2016: Week five

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Elise:  Oh, this sweet first child...with her lists and plans and schedules!  I guess we've been doing this as a family for ages (making lists of things to do when we have play dates and babysitters), but now she takes on the task of making sure they have the whole evening planned out when we have a babysitter coming.  She also kindly dresses Eden in pjs and does her whole bedtime routine when we're out!  Having an eight and a half year old is a beautiful and delicate balance of drama and possibility...

Caleb:  I am so excited (and ready!) for him to see himself as a reader and writer...and we're getting there!  He's still in that phase of learning to read and write where it continues to be so much work and he wants to be able to do a lot more than he has the patience for, but...we're getting there!

I love how he always (always!) wears the survival bracelet my brother, Sam, made for him and his "Hold My Words" bracelet for our friend, Nathaniel, who is recovering from major airway reconstruction surgery.  Sweet boy.

Lucas: For as much as this guy likes to bounce and climb and run and jump and do other fairly dangerous things, he's also surprisingly focused on quiet activities like Legos, blocks, puzzles, and such.  On this particular day (and for the next two days), he worked for several hours building a marble roller coaster out of wooden blocks.  

Eden:  Sorry this isn't the greatest pictures, but this little one has taken on the role of family nurse in recent months and it's just too cute.  She's the first one to jump up and grab tissues, band-aids, ice packs...whatever type of care is necessary when a friend or sibling is hurt or in need.  (In this picture, she's taking the paper off the back of the band-aid to put it on Caleb's injured elbow.)

2016: Week four

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Elise:  Meet "Wish" - We baby stepped into the world of pet ownership this year with the acquisition of a Betta Fish named Wish!  He's pretty quiet and doesn't smell or make much of a mess, which is just what we needed!!

Caleb:  Totally excited to dress up as a 100 year old man to celebrate the 100th day of school - what a dapper old guy!

Lucas:  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe + Electronics Set Tinkering = 1 Awesome Quiet Time

Eden:  I don't know if it was the costume jewelry or her hair on this particular day, but my little lady isn't seeming so little anymore.  (Tissue, please!)

2016: Week three

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Elise:  Love finding this girl curled up with a book...all day, every day!  This week in particular, we had fun digging into all the Newbery and Caldecott finalists and winners!

Caleb:  I've really been trying to attend to the needs of this sweet boy during a fairly difficult phase in our relating to one another...sigh... On Sunday everyone was putting in their requests for brunch items and he asked for crepes. When I brought them out to serve, you would have thought I'd handed him a million dollars. He beamed, hugged me three times, and dashed off to write me a thank you note. I think we both needed that moment.

Lucas:  Our gamer! Lucas would play games all day long if he could find enough people willing to do the same.  I've been making more of an effort to play games with him each day after I put Eden down for a nap, but I also had the bright idea this week of bringing out Traffic Jam (a game/puzzle he can do on his own!)  It was the perfect timing - he totally loved it...and I folded several loads of laundry while he played!

Eden:  We've all gotten quite a chuckle over her recent zeal for playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" - the funny thing was, that she had the hardest time getting just her two fingers out for "scissors" BUT she chose scissors every single time. Elise was the patient opponent in this particular match...thanks, Elisey!

2016: Week two

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Elise:  We have another (nearly!) independent baker in the house and it's such a treat!

Caleb:  Turned our MLK long weekend into a staycation of sorts...Caleb said the camp out in the playroom was one of the best nights ever!

Lucas:  I told you Legos were big around here!  Lucas spent his very own money on an underwater Lego City set and it was a delight to see his joy in the dreaming and shopping and building of his carefully chosen purchase.

Eden:  One of our staycation stops was the U-City Ice Festival...our outing included lots of cool ice sculptures, an ice slide and some brick oven pizza.

2016: Week One

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Elise:  Getting ready for the upcoming author visit of Kate Klise at the kids' school, we checked out "Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant" - 8 feet, 4 inches is pretty tall!!

Caleb:  My project guy!  After a visit to the Magic House's "Take Apart" station stocked with old VCRs and a Science and Engineering night at school, Caleb was begging us to find old electronics around the house that he could work on.  Lucky for him, we recently had to replace the car stereo!

