2012

Zak had a great year in school.  He loves his teachers Beth and Janelle.  He is learning to like Math more now that he is getting better at it.  He continues to be a great writer and artist.  He is amazing at spelling.  I never quiz him and his words are hard.....so hard that I have to check them in the dictionary to see what the spelling is!  He has two great friends named Jackson and Lucas.  He got to go to both of their birthday parties and Jackson's baptism..which was great!  Zak is so BIG and STRONG.  He is SOLID!  He is  a great kid he stays on task and and gets ready quick and then helps the others to get ready.  He is also a great help with Karlee and she loves him.  He lost several teeth this year, got his first stitches in his hand and learned to play baseball.  He loves to read Diary of a Wimpy kid books and other exciting adventures.  He still likes animals and dressing up with swords and such.  This year he is looking forward to being baptized and is preparing for the day.  He is also excited to stay after school and learn sign language for a few months.  He loves his school and friends here but he is also looking forward to movie to Florida and playing at the beach!

Makelle is all girl.  She still loves anything girl especially shoes, hair stuff....well anything and everything girl!  One of her greatest qualities that always humbles me is that of forgiveness.  One of her brothers will break something or hurt her and with tears in her eyes she will say " I forgive you, because my teacher taught me about forgiveness."  She is also good to stick up for others and be a peacemaker if Mom or Dad get mad!  She has lost 6 teeth, learned to do dance and ballet, and she learned to read.  She enjoys going to Kindergarten (most days) to chat with friends and to sweep, which she is VERY good at.  Makelle is getting very good at drawing and she is super great and cracking eggs and cooking.   This year she is looking forward to gymnastics.  She took her first lesson this week and learned how to cartwheel the first day.  She is very precise with pointed toes and hands.  I think that is why she liked ballet better than hip hop dance! 

Lantz...is well...Lantz.  He is a handful but very fun to be around.  He is getting so big.  I had to say goodbye to him in nursery and last week was his first week in Sunbeams.  He has a great teacher and she said he paid attention well and participated.  He really has grown so much in so many ways lately.  One thing he is still working on his wiping himself in the bathroom.  If you ask him when he will learn to do it all by himself he answers, "When I go on my mission!"  We can't help but laugh at that answer.  Lantz can get ready by himself, buckle up and he also helps me tend kids lots of days.  He know the names of the First Presidency and about half of the quorum of the twelve apostles.  He knows lots of grown up songs...like Elton John's Yellow Brick Road...and he sings it soooo cute!  Lantz likes to play with friends and he especially loves to be a dog and play with his animals.  He likes to go places and not stay home every day. 

Karlee learned to crawl...I  was trying to put it off.  She started to crawl backwards and got stuck so then it was time to teach her.  She has only been crawling for a week or two but she is starting to get fast and really move around.  She can copy you clapping and  can wave and say hi.  She has the craziest hair.  It is naturally curly at times so it always looks crazy.  She is usually happy most of the time...until someone comes to visit and then she seems to be shy for a while.  She is so cute, happy, and chubby and we all love playing with her.  She likes to read books these days and we are trying to teach her animals and sounds.  Karlee loves all of her siblings and her Dad.  She is a little afraid of baby dolls but she is starting to like them more.  Mostly she loves to explore, read books and talk to her family.  She is still super chubby and looks like a Gerber baby with tons of crazy hair.  She has a total of 8 teeth and just this week had her first real sickness.


That is a wrap up for 2012 and start on things to come for 2013!  We have had a great year and have noticed the hand of the Lord in the details of our lives.  It is crazy to think that our time here in Indiana is coming to a close and that John will be a dentist in 4 months.  I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for putting the thought in John's mind to be a dentist.  I am grateful he led us to this place where we have had so many opportunities to grow and to serve.  We will forever be changed by the experiences we have had but more especially the people we have met.  They have become our family and we are grateful Heavenly Father put them in our lives. 

