Time blurs by...

We were so fortunate to have family here to celebrate the birth of James. Michael's mother flew in to help prepare meals, take care of the house, and shuttle the children to their many activities. Then my beloved sister Shannon came with her adorable little boy Emerson. She also was such a great help to me despite being 6 months pregnant. My recovery was quick and pain free thanks to these helpful and hard working ladies. I was able to rest and regain my strength without worrying about taking care of everyone. A huge thank you to Debbie and Shannon! Here is a recap of the past month's events...

Michael took Audrey on a date to see Jackie Evancho (a talented young opera prodigy) :

Brendan won first place for his Wolf den in the Pinewood Derby (more to come on that):

Everyone enjoyed holding James:

The children and our next door neighbors set up a lemonade stand, complete with candy and portrait drawings offered:

Audrey danced in an Irish performance (here she is watching the older girls from backstage):

Emerson was oh-so-adorable! He and Caleb became buddies (Caleb even cried when we took Emerson and Shannon to the airport):

Me and my sis:

What a wonderful month!

Little James

It's hard to believe a month has gone by since the birth of little James. He has grown so much and we adore his chubbiness and sweet smell. He is certainly loved by his siblings, who constantly request to hold him, while completely smothering him with kisses. I love his dark hair and blue-gray eyes. He is so calm and alert. I can't wait to watch him grow and to see how his personality fits into our family. I cherish the quiet moments I have to hold him as his little body snuggles into a limp ball. He is simply precious.

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).