Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, our dear friends and family! Below are some pictures from our Christmas. It has been a while since I've posted, so here are some quick updates.
Reid is crawling, cutting his first tooth, and using his pincer grasp to pick up and eat everything small! We have all hardwood floors on our main level, so the front of his clothes looks like I've been dry mopping with them most of the time! :-)
Ethan is having a blast with his remote control cars, his new Civil War Musket, train table, and electric ride-on motorcycle (from Grandpa Z of course!)
Sydney is into her Littlest Pet Shop bobbleheads and her new PBK doll named Anna (see below). She is doing a fantastic job with her reading and looking forward to starting dance class in January.
Jeff had a wonderful week off from work, and we were all sad to say goodbye to him this morning. He is enjoying his new MP3 player (as am I!) as we have joined the rest of the world in giving up our "cd mix tapes" (to quote Michael from The Office.)
Melanie now enjoys cleaning house and running since getting my MP3 player since that's my time to listen to my tunes! There is nothing more boring than running on the treadmill while staring at our school room. I have enjoyed vacation from school with the kids and visiting with our friends and family.
Enjoy the pictures!

Sydney with best girlfriends Alexa & Emmaline at Christmas Eve Service.

Ethan dressed in his "Armor of God"

Ethan and his Civil War Musket from Old Salem, NC.

The always happy Baby Reid!

J&E in their "Big Guy" and "Little Guy" hats

Sydney was sooo excited to get Anna from Grammy & Papa!

Our Christmas Babies

A Week of Firsts...

Within one week, Reid had his first haircut, said "mama" to me for the first time, and caught his first cold (and he was a little trooper through it!) Here are pics from his haircut.

Getting ready... nice cape on Jeff! :-)

Getting clipped around the ears and neck...

What a big boy!Look at that kissable neck!


Sydney, Riley & Ethan all got to watch Baby Reid get his hair cut.

Halloween

Halloween was a blast this year! Sydney dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Ethan was a pirate, and Reid was a baby cow. All 3 have used this cow costume for Halloween.

Jeff's parents were with us as we took the kids trick-or-treating in our small neighborhood. It was a great time to chat with neighbors and let the kids enjoy themselves.

The next day we had a baby shower for Jeff's cousin, Daniel, and his wife, Nadine, who is due with their first baby in the beginning of December. They are expecting a boy, who they will name Nate. They live fairly close, so he and Reid can be playmates!

Then on Sunday, the kids and I went back to VA with Grammy & Papa, where we had a week filled with seeing friends and family. And I got a week off of cooking and cleaning! Wow! Thanks Mom & Dad Chandler! Jeff joined us on Thursday, and we got to spend a day with our dear friends the Mountans, and Jeff & I even had a date night! We saw Fireproof, which was a fantastic movie.

Reid also got his first haircut in VA! I'll put pics in a separate post!

The Girl I Used To Be

I just received this in an email. It brought tears to my eyes, and I wanted to share it here:

THE GIRL I USED TO BE

She came tonight as I sat alone
The girl I used to be.
And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes I had for you?
The great career, the splendid fame,
All the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height
With all its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad,
For I wanted her pleased with me,
This slender girl from the shadowy past,
The girl that I used to be.

So gently rising, I took her hand
And guided her up the stairs
Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay,
Innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me;
That silken robes is my motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me.
And I saw the woman that I am now
Pleased the girl I used to be.

- Author unknown

Double Double Toil and Trouble

Here are Sydney & Ethan reciting a portion of Shakespear's Macbeth. It may be a little difficult to understand, but I thought the grandparents would like it!

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,— For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.

Look Who's Sitting Up!

Reid is sitting up without support for extended periods of time now! Yay Baby Reid! He can push up on to all fours (I saw him rocking on all fours on the carpet in his room today), but because our house has hardwoods, he usually just slips down to his belly!








Ethan asked for some cheese for a snack this morning. I was gone no more than 5 minutes, and when I came back he had created this cheese and raisin "sample tray." He was saying, "Samples for sale! Fifty cents a sample!"

We think Sydney & Reid really look alike! She is a terrific big sister!

Davy Crockett With a Chainsaw

We went to our friend's house for bruch after church yesterday, and they have 2 boys, so Ethan had an awesome time! He loved this chainsaw so much they let him borrow it. Thanks Tripp & Jen! The coon skin hat is Ethan's gift from Jeff when he went to Texas and visited a gigantic bass pro shop on his trip. We recently studied Davy Crockett, and he likes to put on the hat and pretend that's who he is.