Thanksgiving
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus-- 1Thess. 5:16-18
November was a great month for our family. It was awesome to celebrate our first Thanksgiving with Alayna. Tom and I are thankful for all our children and having Alayna home this year makes all things better! Yes Alayna, we will rejoice always in you and give thanksgiving to Christ.
As we ended November, Alayna is almost 17 months old. She popped another couple of bottom teeth this month. She had a few rough nights, but other than that was her usual smiley self. We are still waiting on Alayna to start talking. Sometimes she seems frustrated, but I wonder if she really needs to talk when she has Amelia around to talk for her. We have tried to introduce signing, but she is not too interested in that either. I guess we should be happy with a child that follows directive and doesn’t talk back….
Alayna is becoming very interested in playing with Amelia’s toys. She loves the Legos and wooden blocks and happily tries to piece together tinker toys. So far, minimal conflict between her and big sister when it comes to sharing toys. (Sharing popcorn is a different story!) Alayna also still loves her books. She daily goes to the book case, brings a book and snuggles on my lap for story time. She actually points and shrieks at funny pictures. The girl has a great sense of toddler humor.
So you know it is not all fun and games, we do put Alayna to work. She insists on helping with laundry and folding towels; will put a cup in the dishwasher and shut the door and her ultimate favorite, will dust a table for a good 15 minutes. Wow, maybe she could teach her brother….
Fall is winding up now and the girls had fun playing in the leaves. The three kids and I spent a cool, but sunny day at the zoo while dad finished up with the raking. Alayna loved it. The animals were quite active and she would point and scream as she watched. Gosh, we enjoy the zoo.
Amelia
November was also a big month for Amelia. Our princess turned four on November 18th. She went to school where she was so excited because Miss Jody made her a crown, and her friends all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. We picked her up after school and met Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Carolyn at Build-A-Bear. She loved it and named her special bear Amelia. We all came home and had dinner and birthday cake. More singing and lots of candle blowing. I think this was the highlight of her day.
On November 20th, we celebrated Amelia’s third “Forever Family Day”. A new charm was added to her bracelet, a beautiful heart with a pink stone and “Big Sister” engraved on it. Each year we add a new charm and Alayna joining our family was certainly the highlight of this year. We celebrated by dressing the girls up in outfits we bought last year in Taiwan and went out for a Chinese dinner. I don’t know where the time has gone; the three years have flown by and Amelia has blossomed into a smart, funny, articulate and loving little girl. Gosh, we love you to pieces Amelia and thank God everyday for bringing us the perfect daughter/sister for our family!
Nicholas
Nick has been busy at school, both studying and extra curricular activities. He was in a play at Mercy High School called I Remember Mama. Apparently, it was a television show in the 50’s--believe it or not, that was before my time! He did a nice job.
Other than play practice, he has been busy working on college applications. We hope to have responses back in the next month or two and then will do campus visits in the spring. Again, where does the time go?
Until next month….
Beautiful Fall Day
Amelia is 4!
The expression is so contrary to her personality.
Bathing her Bear at Build-A-Bear
Alayna and Grandpa
Alayna and Mommy
"Amelia" the Birthday Bear
Happy Birthday, Princess!
Happy Forever Family Day...
showing off my new charm
 Fall Day at the Zoo |
 |
 Excited to see a bird of all things! |
Cuteness
Ready for bed. This is a nighty that Alayna's great-grandma made for mommy when she was little. It is 40+ years old!
