Merry Christmas....

Some of you will be receiving your Christmas card for 2009 this week. We kept it down to a minimum this year because so many of you are on email/blog/facebook!!
Merry Christmas 2009!
To sum up the year, “We worked too much, slept too little, and enjoyed our kids as much as possible.” Two brilliantly bright spots in our year were the birth of Hunter Kade on May 24th and my acceptance into the physician assistance program at James Madison University, made official just after Thanksgiving. Eight days overdue and 2 inductions later, Hunter was born weighing 8 lbs 5 oz and was stretched to 19 ½ inches long. Now that he’s 6 months old and 21 pounds, we can’t get enough of him. We love when Chandra’s mom, Martha, carries him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes since holding him in front of her throws her off balance. He rolls over, sits up, pinches and scratches, and loves to laugh. Alexis can get him to giggle almost on command. Although he still has no teeth and hardly any hair, he is extremely loveable.
Alexis Marie turned 4 years old in October. She attends pre-school during the mornings every Tuesday and Thursday. She helps Ethan with his homework and the ultimate game seems to be slapping down Ethan’s sight word flash cards and having those two try to say the word quicker than the other…silly kids! She is also fond of singing in the van, the bathroom, throughout the house. She often will say a hilarious one-liner and keeps us rolling in laughter! She is quick to tear up when someone speaks harshly and equally quick to wrap her arms around us regardless of who is hurt. She is such a sweetheart!
Ethan Christopher turned 5 in April and is in kindergarten. He enjoys school and works on many projects and songs which he brings home to share! He has many friends in class and enjoys seeing them and spending time in school with them. He likes to learn lines from songs on the radio and sing them repeatedly. He usually plays well with Alexis, who idolizes him, as long as he gets the better end of the deal! He likes to help with the dishes and even made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch recently. He is eager to help out with things he feels he is now big enough to handle. We are very grateful to have him in our family.
Our address will remain the same for the next few years, as will our phone and email. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

Look what dropped our way today....

SNOW~ about 5 inches total! Fun, fun, fun! Chris and I decided to go to the Christmas Tree Farm and hike and cut down our own tree this year. It was awesome, especially in the snow. The little kids and big kids had a great day! Enjoy the pics...

What a good looking tree Ethan and Alexis picked out. Chris cut it down. Hunter and I supervised! :)

Hunter fun

I'm so glad this hat, which Ethan and Alexis wore when they were little, fits Hunter this year!


PRUNES, ANYONE?

Thanksgiving fun!

My mom and dad came for Thanksgiving. We went to my cousin's house and had a feast! The food was delicious and spending time with family and friends was very enjoyable. A great time was had by all! We missed a special someone, but I know that she is having her own feast in heaven!

Christina and her kids came later on that night! We had such a blast on Friday with a little shopping in the early am, the children's museum later on in the day and a great dinner that evening.