We are so excited for what this year will bring.  We are sad to leave good friends but we are excited for the next adventure the Lord has in store.  John was accepted into the Air Force General Dentistry residency for one year starting in August.  We will be at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.  It is between Panama City and Pensacola.  The Air Force has its own white sandy private beach....we are a little excited for that!  We aren't sure what is going to happen between now and then with trying to sell our house and trying to find work for the 3 months before he starts with the Air Force but all will be well.  The Lord has taken care of us so far and we have no doubt he will make it work again.  We look forward to see who and what he puts in our path for this coming year.  Life is good!

Christmas

Christmas this year was FANTASTIC!  The kids all made their presents and they were so excited to make them and give them.  The week before Christmas John worked with the kids to help get their gifts ready.  Each day after school the kids would rush home and lock themselves in a room to work on their presents.  They were so excited.  I was so excited for Christmas because of how hard they each worked and because they were so excited to give.  That is what made Christmas special at our house this year!  We had  our traditional Christmas Eve...sloppy joes, chips, root beer floats, putting the oats out for the reindeer and leaving snacks for Santa.  The kids all memorized part of the nativity so they each gave their part and we read from the scriptures.  It was so powerful for the kids to have the nativity memorized.  It will be something we will do each year.  I am glad a friend asked us to do it.  At first I murmured thinking it was  a hard thing to help so many little kids memorize parts but it was powerful and ended up being easy.  We opened two family games to play together and the kids got new PJ's to wear to bed.  On Christmas morning we woke up early and had Grandma, Grandpa and Lindsey got on the web cam while we opened presents.  The kids were super excited and very appreciative.  They all loved the gifts from their siblings...except Karlee!!

Homemade Christmas

Zak made Makelle a blanket and matching pillow ALL by himself!  Zak also painted 4 sides of plywood to look like, mountains, zoo, stores, forest and roads for Lantz to play on.  He designed cut out, and sewed clothes for a doll for Karlee.  He also made the dolls face.

Makelle tie dyed an apron for Zak and she made a board game called Animal Land with all the pieces for Lantz.  She helped sew the hair and draw the shoes for Karlee's doll.

Lantz painted a yard sale mirror for Makelle and he tie dyed a camo shirt for Zak.  He made rattles with beads in them for Karlee.   The kids made coupons for John and I.  John stayed up all through the night and carved swords for the boys and board for Makelle.  I made nothing...but I helped give the kids their ideas so hopefully that counts for something..and I helped Santa!

Karlee liked to crawl backwards and to get into the Christmas tree!

Edward was busy every night and up to no good.  I think John had  a little too  much fun coming up with ideas and playing with Edward before bed.  The kids loved him!

Rice Crispy houses...way better than gingerbread!

The kids in their first ever new Christmas jammies!!!

Karlee attacking the tree!

I love this girl!

Presents from Santa:  Lantz and Makelle got marshmallow guns and Zak got a bow and arrow.

Makelle wanted real glasses!

Zak in his camouflage apron that Makelle made him.

Zak putting together the present he made for Lantz.

Makelle checking out her present from Lantz.

Karlee hated her homemade doll from the kids....at least at first!

Zak was so excited to give Makelle her present.

Swords that Dad made.

Zak in his camouflage shirt from Lantz and Lantz playing on his gift from Zak.

Lantz's game "Animal Land" from Makelle.

The boards that Zak made for Lantz.

The board John made for Makelle.

The Swords John made for the boys.

The pillow Zak made for John.

The mirror Lantz painted for Makelle.

Zak in the camouflage shirt that Lantz made.

Movie time with Linds!

The kids love presents for Christmas but I think having Lindsey come might be even better for them.  They always look forward to picking her up from the airport on Christmas night.  I look forward to our Christmas dinner....Cafe Rio salad...pretty traditional Christmas dinner for me! Oh, I also look forward to Lindsey coming!

The kids were SO excited to get a skiff of snow.  They made a tiny snowman and then made snow angels, it was hilarious.  We finally got some real snow a few days later.