Reading Around The House

Hayden's first-grade teacher requested some pictures of the kids reading around the house.  This is what Hayden chose to submit:

 

Christmas Eve 2009

Happy 1st Birthday Hadley Jane!

The Big Apple

Cameron and I finally made it to New York City and crossed this one off my bucket list!

 

 

The city is crazy.  It really doesn't ever sleep.  All night long, taxis were honking and people were out and about.  We would come out of a Broadway show after 11 PM and Times Square would be packed as if it were the middle of the day, filled with people heading to restaurants and clubs.  The rest of the world would be in bed by now, and these people seemed to be just getting started.  Going at Christmastime was a risk because the weather could have been terrible, but it wasn't, and the season made the city seem almost magical.

 

Highlights of the trip included:

Seeing The Rockettes at Radio City Hall;

 

 

Enjoying the view from the "Top of the Rock;"

 

 

 

Checking out Wall Street

 

 

 

and the churches near the 9/11 memorial site;

 

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge (and eating at Grimaldi's on the other side);

 

Seeing the city decked out for Christmas;

 

Taking a food tour through Greenwich Village;

 

 

Cruising the harbor on a skyline boat tour;

 

 

 

 

 

Strolling through Central Park;

 

 

 

Shopping in Times Square;

 

 

And, my personal favorite, Broadway (Mary Poppins and Wicked)!

 

 

 

 

We also ventured to Doughnut Planet on our last day to see if it lived up to all the hype.  It did.

We had a wonderful week in this city.  I would never want to live here, but I would love to visit again someday!

Christmas Letter 2009

 

Dear Family and Friends: 
 

The holidays are here, and once again, I find myself cramming too many things into not enough time.  As crazy as it gets, I really do love this time of year.  One of my favorite things is going to the mailbox and finding cards and letters from you, our loved ones.  It is so much fun to hear how you are doing and to see pictures of your beautiful families. 

 

Our major news this year is that we are expecting another baby.  I know, I know… we just had a baby!  You don’t need to tell us that.  I made the mistake of announcing to everyone I know that we were done at # 5.  So, if that’s the last you heard from me, I take it back.  You might call this our bonus baby (buy five, get one free).  She (yes, it is a girl) is due in April.  Looking ahead to the teenage years, things might be very interesting at our house considering that we will have three girls that are just over three years apart.  Yikes!  Although we have had to adjust to the idea of having six children, we are so looking forward to this new spirit and all that she will bring to our family. 

 

Austin (12) is busy with friends, schoolwork and eating us out of house and home.  He is a great kid: easy-going and good-natured.  He has recently begun negotiations for a cell phone.  He swears that “everyone” he knows already has one (yeah, right!).  He works pretty hard to make his case, but the poor kid has a dad who negotiates for a living, making it a pretty tough sell.  We finally told him that he can have a cell phone when he becomes an Eagle Scout.  No, we are not above bribing our children.  His latest passion is lacrosse.  He played in both a spring and a fall league and has fallen in love with the sport.  He is also hoping to squeeze in a season of basketball this winter.  Thank goodness for carpool!  He is still an avid reader and loves to play chess, Risk, Monopoly, and video games.

 

Ashleigh (almost 10) can no longer be described as our timid child.  While she used to be a bit on the shy side, she has developed a fair amount of flair.  She is fun and full of spunk.  She has a great sense of humor and loves to tease, especially Mom and Dad.  She still loves art projects, singing, clogging, and spending time with friends and cousins.  She played soccer this fall and really enjoyed it.  The highlight of her year was going to see the Broadway play “Wicked” in San Francisco.  For Halloween, she painted her face green and dressed up as Elfeba.  Ellie, who dressed up as Galinda, burst into tears at the sight of Ashleigh’s green face – not too far off from how the scene played out on stage!  Ashleigh is a great sister to the rest.   They all love her to pieces and I am so grateful for the help she gives to me.

