Brothers

Zach still refers to Thomas as a miracle since we prayed for him to be a boy. Zach absolutely loves his baby brother and it melts my heart to see them interact. I have a feeling they are going to be very good buddies for life!

Playing catch up...in pictures

Since I am not good at updating my blog on a regular basis, I will do a quick re-cap of December/Christmas in pictures. Being a wife, mommy of four, homeschool teacher, and managing a household sure keep me busy...hardly any time for much else. So, here goes:

December

One of Zach and Daddy's favorite activites

Homeschool day at the Southern Museum...we went with our friends the Nappers
and Falkins

Ava loves hands-on schooling :)

Thankfully, Zach seems to have Jeff's math brain


Homeschool Group Christmas Party

The shepherds and a few wise men

Two very cute angels

Joseph and Mary

Maggie, the narrator

Tim leads us in some Christmas carols

Christmas with Family

Christmas Eve eve with cousins

Our traditional dinner at Waffle House on Christmas Eve

A new tradition...sleeping in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve eve...Renee couldn't hang the whole night :)

Christmas morning-Ava has new boots!

Halo ship...too bad it was missing pieces and had to be returned...but exchanged for more goodies

Favorite gifts

Our Christmas gift

Finally, Nee Nee got her Dora umbrella she has been asking for all year!

"American doll" crazy!

Celebrating with more family Christmas day: "Who wants presents??"

At Gaga and Papaw's house later on Christmas Day

Playing games with cousins

Gaga and Papaw and all the kids

And even more presents

They just won't stop growing!

Renee is 3!! Seriously, how did that happen? We celebrated her 3rd birthday on December 1st. A good friend shared a saying with me that "with kids, the days are long but the years are short". How true! Our little Nee Nee is getting to be such a big girl! She taught herself to use the potty just a few months ago (to my relief!) , likes to do school with us and has completely amazed me with how much she has learned when I really have not taught her a thing!

She is definitely a daddy's girl, in more ways than one, especially with her LOUD voice! We are continually shushing her because her voice carries very far and loud for all to hear! She is very expressive in the way she talks and uses her hands and funny facial expressions when telling you something. She is constant entertainment...however, she is also going through a tough time as she is finding her place amongst our family. She is sort of the middle child as Zach and Ava are the oldest together (being only a year apart and both in Kindergarten), Thomas is the baby and that leaves Renee in the middle. Unfortunately, between school and taking care of the baby, she sort of gets pushed aside. Jeff and I are working hard to give her individual attention but she has required lots of discipline as she acts out in her frustration. We know this is just a transition period and she will be fine later, but we are trying to love her as much as we can right now. There are some challenging days for sure, but we just love our Nee Nee so much!

She LOVES being a big sister, Dora, peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches, dolls, Mickey Mouse, Team Umizoomi, crackers, milk, playing with her ABC magnets on her easel, playing Starfall on the computer, participating in school, and singing songs. She does NOT like wearing socks, "tight" clothes (she refuses to wear jeans), and seatbelts (no choice there)...and is quite vocal about it! Nee Nee is a bundle of energy and keeps in step with her older siblings...or at least tries too. Thankfully, Zach and Ava are accomodating...most of the time.

Renee has a nightly routine with Jeff and I as we tuck her into bed, where she gives us "a smooch, then a hug, then a bear hug, then a smooch on the cheek, then the nose, then the chin", as she says. Such sweet moments we are cherishing! We adore our girl and look forward to watching her grow and learn each day. What a special blessing our Nee Nee is, we love her so much!

ABC puzzle all by herself!

DORA birthday!

And DORA underwear!!

Our big girl!

Pics from November

Looking like Zach as a baby

Trying to encourage the pacifier!

His favorite pillow

Big sis Ava always keeps Thomas entertained

Because Mommy refuses to allow Playdoh inside...what a mess!

Our budding photographer

Don't let that cute smile fool you, she is a STINKER!

A full house..er...bath

Writing on the wall

We are enjoying the activities that go along with our daily Bible lessons in our Kindergarten curriculum. One of the kid's favorites was the mysterious hand that wrote on the wall from Daniel 5. King Belshazzar's feast was interrupted by a hand that appeared and wrote a strange message on the wall. No one could interpret it but Daniel, who told the king he was a bad guy who had dishonored God and that his kingdom was about to be taken and his life was about done too. The kids LOVED this story and we had lots of fun making our own hands and strange writing on the wall. And yes, we LOVE doing school in our jammies! :)

Tracing and coloring their hands

The kids each took a turn writing strange words and symbols on the "wall"

"This is the inscription that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"- Daniel 5:25