Grandma Phyllis

Last Sunday, my sweet Grandma Phyllis turned 100 years-old. I only hope to live as long and as well as she has!

I have picked up a few "Tips for a Long Life" from watching her, though:

1. Never walk up the stairs when you can run up them (even in your high heels . . . even when you're over 90).

2. Indulge your sweet tooth a little bit each day -- preferably with chocolate.

3. Always, always laugh at yourself.

4. Lose your life in the tireless service of others (as Jesus taught us).

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

An Update

We're still here!

I do have high hopes for getting caught up on our blog, but for now, here's a little update on everyone:

Sarah will be 6 months-old tomorrow, and what a jolly, roly-poly little baby she is! She's jabbering quite a bit and beginning to roll over both ways. She keeps us all entertained!

Alex is content to play "vehicles" all day long with Katie, as long as he has plenty of "bunny chocolate milk" (Nesquick) to keep him going. He picked up potty-training this winter faster than anyone I've ever seen . . . he had it down-pat in about 3 days. I think I've discovered the magic bullet for potty-training: wait, wait, wait! (He was 3 + 3 months.)

Katie had so much fun at the Butterfly House last week with these friends (plus a few others)! She and Alex are such cute little buddies, and her obsession with Baby Sarah continues too.

Abby is doing great except for this shiner (which she asked me to show on our blog, by the way!). She found herself on the receiving end of an alarm clock being hurled by Katie, and this was the result. Let's hear it for sisterly love!

Luke celebrated his birthday in March with a fun family party. We haven't been seeing too much of him lately, unfortunately, since he has to stay after work Monday-Thursday for review lectures. (He has his huge end-of-residency test, the oral boards, coming up in May.) I guess it makes the times when he can be home for dinner with us all the sweeter. (And oh, what a relief when I'm drowning in the throes of the bedtime routine and he walks through the door to rescue us!)

This picture sums up my life pretty well . . . a little crazy; yet, there's no place I'd rather be (most of the time!) than home with these little ones.

We've been quite consumed the past couple of months trying to fix up and sell our home, but we finally signed a contract today! Now we're just hoping and praying that it all works out.

I sure hope we are done forever with showings . . . talk about stressful! On 45-minutes' notice, we clean up the house as perfectly as possible, round up the kids, and find somewhere to go for an hour while complete strangers walk through our home. Not super fun! We're just grateful to have found a buyer and to be moving forward.

It's looking like spring here, with gorgeous blossoms on our magnolia and flowering pear trees and unseasonably warm weather. It feels so good to be outdoors. We're looking forward to Abby's and Katie's spring break next week . . . we'll report our adventures!

Dear Family and Friends, 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It’s been a busy year! We welcomed Sarah Marie into our family on September 16, and she is a joy. We love her big, blue eyes and her smiles. She has been met with such enthusiasm from her siblings that we suspect she might be asking Santa for a little peace and quiet this year. 

Alex (3) is obsessed with trucks, trains, and bulldozers. The highlight of his week is watching the garbage truck come by. He and Katie love to build block towers and play “house” in the basement. 

Katie (almost 5) is happiest holding Baby Sarah, riding her bike, or coloring. She enjoys preschool, especially gym and singing time, and is learning to read.  

Abby (7) is a true bookworm and a great artist. She showed amazing courage and resilience this year when she had an unexpected fourth operation on her heart. We are so grateful to see her fully recovered, strong, and energetic . . . it is an answer to many prayers.

Carrie (old) does her best to keep our household intact, with varying degrees of success. She teaches a few piano students and enjoys working with the Primary children at church. (She can relate to Baby Sarah’s request of Santa.) 

Luke (also old) is in his final year of radiology residency and is preparing to begin a pediatric radiology fellowship next summer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. (We’ll all be tagging along to Ohio with him . . . another adventure!) We’re wondering if he chose the wrong line of work, however, after seeing his prowess at remodeling our kitchen and bathroom last spring. He definitely has a back-up future in tiling! 

We are constantly being told by casual observers, “You’ve got your hands full!” That’s definitely true, but our hearts are full too. We’re so grateful for this time in our lives and for our many blessings. Thank you to our family and friends for being foremost among those blessings.

Much love,

Luke, Carrie, Abby, Katie, Alex, and Sarah 

Visit from Pops!

In early November we had a fun visit from Pops (my dad). The first time Sarah saw him, she broke into this huge grin, which I managed to capture:

We introduced Pops to two St. Louis classics: Steak 'n' Shake (no photos, but it was yummy--our kids' first time there too!), and the Missouri Botanical Garden, which we love:

He also joined us for Sarah's baby blessing at church (actually, we had her blessing that day because he was there). She was given a beautiful blessing by Luke, and it was a special day to celebrate this precious new member of our family.

Now Sarah has met all four of her grandparents. We're so glad he could come!

October Recap

Abby and Katie had some fun bike rides with Daddy.   :)

Katie's preschool was visited by a real fire engine and a real firefighter!

We took a fun field trip to a farm with Katie's preschool. Katie loved petting the animals, of course.

Katie on the tire swing at the farm

We celebrated Alex's 3rd birthday by going to Grant's Farm. Here he is on the tram with Daddy!

Abby and Luke with the baby goats at Grant's Farm

 

Alex's "bulldozer cake"

Our jack-o-lanterns (carved while we watched the Cardinals win the World Series--what an exciting time to be in St. Louis!)

Katie and her class on Halloween

All ready for trick-or-treating!