Just a forewarning... this is a long one. I haven't been a very good blogger this year, so I guess this makes up for it. There were so many things I hadn't blogged about yet that I couldn't leave out :)
Evan turned 6 in January. He had a surprise (family) birthday party that was really simple and low key. He loved it and kept saying that it was the best birthday ever. He enjoyed a fun year finishing up Kindergarten, playing on a soccer team, taking swim lessons, riding his bike, playing with neighbor friends, starting first grade and playing on a basketball team. He loves to learn about the world, he and his dad enjoy looking at his globe and Google maps every night before bed. He is very smart and loves school. He has a good memory and loves math. He has a fun sense of humor, he loves to laugh and make others laugh. One day he told us a joke... "Why was six afraid of 7? Because 7 is odd!" Evan is such a good big brother and is very aware of his sisters and their needs. He is always sure to give them a hug and a kiss before he leaves for the bus stop in the morning.
Makiah turned 5 in July. She loves summer time, so her summer birthday is very fitting! She spent most of the summer in her swimming suit, she loves getting wet and she enjoyed taking swim lessons. Makiah is a good helper at home and takes good care of little Daphne. She helps pick out her clothes and she plays house with her. Last spring Makiah took a dance class and was able to preform in a recital. Makiah started preschool this fall, she has so many great friends in the class that she knows from church. She has also made new friends, she loves to socialize and be around other people. Makiah took an art class this fall, she loves to create things and we are finding that she is very good at drawing. She and Daphne will sit together as Makiah draws everything Daphne asks her to. Makiah loves to pick out her own clothes and choose how I do her hair each day. She is very much a girly girl. Makiah got stitches for the first time the day after Thanksgiving. She fell and cut her forehead on our brick fireplace. She was very brave getting the stitches, we were very proud of her.
Daphne, oh goodness we love her. She turned 2 in November. Dallas and I find ourselves saying, very often, how much we just LOVE her... she is so cute, so quirky, so fun. We really can't get enough of her. We can't help but smile when we see her and hug her if she lets us. She is starting to talk a lot so it just makes things that much more entertaining. Just the other day she was carrying on a "conversation" with Dora and Boots on a toy phone. Daphne loves babies (real or pretend), dogs (again, real or pretend), Dora and Boots, baby Jesus and the toy nativity, eating, watching movies or playing on any device she can get her hands on, playing pretend, saying "hiya" on the phone, talking to family on the webcam, pointing out things she sees while we drive and playing outside... especially on swings. Daphne is tough. She isn't afraid to pick on her older siblings, but she is quick to say sorry and always shows love. Daphne loves to share. She never stops to think if she should share or not. She is very willing to give up a toy, as long as the person is kind and asks first.
Dallas and I worked hard this year updating our house. We have loved living here this past year. We have painted nearly every room (we still have two to go and the laundry room) We also painted all the doors, and trim. We updated doorknobs, light switches, outlets, and light fixtures. We took down a half wall and installed wood laminate flooring throughout the majority of our main floor. We painted the cabinets in our kitchen and installed new shelves in the pantry. We still have the half bath to finish, but that is on hold for now. It was (is) quite the project, but we are glad we did it. Our house is now looking like the place we hoped for and we are just loving it. We have learned A LOT this past year from all the projects we did. We had a ton of help from friends. We couldn't have done it without them, that is for sure (thank you!!!)
Aside from the work on the house I have had a blast this year playing volleyball. It is by far my favorite thing to do these days. I have played on coed teams, a women's team and just for fun at church with friends. Dallas and I have started calling it my "therapy" (ha!), because I really REALLY can't go without it. I have also had the chance to do some random fun photography shoots for friends which is also a fun outlet for me. I am not back in business with photography, but I am enjoying it just as a hobby.
Dallas has had a lot of excitement at work. Endocyte is getting ready to have their first drug on the market in Europe, so it has been busy for everyone to get things ready. As a result of the research done there, Dallas will be a co-author on a journal article (his first publication) and an abstract for a nuclear medicine conference. He works hard to earn all that money so he can one day go on the 23 vacations around the world that he has planned. One of the more reasonable trips came true in August when he flew out to see his brother, Shane, in California. He had a business trip near Los Angeles and decided to stop by to extend the trip to be with the California Batemans. The highlight of the trip was riding the Goliath rollercoaster with his nephew Brayden at Magic Mountain. Dallas also bought himself a bodhran (a traditional Irish drum). He has had a lot of fun learning how to play along with some Irish songs.
We went on some fun trips this year. The first was to Utah in July and August. The kids and I flew out to see family and stayed for almost three weeks. It was low key... we stayed with my parents, helped my mom get started with her new job as a teacher, had a fun sleepover at my sister Shannon's new house, went to my parents cabin for one night and enjoyed the four wheelers. We had a BBQ with my extended Johnson family one night and I was able to see a lot of aunt's, uncles and cousins that I haven't seen in years. We also had a BBQ with my extended Fowler family at my Grandma Fowler's home. We were able to see Dallas' sister Candi's new home and we visited with Dallas' sister Sheri, who drove down from Wyoming, while we were there. The kids had a fun sleepover with their cousin's Sophie and Chloe. We had lunch with the Bateman's at Zuppas and were able to see most of the Bateman's that day, including Dallas' parents and Grams who came down from Wyoming. Dallas surprised us on our layover in Phoenix on our flight home. He was on his way home from visiting his brother Shane and his family in California. We were all able to fly back to Indiana together, which was wonderful.
We were also lucky to be able to go on a trip with Dallas' parents and Grandma in September. We met them in Lancaster, Pennsylvania after Dallas and I took our kids to Kirtland Ohio to see the LDS church history sites there. Dallas' mother grew up in Lancaster, so we were able to visit her home town. It was a fun week, we enjoyed Hershey park, visiting family, a train ride at the Strasburg Railroad, the Choo Choo Barn and Amish country. We loved how green and beautiful it was out there, the country was neat and relaxing. The kids loved having so much time with their grandma and grandpa and Grams. It was a wonderful vacation.
Phew! Wow. It's crazy to go through a whole year like that.... so much to remember! We are grateful for all of the experiences we had this past year. We are also grateful for all the wonderful people in our lives. Thank you for your friendship, we love you!
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Dallas, Jessica, Evan, Makiah, and Daphne
0 comments:
Post a Comment