paul's 3rd birthday. In the summer, Paul started a new job with the VA in Temple, we celebrated Kate's 2nd birthday and we sold our house. We moved to Temple in the fall, sad to leave behind great friends and church family but excited about the opportunities ahead. God has richly blessed us this year!

John Paul is growing into a little man who loves to ride his bike, do "repairs" and projects with his daddy, and protect the girls. His "job" is to keep Grace out of the tv/cable wires and he takes it very seriously. Grace always has a big smile on her face when her big brother moves her to saftey. He loves his Buddy and Elephant (stuffed animals)and sharing a room with Kate. He recently told me his talent is dancing and I must admit, he is quite entertaining. He played t-ball and soccer this year but really enjoyed the social time with friends more than the actual sports.
Since early fall, he has dealt with chronic alleriges/tonsilitis,etc. so we will be visiting an allergist in the new year.


Kate is a good combination of sensitive sweetness and strong-willed determination. She is a little mother who loves to "help" mommy with Grace, loves school and church, and going to Grandmother's house. She loves to sing and can carry a pretty good tune. If you ask her a question and she doesn't know the answer, she will almost always say "pink". Lately, she has been walking into the room and saying "What's going on here?" When she can't reach something on the counter, she will use ANYTHING, and I mean anything as a stool. A babydoll, a ball, a piece of paper, nothing is off limits. Sometimes I just watch instead of help!
Kate starts her day early (5:30 or 6) and is ready for her nap quickly after lunch. She is showing interest in potty-training (well, really just wants to wear Dora underwear) but doesn't quite understand the concept yet. She doesn't go anywhere without Baby, who gets a bath as often as Mom can sneak her away.


Grace is only 11 months old but she does her best to keep up with big brother and sister. She crawls (even has turbo speed when mom races her to the stairs), cruises and is starting to stand alone. She says mama and dada but I'm not sure if it is meaningful. She loves to wave hi to daddy from across the room. Gracie-girl is a great sleeper and so-so eater. She will let you know if she doesn't like what you are trying to feed her. We are currently in a battle over the bottle vs. sippy cup. Mom will win this battle very soon!!
By 9 months she had 1 tooth but now has all 4 front teeth with a couple more starting to push thru. Grace is a momma's girl (at least more than her siblings). But once familiar with the new church/hursery, she goes to class with no problem.
As far as size, I would guess she around 19 or 20 lbs. She is easily wearing 12-18 month clothes and size 3 or 4 diapers. Like big brother, she has ezcema but only on her ankles and few other spots. Since she has been sick this Christmas (like the rest of us), I have learned that she HATES! to take medicine.

Happy Thanksgiving

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

Grace-9 months

Our sweet girl is 9 months old! She is crawling and pulling up which means she is falling down quite a bit as well. She is a great sleeper and eater which is why she is in the 79 percentile for weight. Grace loves her brother and sister who make her laugh all the time. She is a momma's girl which is nice since the other 2 never really were too clingy. She looks and acts alot like John Paul so watch out world! We look forward to watching her grow and love her so much!

Halloween 2010

After a church "funival", a school party, and neighborhood trick-or-treating, our kids had lots of candy! Here's a list of things heard last night as they dumped their buckets to look at all the goodies:
-"Kate, candy is our favorite!"
-"I got millions!!!"
-"I love these because their yummy!"
-"We love these! Kate, don't you love these? I love these!"
-"I got 2 yellows!"
-"Lookie here!"
-"I got lots of candy than you."
-"Yummy to my tummy!"

I hope halloween is always this fun!

Our house

Our house is a very, very, very fine house. Our house sheltered us as newlyweds and then welcomed 3 precious babies home from the hospital. Our house showered many friends and new babies, hosted lots of gatherings, and threw a few birthday parties. Our house provided a wonderful backdrop for precious memories.
Tomorrow, after 6 years, we will leave our house behind and make a new house our home. We will miss our house but even more, we will miss all the people who helped make our house a home.






*All photos taken by the wonderfully talented Megan Drennon*

Sisters

Happy Girl

Grace is my happy baby. She shares big smiles with everyone she sees and loves to watch those around her. At 7 months, she loves to eat everything and sleeps like a dream. She gets into the crawling position but has only figured out how to go backwards or in a circle. She is babbling a little but prefers to yell (I think she knows its the best way to get attention).

I thank God for giving us our Grace daily..she is just what we needed!

Playing together

i LOVE watching my kids play together! Such joy, fun, and laughter. I pray they continue to enjoy each other this much forever.

Kate the Great is 2!

Kate turned 2 about a month ago and I just downloaded the photos from the camera! She had a great day surrounded by friends and family and seemed to know it was all about her.

Waco Zoo

Mayburn Museum

Our vacation this summer included a few days in Waco to visit grandparents and have a little fun. One morning we took the kids to the Mayburn Children's Museum on the Baylor campus and they loved it! Play areas,dress up clothes, water and bubble rooms, live animals, and a lego exhibit were just a few highlights. I would recommend it!

Round Rock Express

John Paul's tball team was invited to join the Round Rock Express team on the field before a game. The kids were asked to run to various places on the field with a pro-player and stay with them for the National Anthem. Well, these kids all took off to 2nd base and had to be herded to other spots. It was a great night for the kids and entertaining for the adults!

Go Raptors, Go!

John Paul is on the Raptors t-ball team this summer with some of his friends from church. He talks a big game and likes to hit and run when he isn't playing in the dirt, eating sunflower seeds or talking to the other players. Needless to say, it is fun to watch!