Family Pix for 2014

We have a tradition of updating the family pictures just in time for the Christmas newsletter!  So, I'm putting the individual kid pictures here...mixed in with their news.  And you can see all the good stuff that has happened to us over the past year!

 John is still John, leading the family to the unknown of Pokemon and Wakfu.  If you don’t know what these are, that’s alright.  Ask John.  He will explain it all. 

Now that he’s in fourth grade he has been learning the finer points of fractions and beginning to discover those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books.  We are trying to get him to branch out and read a lot of different kinds of books.

John is also looking forward to being a Webelos scout (his last year as a Cub Scout! Eek!). He's vowed to have his Webelos before Pinewood Derby in April. Lofty goals for this one! Go get 'em, John!

 Kelsey turned 8 this past year and was baptized in the heat of Texas summer.  What does that mean?  Well, it meant we all celebrated with the best shaved ice we’ve ever had with flavors like strawberries n’ cream and root beer floats. She has been loving attending Activity Days with girls her age and growing her own testimony in Jesus Christ.

Kelsey has also been developing her talents by teaching herself to play little tunes on the piano. She loves music and has joined a school choir twice to sing: once with a group for the "National Anthem" at a hockey game and again for a caroling group at a school Christmas bazaar. Awesome!

Bekah has no teeth.  Okay, so she has teeth but the Tooth Fairy has been growing broke.  Each tooth that has been lost has been another adventure for Bekah.  She carefully places it in a baggie for the Tooth Fairy to find and then places the bag somewhere obvious.  I think one night she even left a drink of water for the TF.

Her helpful, thoughtful nature has translated into helping her teacher at school. When she noticed the behavior in the classroom was a little crazy, she asked her teacher if her mom could diffuse some essential oils in the room to help the kids calm down. Her teacher agreed and Bekah has said her classmates are so much better!

Bekah also loves riding a two wheeled bike (something she learned how to do in a day without training wheels!).

 Jack has decided to go by “James” at school and “Jack” everywhere else.  I guess that works out since there's another "Jack" in his class.  He is learning to read, to write, and to count like a pro kindergartener.  He will bring home his art projects, do his homework as quickly as possible, and then race outside to play!

He has also learned how to ride a bicycle in a week. It may have been a couple of days but he's really getting the balance part of it down! And all without training wheels. When he sees something he wants, Jack is all about making it happen.

 Joe turned 3 this last year and while he was a little disappointed that he wasn’t going to school yet, he has enjoyed spending more time at home with just Mommy and Jason.  It gets a lot more quiet after the four older kids leave for school in the morning.  That just means Joe gets all of the scissors, crayons, and other toys to himself. And he has enjoyed cutting paper and drawing pictures all by himself.

With the weather turning a bit more rainy, Joe also asks to go play at McDonald's almost every day. He's ready for jungle gyms and something to climb up, down, and all around on. Just like his big brothers, he wants to be active and athletic. Go, Joe!

Jason doesn’t even know he’s little.  Though he turned 1 in August, he thinks he’s just as big as the other kids.  He doesn’t want to go to bed without his siblings and he certainly doesn’t want to be contained in a crib.  But he will follow and do anything he can...preferably unassisted.

This little man is definitely ready for Nursery class at church (for those 18 months to 3 years old). Since Mom and Dad help out with the Primary (youth Sunday school ages 3-11), he's been loved by all of the kiddos there. I don't think Jason knows what it's like to be without other kids, nor does he mind one bit.