Sweet Baby James

Happy 7th Birthday!

This weekend we celebrated Audrey's 7th birthday! We went shopping for some new clothes, went out to dinner together, took a long walk to the park, and had a family party at home.

Audrey is such a lovely young lady. She is calm, helpful, graceful, cheerful, and so fun to be around. She loves school and learning, as well as playing school at home by teaching her younger siblings. What fun to celebrate Audrey. We love you!

Irish Dancer

Audrey recently entered her first Irish dance competition and danced incredibly well. She competed in the Light Jig and Reel categories, as well as a Two-Hand dance with her friend Caroline. She brought home three medals that day... a bronze, a silver, and a gold! We are so proud of her and how hard she worked to accomplish so much. She especially loved wearing the curly costume wig and ghillies (Irish soft shoes).

Way to go!

Moving Forward

Many changes lie ahead for our family as we prepare to move into a new home in January and then welcome baby #5 in February. I anticipate my blog posts to be sparse for the next few months, if I have the chance to post at all!

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together at home on Saturday... what fun to see Kooper just as giddy and excited as the little ones to wake up on Christmas morning. Now that our rest and relaxation time is over, it's time to start packing and moving and unpacking and settling. It will be so nice to have Kooper's help with the lifting that I am unable to do right now. ;)

I thought I'd leave a few pics of Caleb's 2nd birthday (of which I didn't have time to post earlier), to tide the grandmas over for a while, until that unforeseen moment when I have time to upload pictures and sit at a plugged-in computer again.

Caleb is so big! He is almost as big as Madeline and absolutely LOVES cars, trucks (he calls them "brmm-brmms"), and balls. He can easily ride scooters, bikes, skateboards, you-name-it. He is a daddy's boy and insists on going for a car ride or a walk with his dad every single evening. What an adorable little [big] boy. We can't imagine our family without him and his large, loving blue eyes & bright blond hair toddling around everywhere.

Happy New Year!

Madeline's Cooking Show

Miss Madeline is quite the little baker! We made mint chocolate cookies one afternoon and she rolled out 64 cookie balls all at once without taking a break. She talked and sang all the while, and loved every minute of it. Here is a cute clip of her expertise (you may have to turn up the volume for full effect).

Warm Wishes to You

The weather has finally begun to cool down and we are excited to welcome the Christmas season. We have much to be grateful for this year. We enjoyed spending relaxed time together over the Thanksgiving weekend. Kooper even tried his hand at baking and is quickly becoming an expert in pumpkin muffins and chocolate cookies. We look forward to more of his yummy holiday treats in the coming month. Warm wishes to you this season!

Talent Night

Audrey was recently selected to perform in Summerwood Elementary School's annual Talent Show. She played "Irish Celebration" for an audience of local parents and friends. Great job Audrey!