Rachel's 10th Birthday

Remember this little nugget? I remember how excited Nathan and I were. I remember being terrified that I was in charge of this little human. I remember not sleeping for a long, long, really long time. But somehow the days and weeks passed quickly, the years even faster and here we are celebrating this beautiful little girl's 10th birthday. She is an angel brought to us and we thank God everyday. She makes us laugh, sees the beauty in people, and challenges us to be better. We get frustrated and mad at each other. She is stubborn and too smart for her own good. But she loves her brothers and is the glue that brings our family together. She is amazing and thoughtful and beautiful. We love this girl and all she has brought to our life. Happy Birthday my sweet. You are truly destined for great things!!

Christmas Activities

There is so much excitement around here in anticipation of Christmas! Our friend "Buddy" showed up on December 1st causing the excitement and "how many days until Christmas" questions. Along with Buddy showing up, we've had Christmas Parades and a Preschool Christmas Program, and Pullen Park Holiday Express  to get everyone super excited. Throw in the fact that we decided to get new wood floors put in and the month has just flown by! Can't wait to post pictures about Christmas morning but until then.....

Buddy's got the right idea....

Getting ready for the Apex Christmas Parade with the Skip Its. It was raining but they made it! 

Waiting for big sister to jump her way down the street

Santa!!! Just FYI, when Santa asked if they had been good. Matty was the first to pipe up and say "Yes" . You sure about that Matty? 

Fun time!

Making Christmas cookies at Aunt Jen's! So much fun!

Ready to sing his little heart out. 

Look at that sweet face. He was the hit of the show with that hat on!

4th Grade Wax Museum

Every year the 4th graders at Salem pick a significant historical character and research them. They have to learn all about the person, their life, why they were important, and actually dress the part! They "become" the person and tell their story!  The parent and other classes are invited in to "press" their button on the table and learn about their character. It was really great! Rachel chose Helen Keller. We all learned so much about this amazing lady!! Rachel dove into books about her, learned quotes, and we watched the Miracle Worker to give her ideas. So fun! One of the best parts was seeing Rachel's face when Nathan showing up unexpectedly to support her even if he only had 5 minutes and then had to leave. What a great daddy!!!

First Reconciliation

Can you believe it's almost time for Jacob to do his First Communion? He did his First Reconciliation  a few weeks ago. So so proud of this boy. He amazes us everyday with his kindness and sweet nature!! 

Cousins

What a great time we had up in DC for Thanksgiving. The kids LOVE visiting their cousins and it is so neat to see them disappear immediately and get to playing! We packed in a lot between Legos, the park, Ford's Theatre, the Building Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. Whew!

Fun at the Park!

Cousins

Waiting in the cold to see Ford's Theatre

Drew so excited! Isn't every 4 year old excited to see where Lincoln was shot? 

Spooky and surreal.....

Salem Salamander Fun Run!

The kids are getting in on the running action too! They participated in the Salem Fun Run to raise money to fix things around their school.  They did awesome!!

Group Therapy

 The past 6 months I have been in "Group Therapy". Four days a week I lace up my running shoes and head out with my girls for a "therapy" session.  This group has been food for my soul. We laugh, cry, share, and run our little butts off. After months of therapy training we completed the City of Oaks Half Marathon. Couldn't feel more blessed to have found these gals, or to have the super support from the kids and Nathan. 

Before the race...all smiles!!

We did it!