It seems like just yesterday I was writing about closing out 2013 and my thoughts on being pregnant. Now, there is a very active 9-month old playing at my feet and another year has come and gone. Obviously, the most eventful thing was going from a family of 5 to a family of 6. It has been an adjustment for all of us, but honestly, I think it has been the hardest for me. I sometimes find myself thinking about how close I was to being home-free or at least having a lot more free time. But, I quickly banish those thoughts, because really, I am so happy to have Luke. It has been wonderful to have just one baby to focus on. All of us love watching him learn and grow and it has been fun seeing the older kids in the role of big brother/sister.
Fortunately, there were no (long) periods of separation this year. There were also no big trips. But, we did enjoy a few mini-vacations. We went to Pennsylvania and enjoyed Dutch Wonderland. We spent four fun days in Williamsburg. There was a night at Great Wolf Lodge. And of course, we took our annual December trip to Norfolk. Then, there were tons of day trips to local historical sites, most often relating to George Washington. We even rolled eggs on the White House Lawn. Hmmm, when I write it out, it seems like we did more than I realized. Probably the best thing was having visitors. We were very fortunate to entertain Marta and Elizabeth (although, their trip was more of a working one, since they came to help us when I had Luke). There was a great summer visit from my sister and her family and Grandpa Kurk came for a week at Thanksgiving. I hope that 2015 brings much of the same!
And now for our yearly summary of the kids. Thomas I did not confer before coming up with our 3 words. From youngest to oldest this time:
Luke: He is a great baby with a fantastic disposition. Even when he is crying, he often can't help but laugh if someone merely says the words, "peek-a-boo". He adores his siblings and really just about everyone he comes into contact with. He does not like being left alone. He likes to be where the action is. He still doesn't crawl, but can scoot himself wherever he needs to be. He likes to pull himself to a standing position and I wonder if he may just skip crawling altogether. If I had to describe Luke in three words, they would be: happy, determined and curious. Thomas used: fun, curious and mellow.
Kara: Our little Kare-Bear. She started Kindergarten this year, but wants to be able to do whatever Jack and Anna do in first grade. She especially likes to do their math worksheets and is very anxious to be a fluent reader (she knows many words and can already read simple books). She likes to play outside and is an equal mix of tomboy and girly-girl. She loves to put together outfits. Her latest thing is to put something long-sleeved under her summer dresses with pants and boots (she loves boots). She also loves playing with Littlest Pet Shop. Kara wants to be a "grown-up doctor" when she grows up and her favorite show is Littlest Pet Shop. She behaves perfectly at school (her teacher told me she was one of her 2 best students!) and has been anxious for winter break to end because she misses her friends and teachers. She still reverts to whining and crying when she doesn't get her way, particularly when she is arguing with Anna or Jack. She is usually nice to her friends, but does not hesitate to take action when she doesn't get her way (unless she's at school of course). She is a fantastic big-sister who absolutely adores Luke. For Kara's three words, I would use: smart, sweet and stubborn. Thomas said sweet, volatile and caring.
Jack wants to be "someone who helps the community" when he grows up. His favorite show, at this moment, is Liberty's Kid (probably because that is what he is watching). As anyone who reads this blog knows, he is extremely interested in history. He is very smart, in fact, he is almost as smart as he thinks he is (confidence is not an issue for Jack). He is something of a first-grade ladies man, with two girls fighting to make him their boyfriend. Yes, those are terms that first-graders use, heaven help me! Fortunately, he has told them both he is much too young, although, he admits that he does like one of them because she has such a "cute smile." Because a lot of things come easily to him, he gets frustrated when he has to work at something. His temper has greatly improved, but he still has his moments. He is a home-body and has probably inherited our introverted personalities, although he is not the least bit shy. He often asks to leave parties early and does best when he is in a smaller group. He enjoys school and adores his teacher. His three words are: interested, kind and bright. According to Thomas, he is sweet, eager-to-learn and tough.
Anna is very precocious. We were at Kohls yesterday and after looking at the toys, she wanted to see the make-up. Fortunately, she still enjoys playing little-girl games with Kara, especially Littlest Pet Shop. She is really fun to have one-on-one; I am always happy when she wants to accompany me on errands. She loves wearing footy pajamas and sometimes will change into them immediately after getting home from school. Unfortunately, she does not enjoy school. She does fine academically, but always seems to feel like she isn't where she is supposed to be (which is not the least bit true). She likes to be contrary, by her own admission she sometimes disagrees just for the sake of disagreeing. She enjoys dancing and singing and looks forward to her weekly dance class. When she grows up she wants to be a stay-at-home-mom, because she "likes taking care of people." Her favorite show is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and she also likes Hotwheels (which apparently we checked out from the library at some point this year--I have no recollection of them ever watching it). I would describe Anna as imaginative, fun and sassy. Thomas described her as: smart, helpful, and dramatic.
I am so thankful for all four of my children. At times, each of them can be challenging, but I am sure that is true of all of us. I am also very thankful for my wonderful husband. As I reflect on the year behind us and the one ahead, I pray that I will remember to focus on the things that truly matter. I hope that we will end 2015 the same way we started: healthy, happy and together.
