Merry Christmas!

 Greetings! Time has flown by as indicated by my lack of blogging, and my knowledge that I'm too far behind to attempt to catch up!  (I did do an album of all the pictures, but you'll have to come over to see it!)

A few of the highlights this year include a cruise which Brett and I took with friends to Belize and Cancun in January, which was a terrific way to start the new year!  In the summer we went on countless camping and fishing trips as a family including going to Calaveras Big Trees to see the sequoias & redwoods.  We went to San Francisco, visited family, hit Tahoe, and spent plenty of time at home playing with friends in the neighborhood, swimming, going on drives, and curling up together to watch movies and play games.  I wasted plenty of time on Pinterest, worked on some crafts, and spent the rest of my days trying out yummy new recipes between loads of laundry and shuttling kids about.  And Brett, ever the hobby whore, raised chickens, built a shed, got a woodworking shop, and is working on building some furniture, when he isn't at Scouts, wrestling the kids, or, oh yeah, working his day job!

In short, we've had a busy, happy year!

Our kids have grown and changed so much.  Here's a little about our brood:

 This little sweetheart is in preschool and is proud to have learned how to pump on the swings by herself and to ride a bike this year.  She is in preschool and can't wait to go to kindergarten and be dropped off with the big kids. She is a charmer and melts the hearts of her Daddy and grandpas alike!  She is a great helper and as sparkly pink and girly as they come!

 This funny kid is a mad scientist who loves dissecting anything and everything to look at under her microscope (don't even ask!)  When she isn't learning how things work, eating other kids' vegetables at school, or playing with friends, she is reading Harry Potter, drawing, and studying up on how to become a mermaid.

 This guy is a daredevil, a comedian, and an endearingly stubborn little boy.  He will try any activity, as long as it isn't eating dinner, and he loves being with the big kids and doing whatever they are doing.  He knows his ABCs, he loves music, but most of all, he is his Daddy's shadow like no other-he LOVES his Dad!  This year this kid got potty trained which, yes, makes it a benchmark year for me-for the first time in too many years to count I don't have to add diapers to my Costco list!  Rejoice!!!  (Listen closely for a choir of angels singing...I hear it!)

 This big boy is our tenderhearted teddy bear.  He will do any chore for a piece of candy, then turn around and distribute his confectionary wealth to anyone who wants it.  He is an excellent reader, an avid Power Ranger enthusiast, a kind boy to everyone he meets, and the biggest sweetheart!  He is a giant sized first grader, with an equally giant sized heart.  We sure love him!

So what will you take from this blog post?  That Wendy is super stoked to have a diaper free household?  Yep.  That my husband is smokin' hot?  Affirmative. That life is good?  Yes, that too!

We hope the holidays find you and your family happy and healthy.  We hope too that the new year will bring good times and laughter into your home, and that we will all recognize and find joy in the little things that make life worth living!
Merry Christmas!