In spite of those sentiments, this year I made a conscious decision...not to send Christmas cards. I don't know why it happened. Something was different about me this year at Christmas. I took it slightly slower and I enjoyed it a lot more. And Christmas cards were just one of those things I cut out.
But I knew that I could post a virtual "Christmas card" on my blog for all to see. It's sweet, it's simple and it does not include the yearly Christmas poem written by Josh. I asked him to do one, but I guess he is cutting back on his Christmas activities too. So we'll just stick to a simple update.
Adam:
He's 18 months old now. He is *almost* walking finally (as in he'll walk halfway across a room if you are holding an M&M for him but he's not so sure if he is interested otherwise.) He's had some digestive issues for the last month or more that are finally getting cleared up and it's honestly like we have a new kid on our hands. He is so happy and so sweet (when he's feeling good). He *talks* quite a bit though he doesn't articulate super well so me and Josh are probably the only ones who can understand most of what he says. He is still obsessed with Ducks and he got a lot of them for Christmas. As he opened each one he gasped, then kissed it on the beak and sang "duck duck duck" while rocking back and forth. (This is his attempt at singing "Do the Rubber Duck" from Sesame Street.)
Dallen:
Dallen still spends most of his time upside down...and he's getting even better at it. We've got him enrolled in a tumbling class and, I'm going to brag a little here, they made a very rare exception for him to go up to the beginning class instead of the preschool class because he is so good. He's learning back bends and hand stands and pike jumps. But when he is left to his own devices on a trampoline he can now land a back flip. He'll be 5 in three weeks. He is WAY too much fun to hang out with everyday. Other than the battles over what to wear each morning and which person should wipe him after he goes potty (me or him?), he's an easy to take care of little guy. Some words of wisdom from Dal before bedtime recently..."go to the bathroom once, pee the bed. Go to the bathroom twice, pee the bed. Go to the bathroom three times, don't pee the bed."
Jack:
This has been a great year for Jack. He is in second grade and has a whole crew of friends who live in the neighborhood, go to school with him and go to church with him and he has a fantastic teacher at school. He is in the middle of reading the Percy Jackson series and absolutely loves it. He's already worried about what he's going to do when he is done reading it. He's still my snuggle bug although his idea of "snuggles" lately usually involves me giving him a back rub or a leg rub or something. His big thing right now is Bey Blades-they're little spinning top things that battle each other and are all the rage with second grade boys. Jack got so good at soccer this year-scored a goal in almost every game-and also likes to do handstands with Dallen.
Nathan:
Nathan's also in the middle (or should I say near the end) of the Percy Jackson series and is so worried about finishing it that he only reads it a little each day instead of racing through it. He loves to draw his own comic strips all the time and got a magic set for Christmas so he's spent the day learning now to do magic tricks. He also is loving having good friends in the neighborhood who are also at school and church. He and one of his friends have a very similar sense of humor and start laughing the minute they are together. Nathan is very "punny" He likes to find plays on words and make them into jokes and he's really pretty good at it! Our ward split in August and it took a while for Cub Scouts to get up and running again but it is now and he loves that!
Josh:
Josh just finished his second semester teaching Organic Chemistry and went a little easier on his students this time. The average on his final was in the 70's instead of the 50's this time. Still, he's breaking a few hearts of students with dreams of med school. He got a HUGE telescope for Christmas and will be learning to use it in the coming weeks, so if you ever want to have a gander at the night sky, he's your man. He's also completely obsessed with root beer. If you want to win his heart over, must buy him some root beer.
Me:
Other than being a mommy to 4 wonderful little boys I keep myself busy with my business (which I am completely sick of and ready to sell this year) and my craft blog-http://www.crazylittleprojects.com (which I just started in March and completely love and spend way too much time on. I also do all the typical busy mom things like volunteering at the school, helping with homework, getting to know all the new people in our neighborhood and all that jazz. I have a great life.
And with that I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
