Stephen

This week my baby boy turned 5.

So in honor of Stephen I thought I would share some of the things I love about him.

He has the best smile. It can truly light up a room.

He loves to laugh.

He has a tender heart.

He is so smart.

He has a great sense of humor.

He loves his family.

He is not afraid to try things on his own-

like trying to mix up gummy worms from a kit in his room and getting it all over.

He loves to sing.

He loves to learn.

He is learning to be his own person-not just an immitation of his brothers.

He loves giraffes.

He loves collared polo shirts. He looks good!

He is brave.

He has given me glimpses of what Aaron must have been like as a child.

I often tell him that he is my favorite Stephen. And he responds with an "I know." I will ask him how he knows and he tells me it is because I tell him that with a smile. I love him and the way his little mind processes everything. He has been such an amazing blessing to our family. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for him.

COLD-COLD-AND MORE COLD

Not much is happening around here. The boys had a 2 hour delay on Tuesday, early dismissal Wednesday-both due to snow. Then today school was cancelled. I think it was in part to the snow but more due to the frigidly cold temperatures. It has been hovering around 0 degrees today with the windchill at about -20 degrees. And it is supposed to get even colder tonight and tomorrow.

Emma had the stomach flu on Monday, but has bounced back quickly. She has recently started waking up in the middle of the night crying. It is amazing as parents that we can determine what each cry means. I will get up with her at first, due to the cry being one of fear. However, she doesn't like it when I put her back to bed and leave the room. She tries the "pity me" cry, then adds in "mommy" and then "daddy" and then the cry turns into the "I'm mad hear me roar". But amazingly no matter how long we let her cry she can turn it off in an instant, and the boys sleep right through the crying. Only mommy and daddy suffer a lack of sleep. I just keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass"-I just hope it is sooner rather than later.

Well, I hope wherever you are that you are able to stay safe and warm. I am not a "cold weather person" at all. But I was walking across the parking lot at work today and was reminded about how cool God is. It always amazes me how quiet the world seems when it is snow covered. I also notice God's creation in new ways. Today I got to see a number of deer running through the woods behind the offices and then 2 bright red cardinals. It was beautiful to see the red birds against the white snow and leafless trees. No matter how you feel about the cold, take a moment and enjoy the beauty of God's creative creation. And do your best to stay warm.

Pictures...Finally

Here are a few pictures from Christmas.

Just before Christmas we got a bit of snow and quite a bit of ice. The boys all went out to play in the snow and Emma wanted to go as well. This was the first time she had all of her snow "stuff" on. She wasn't too sure about it and really did not enjoy being outside at all.

Emma did however enjoy getting dressed up for Christmas services.

She really liked her "sparklies" aka her shoes.

On Christmas Eve the boys helped read the Christmas story with Grandpa Maxson.

The way it looked before the kids woke up on Christmas morning.

Alex got a Star Wars Transformer, in his favorite character.
Jackson got yet another elephant. Which he loved.

One of these days I will have to count the number of elephants he has in his collection.

Stephen got his giraffe. He was soooo excited. Yes, it is about 5 ft tall.

Sometimes when you walk into the playroom it feels a bit like a zoo.

Emma got a table and chairs as well as some more cooking utensils for her kitchen. She plays and cooks just about every day. She loves to make chocolate. (That's our girl!)