JANUARY
January is usually a slow month, and it brought our one and only snow that winter. We tried out a new sledding hill at our house. Jacob turned four months old-- he became much more interactive. He played in his Exersaucer for the first time, and slept in his own crib for the first time. Its hard to even remember him being that small (although he is really the same weight now, just a little taller and older!).
FEBRUARY
In February we took a family trip just a few hours north to Montreal, Canada. It was the kids' first time out of the country, and all they needed was a birth certificate! They enjoyed seeing the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
MARCH
In March Abigail had our family's first surgery-- tubes in her ears & adenoids removed. Since then we have seen a huge increase in her vocabulary, and she no longer says "What you say?" all the time. She still doesn't speak as clearly as some four-year-olds, but we definitely see a big difference. She now is starting to tell stories, use her imagination in play, recount things that happened to her at school, and just express the things she's feeling.
Abi is starting to recognize letters & numbers and becoming more interested in school things-- all things she wouldn't even try at the beginning of this year. She is also able to tell me who her friends are, and the types of things she likes. She's still stubborn sometimes, and gets upset easily when she can't quite express herself, or when someone tells her what to do. She can be persistent when there's something she wants. She loves to make up funny dances, although she was much too shy to join a dance class with a teacher & kids she didn't know! She loves potty humor and just being silly in general. She sleeps more than any of the other kids put together & still takes naps many days. But when she's awake she barely sits still. She doesn't care much for eating unless its candy. And she still loves to cuddle & be held.
Jacob also started solid foods in March, and he hasn't stopped eating since. This kid loves his food!! It was also the month Jacob first met with a pediatric pulmonary specialist about the noisy breathing we'd noticed since he was born. That was when we officially heard the diagnosis of laryngomalecia, and he started on reflux meds.
We also celebrated Easter in March, by dying eggs much like usual, and hunting for eggs at the church egg hunt. We also had a fun little family photo shoot.
APRIL
In April, things tend to get warmer and things with school tend to get busier as we try to finish out the year. Andrew started taking Taekwando. We wanted something for him to find a passion for, an outlet to get out his frustrations and also learn self-confidence and dedication. I can't say I've noticed a huge change in him since he's started taking classes, but I have seen a lot of growth in him academically. He does enjoy doing Taekwando, but hasn't started taking it so seriously yet. He works hard, but right now his biggest passion is playing the IPad. He loves games on the computer or tablet. He will focus and focus until he beats the next level, or whatever the game requires.
Andrew loves animals and talks about them all the time. He is especially fascinated with cheetahs and lions, and now dinosaurs-- anything fast or fierce. In school, he is good at most things he tries, if he is willing to sit down and try-- of course he'd rather just play, and in Classical Conversations group, he's usually the class clown, getting everyone to laugh at him or just cutting up in class to get attention from his friends. He likes to tell jokes and make us laugh at home, too-- the comic relief of the family. He has really taken off in learning to read this year and can read short chapter books on his own. His handwriting is great when he applies himself to it, and he's always been a natural at math & numbers.
Andrew loves going to the little Children's Museum we discovered this year-- they have a toy train, play kitchen, and lots of things to build & create. He asks to go all the time. He isn't really into Legos yet but he does enjoy building with blocks, and he is always making up stories involving his cars & his dinosaurs. They almost always have to make a lot of noise.
MAY
May was all about field trips and being outside with friends. We went to both Billings Farm & the Shelburne Museum on field trips with friends. In both we learned about life in Vermont at the turn of the century.
The kids also played non-competitive soccer with our local homeschool group. They made new friends, learned some new skills and had fun outside.
We also had our end-of-the-year ceremony for AWANA at church. The kids have absolutely loved this program and are all very motivated to learn Scripture, thanks to the reward system AWANA has put in place. Leah finished a book and a half in Sparks in order to get her Sparky award for finishing all three books. Andrew also finished his first book in Sparks and Abigail finished her first year in Cubbies, just narrowly finishing her whole book as well. They love seeing their friends every week and playing games, and I love seeing them learn God's word.
JUNE
In June, Leah finished her 4th year of dance with a recital. She did tap & jazz combo this year and really excelled. She loves to dance. This year she seems to have really started to take dance more seriously. She dances all over the house practicing her steps. Her new class this year has just 3 students & her teacher really challenges them, but also says Leah is doing well keeping up. Leah also loves to sing and act. She says she wants to be a movie star when she grows up. Leah is very smart and able to pick things up pretty easily, but when she can't, she gets frustrated quickly. This year school is a little harder for her as she is having to work a little more. Her class at CC is also all older kids, so she's mentioned how sometimes she feels like others may laugh at her-- I can tell she's getting into the phase where she just wants to be accepted and be a part of the group.
