Happy New Year!

Wow, here we are and it's New Year's Eve. The time has gone by so quickly. Kathryn and her 3 brothers are doing great. We have had a busy Christmas season and are ready for all the great things 2009 has to bring. We took the family for our annual visit to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Kathyrn enjoyed the cool, beautiful evening outside and all the lights. The boys mostly enjoyed the rides. Joseph took his first ride on Space Mountain!

We wish all our friends and family a Blessed New Year. Thank you for all your prayers and support over this past year. May all your dreams come true in 2009 - ours sure did in 2008!

Daniel, Joseph and Kathryn at Disney 12/19/08

Kathryn in her new room!

Daniel, Joseph and Kathryn at Church

Maddi, Michael, Steve, Daniel, Joseph and Kathryn on Christmas Eve 2008

Kathryn and Daddy on Christmas Eve

Nana and Kathryn on Christmas Eve

Papa and Kathryn with Nana giving her Winnie the Pooh on Christmas morning.

Maddi and Kathryn - Opening gifts is exhausting!

Kathryn all dressed up on Christmas!

Michael, Daniel, Joseph and Kathryn on Christmas night.

First Encounter with Santa

This morning we went to Breakfast with Santa at our church. Daniel and Joseph had a lot of fun with their friends Max and Nina. They did some crafts, had their pictures taken with Santa and made Reindeer food to put out on the lawn on Christmas Eve! We did pictures first since the line was short and the kids were anxious to get to the crafts. We only waited a few minutes and it was our turn. I wasn't sure how Kathryn would do, but . . . she sat on Santa's lap without a fuss. As you can see, she was very curious, turning and looking up at Santa, but not a whimper or a cry. It was fun!

Joseph, Daniel and Nina decorating a paper plate. I think the most fun was the finger stampers! Love the ink all over the hands!

Joseph, Max and Nina making a wreath. The cutting took so much time, they lost interest and barely finished the craft! Good cutting practice for the kids and for Mom.

How time flies!

Kathryn and . . .

Joseph

Michael

Daniel

Aunt Debbi

Mama Louise (Great Grandmother)

Kathryn eating her first carrots!

Can't believe we have been home for 2 weeks now. It has been incredible and time is passing very quickly. It took us a few days to get resettled and readjusted to the time change, but we didn't have much of a choice. We just jumped right back into the life we left for a month. Nothing was put on hold, it continued without us. It almost felt like swimming in a stream with a heavy current - we just had to jump in and go with the flow.

Over these last 2 weeks, Kathryn has been introduced to the entire family and to many of our friends. It has been wonderful and she has handled it all with grace. At times she becomes overwhelmed, but when we see that happening Dave and I stop passing her around and make sure one of us has her. She then seems to calm down and is happy again. Meeting so many strangers is a lot on the senses.

On Sunday after we returned Kathryn made her first trip to church. She really enjoyed the praise band and then slept through the sermon :-) It was great to see all of our friends again. We really missed everyone. That afternoon my Mom and Debbi hosted a shower for me and Kathryn at our church. Most of those who attended were friends from church. Kathryn did great through the whole shower. We got such wonderful, thoughtful gifts! Kathryn will certainly be the best dressed baby girl in FL.

Of course one week after arriving home was Thanksgiving. What a wonderful holiday we had. My Aunt Carol, Uncle Dick and cousin Abby came into town and stayed at my parents. It was great to see them even though it was a short 3 days. We also had some college friends come stay with us from Port Charlotte. It was a great weekend with them and the kids had a blast together. On Thanksgiving morning, the dads and kids headed to the local school athletic fields for a game of Football. Michael had invited a bunch of his friends and they had a great turnout. Everyone had a great time. This gave me a chance to get started on the mashed potatoes and pies!! Kathryn helped to taste test the mashed potatoes - her first solid food.

Thanksgiving dinner was at our house! I really enjoy having the family get togethers here and this Thanksgiving was no exception. We set up 3 tables in the Living/Dining room and had 21 people for dinner! It was so much fun. Everyone pitched in and brought food. We even ended up with 6 pies for desert. Kathryn had a great day. I couldn't believe she went down for a nap right when we were sitting down for dinner.

When everyone left with full tummys, Kathryn had a rough night. Not because of overstimulation, but because she decided it was time to get her third tooth. The next two nights were a bit rough. She was inconsolable the first night and had a fever the second. But, sure enough, by Sat am the tooth was fully through the gums and she was content once again.

Now that she has 3 teeth, she has figured out how to put them together and make noises and grind them. Hopefully that won't last long. She continues to discover new things. She loves her bouncer and has learned to pull the toy to make the music play - and does it over and over again :-)

Just this week we have taken the kids to two tree lighting celebrations - it is nice to get into the holiday spirit. It is going to be a truly blessed holiday! I can't say enough how great it is to have our family of 6 and it feels so complete. The boys continue to love on Kathryn and have not become bored of her yet. They are so willing to get up in the morning and get ready on time if it means they get a few minutes of holding Kathryn before school. The boys each wants his turn sitting next to her in the car and they are always willing to help me with the bottles and diapers. They are such wonderful BIG brothers.

Stay tuned for more updates!