4 months old!

Four months have come and gone since Kinsley joined our family. She is such a joy, and it is especially fun to watch Ella include her baby sister in her daily life. I am so excited that I have a front row seat to watch both of them as they change and grow, do new things and have new adventures. Kinsley is at such a fun stage because she is learning to roll over, laugh, and giggle that true belly giggle. Ella's age is amazing because she is learning so much, using words that we have no idea how she has learned them (and not always using them correctly, which is fun). Everything now is "spicy" - the weather is spicy today, her blanket felt spicy this morning, etc. She has such a little personality. She will be the "teacher's pet" in school, I am sure - she just has that way about her. She is quick to tell me if anyone else is doing something they should not be doing and will say, 'They need to make a wise choice!" My brother, Chris, would just say that she is exactly like her mom used to be!!!

We had a special treat this weekend - the Labiak's came to visit! God knew what I needed when He brought us to our house in Plainfield, IL. Karen was the neighbor across the street, and we instantly became best friends. I love her dearly, miss her terribly, but am so humbled that she chooses to be such a great friend to me. You know those people that you constantly have to call and contact to keep in touch after a move - she is the opposite. Her life is busy and hectic, but she makes sure I know she values the friendship, too. Even though we only met in 2001, she will be a lifetime friend. She knows me so well. Ronnie laughs when we are together because he knows I am usually not that comfortable around most people - he told me after they left, "I tend to forget how well the two of you really deeply know each other!"

So here are some 4 month (and 3 1/2 year) pictures and some pictures from our weekend. We had 5 children, age 3 and under, in our house and it was so much fun! (The best pictures of the kids are from their bath, but I chose not to include those!)

If you are from Kentucky

If you are from KY, then you understand the significance of this yearly event - the KY vs. UL basketball game. Ronnie was happier with the end result (more than me, a fan of the blue), but it was still a fun game to attend!

Christmas

Here are a few pictures from our holiday celebrations! We were in Caneyville with my family the few days before Christmas, home for Christmas morning, then at Ronnie's parents that night. The following weekend, we went (the four of us) to Gatlinburg for a few days, which was really nice to just get away for a little bit. Of course, any type of overnight requires HOURS of planning and packing. Once we were in the car, though, things were a lot less stressful! We planned to stay through New Year's, but came back on New Year's Eve. (mainly because it was all four of us in one bed and Ella was a constant, all night spinner!)

One funny thing - on Christmas morning, Ella would look at the gift tag and see the picture on the tag (Santa, presents, stars, trees, etc) and assume that was the giver of the gift. She would say, This one is from the apple trees - like that was something normal to receive a gift from a particular type of tree. Each time she opened a present, it was more fun to hear who the "giver" was than anything else!

We really tried to focus this year on helping communicate giving more than receiving. We gathered things for drives at church (clothes, food, etc), took cookies to a nursing home, and a few other things. I would love to hear what ideas you have in your home!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday as w