 

Hayden (6) is our little ladies man.  He came home from school recently and, when I asked him what he did at recess, he reported with a big smile on his face, “I chased the girls… and they liked it.”  Another time he told us that he had a crush on a girl in class that he described as having “dishwater blonde” hair.  When we asked him why, he said, “Because she is popular.”  I asked what it meant to be popular, and he said he didn’t know.  So I then asked how he knew she was popular.  He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Because she told me she was.”  Hayden always wants to be in fashion.  He has strong opinions about what is cool and what is not.  Even his hairstyle is important (so far this year we have gone through the wave, the faux-hawk and a buzz).  The fact that he is only six years old and already trying to keep up with the trends could be very bad news for our bottom-line down the road. 

 

Describing Ellie (3) is a bit like describing my favorite barbecue sauce: sweet and sassy with a bit of a kick.  She can be adorable, making us laugh with all the funny things she says.  She is often bossy, demanding sippy-cups and such from anyone within earshot.  She can also be sneaky and smart.  Several months ago, I found her in the kitchen eating a banana.  I wondered how she had gotten and peeled a banana all by herself.  I didn’t have to wonder long as she did not bother to conceal any of the evidence:  a barstool and a very sharp kitchen knife with a banana peel lying neatly by its side.  After one very frustrating day of non-effective time-outs, I said to her, with defeat in my voice, “Ellie, if only you would be obedient…” She quickly interrupted, “Mom, I don’t want to be obedient.  I just want to be happy!”  At the end of another long day, I told her that it was time for bed.  Sensing that she was being sent earlier than usual (I told you she was smart), she said with complete sincerity, “But Mom, I’m too whiny to go to bed!”  She also has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies that can cause serious delays in the morning.  Her hair has to be tight (this is a big change from last year!); every button on the coat must be buttoned and the hood has to be on (rain or shine); her backpack has to be zipped all the way closed; and her pants must be rolled once.  Socks are the worst, because no matter how I try to make them smooth, there is always a bump or a wrinkle that sends her into a tailspin.  Most days, we skip the socks.  We love Ellie and can’t imagine how boring life would be without her.

 

Hadley (barely 1) is such a sweet little thing.  She is never lacking for love or attention at our house.  All the kids fight over who can get her out of her crib in the morning or after a nap.  We like to say that Hadley is popular because everyone wants to be with her – unless , of course, she needs a diaper change, then they all run for the hills.  For the longest time, she did what would be described as an army crawl, using one leg and one arm to propel herself around on her belly.  It was very cute, in a pathetic sort of way.  It just seemed like so much work for the girl to get from point A to point B.  Cameron suggested that we strap a Swiffer mop to her middle and turn her loose on the kitchen floor.  Not a bad idea, but she finally mastered crawling the regular way.  She has recently begun saying “dadda,” and says it all day long.  She has many versions of the word, but my favorite is when she says it just like those guys in the “Whassup?” commercials: “Dadaaaaah!”  I often try to coax her into saying “mama.”  She listens closely and then smiles and says “dadda!”  Not even close.  Little stinker!

 

I recently attended a conference where they asked us to take a moment and write down one thing we know for sure (I think this is something Oprah does in her magazine).  I didn’t write anything down at the time because I couldn’t decide on the one thing that really mattered most.  This has been on my mind ever since.  Last week, I realized what I would write.  This is what I know for sure:  We spend so much time working towards making dreams and goals come true – looking forward to that next phase in life, to the promotion at work, to a Disneyland vacation, potty-trained kids, a new car or a finished basement (if this list sounds a bit personal that’s because it is).  We tell ourselves that all these things will make us happy, and at some level, they can seem to.  But, happiness really has very little (if anything) to do with our dreams coming true.  Happiness is all about our everyday relationships with the people we love, with a God who holds the universe as well as our hearts and lives in His hands, and with His Son, who was born, and lived and died to let us live again.  For these relationships, we are most grateful.  Please know how much we love you and how thankful we are to be loved by you. 

 

Merry Christmas,

 

Cameron, Amy, Austin, Ashleigh, Hayden, Ellie and Hadley

 

 

 

Such A Good Sport!

Being the youngest of five, Hadley puts up with quite a bit, including modeling this flat ball as a hat for a big brother that thinks this is hilarious.

 

The Podium

 

And the winners are... (from left to right): Ellie, Hayden, George and Max!