Leah is self-motivated when it comes to most things and always takes charge when it comes to doing things with her brothers and sister. She organizes their cleaning efforts and usually tells them what to do. She always wants things to be fair, and will let you know if she feels left out. She deals with a lot of anxiety when it comes to getting enough sleep at night & often has a hard time falling asleep if she's not in her own bed. She also seems to make friends easily and get along well with everyone, but I also can tell she deals with anxiety in many social situations-- it often reveals itself in the form of stomach aches. She loves things of the Lord, going to church activities (or just going places in general), and she loves imagining and creating things. She loves drawing and doing scrapbooking and stickers. She also loves girly things like nail polish and makeup. She is growing up way too fast!
Brett & I also got to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this year with a mini weekend getaway to Lake George, only an hour away from home, but far enough to not have to worry about any kids and just celebrate our marriage. We are so blessed to have a church family that allows us to take time off and even helps watch the kids while we do!
Jacob also turned 9 months old in June and officially started crawling and sitting up on his own, although he'd been rolling pretty much anywhere for awhile. He truly started to get into everything at that point!
JULY
July 4th is always our trip to see the 4th of July parade & have Fried Bread Dough in Bristol.
The kids also enjoyed VBS, and we had our first family camping trip. This was the same trip where I first took Jacob to the ER for what was then diagnosed as tracheal spasms, but later we discovered were actually seizures.
Andrew turned 6 in July and celebrated with a superhero cake. He also earned his yellow belt in Taekwando, just a few months after starting!
AUGUST
August was super busy! Leah went to sleepaway camp at Word of Life for the first time (and probably not the last)-- she did so well and loved it!
Grandma & Grandpa came to visit, along with Aunt Jenipher & Elena, who I got to meet for the first time! We did all sorts of fun things, including a trip to Six Flags!
We ended off our summer with Fair & Field Days, the Library Summer Program, and two weddings, besides our usual outdoor fun at the playground. Then, we started back to school-- our 5th year homeschooling! I, for one, love the freedom of homeschooling. I love knowing what the kids are learning and being able to teach them a Biblical worldview, rather than the view they would get at public school. I love that we get to spend time as a family and have the freedom to go on trips whenever we want. I love that Leah and Andrew, for the most part, are best friends and love doing things together. It's not always easy and I often feel like we're not doing enough, but these kids are learning and growing and we're going to keep right on doing what we're doing.
And to wrap up August, Leah turned 8. There wasn't a huge celebration but we had a girly cake and some presents as a family!
SEPTEMBER
On Labor Day Weekend we had an amazing cookout at the Lake with our church family and Leah was baptized into new life in Christ. We are so proud of her new faith.
September was also the beginning of our 4th year of Classical Conversations, my first year as a tutor. It's been a lot of fun teaching Andrew's class of 6 5 & 6 year-olds, and the kids are still learning a ton each week they go!
Our sweet last-born turned one on the 21st and we can't imagine life without this goofy little cheese-face. Jacob has grown so much over this past year. He has learned to crawl, to sit on his own, to pull up to standing, to cruise and even takes a few steps here & there. He went from rolling around on his belly to getting into EVERYTHING. He is constantly on the move, and hates to be bored. He always has to have something to tinker with or build with or a car to push around, otherwise he wants me to hold him (but never still-- I have to carry him around places). He LOVES to eat, all the time-- anything & everything-- there is no food he doesn't like. He loves bath time & water and will now throw a tantrum when he has to get out.
Jacob loves being around other people, and he especially seems to love his sister Abi. Some of my favorite things he does now: He gives kisses by puckering up his lips like a fish face & making a smacking noise (except when Daddy asks for a kiss, then he just blows a raspberry). He copies you if you click your tongue or roll your r's. He can show you his head-- just don't ask while he's eating something messy. He crawls in Abi's bed when we go to wake her up from a nap, saying something that sounds just like her name over & over, then he will sit on her & hit her to wake her up. He says "uh, oh" and "wow!" He refuses to drink anything other than juice in his cup & will throw it at you if you try. He is able to charm his way into people's hearts with just a grin.
September also brought our wild adventure at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where we discovered Jacob's benign brain tumor that was causing partial seizures. We are thankful that, as of now his seizures are under control with medication and Jacob is developing and growing like a perfectly normal one-year-old.
OCTOBER
In October we had an amazing family vacation; highlights including Philadelphia, Great Wolf Lodge, Outer Banks to visit Mom & Dad, picking & carving pumpkins, time on the beach, the Aquarium, a visit to the Seminary & Raleigh, and the Statue of Liberty & Central Park in NYC.
Abi celebrated her 4th birthday while we were on vacation with a fun Dora cake with my whole side of the family.
NOVEMBER
In November we resumed normal school life after vacation, and had some fun jumping in leaves.
Andrew competed in his first Taekwando tournament.
And we kicked off the holiday season with our annual Christmas tree decorating.
DECEMBER
In December we celebrated all the fun of the holidays. We saw Santa, we made a gingerbread house, saw a version of the Nutcracker play, went to several Christmas parties, and Jacob even got his first haircut in there somewhere. We saw Christmas movies, drove to see some lights, made cookies for Santa, and played in the snow. It was a full month but a lot of fun!
We have no idea what 2017 has in store for us, but I'm sure these 4 will not stop growing and learning and doing new things. Time marches on and we are excited to see what our little life in Vermont will bring.