Lucas:  Ready or not?!?!  (sniff, sniff!)

Eden:  There is a lot of excitement around Legos here these days and this little lady couldn't wait to get in on the Lego fun.  For weeks she's been telling people that she's two and half, that she's turning three in May and that she's going to get Legos for her birthday...well, we decided to surprise her with a special Lego set of her own as a reward for potty training this week!

Christmas 2015

...well...there are plenty of excuses and reasons for the long silence here on the blog...and I do have lots of pictures that I'd love to post from the last six months, but for now we'll jump in with the here and now and a few memories to treasure from our holidays this year!

  I can't remember the last time he didn't wear a suit to church...he even dressed in his finest when we went to an Advent craft day on a Saturday in December.

Brown paper packages tied up with string!

We "staged" Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on December 22&23 so we could celebrate at home together before flying to Philly on the 23rd.  We lucked out again with a whole two weeks off from school, so that gave us the chance to enjoy time at home in StL as well as a whole week in PA/DE with family!

Ready or not?!?!  Compared to other places we've lived, the 1 hour and 45 minute flight home makes us feel like neighbors! (sometimes!)

We arrived in Philly at 11:30pm and by 8:30 the next morning our Woodworth Christmas gift exchange was in full swing!  So many fun and thoughtful gifts were shared.

I didn't manage to capture the new remote controlled car in the pic, but I think the delight is pretty obvious!  Thank you sooooo much, Aunt Lydia!

Likewise, Uncle Ben picked out an awesome car for this guy, too.  Wow!

Eden was quite the jolly package opener (for everyone!).  She oohed and aahed over everything and if she didn't know what something was, she just said, "Wow, this!!"

Once she'd opened most everything in Sam's stocking, she moved on to Grant's.

She's a pretty good little sister to have around!

The first mission of the Christmas rocket!  Getting ready to launch...

Figuring out a new music player with Grandpa.  Engineering at work!

So fun to watch these girls grow up together!  Mary is two months younger than Elise and the daughter of one of my nearest and dearest cousins.

Don't have the exact count, but I think we might have taken this same picture every year for the past 35 years!

Off to Media to see Hannah's cozy holiday house and enjoy a stroll to the coffee shop around the corner.

Making it to Longwood Gardens to see the lights is always a highlight!  This year Elise got to share it with all four of her grandparents while the younger kids slept and rested at home.

Speaking of highlights...now that the cottage is up and running for all seasons, it's an especially fun getaway in winter!

That's a good looking football team!

Thank you dear family for such a wonderful visit!  We love sharing life with you!!! 

week twenty-six

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With Granddad at the wheel and myself on entertainment and snack committee, we managed to make it to PA in a (looooooong) day's drive!  That meant we had the rest of the week to enjoy being with our extended family.  We're so blessed!

Elise:  Recently enjoyed watching "Dolphin Tale" at her friend Chloe's house and is now captivated by all things dolphin!  While we were driving to Avalon (Thanks, Hayd, Michele and crew!!) she asked where we would have to go to see dolphins in the wild and I told her we'd probably have to be farther south to have a good chance...well, late in the afternoon we spotted four dolphins just off the shore and she could not have been more delighted!

Caleb:  Project Man - at it again.  This time, with the help of Uncle Hayd, the kids dug a gigantic hole in the sand - the perfect recipe for lots of beachy fun!

Lucas:  Watching these two makes my heart almost burst with joy.  For the first two days we were at my mom and dad's, Lucas jumped up and ran to the door everytime he heard it open - thinking it was Makari!  Meanwhile, Makari was at home telling Michele that he couldn't wait another minute to be with Lucas!  Cousin love is the best!!!!

Eden:  In Grammie's kitchen, making up a batch of Blackberry Fool (inspired by the book, A Fine Dessert!) with Aunt Lydia and Elise.  Soooooo special!  She helped pick the blackberries, whip the cream, AND lick the spatula.

The Crew:  Oh beach days, how I miss you!  We'll be back soon!