Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Thank you for stopping by to read our Christmas newsletter!  We welcome this time of year to keep in touch with you and also to rejoice in the birth of our Savior!

Brett continues his job as an actuary for Ohio PERS.  He earned his CFA designation (Chartered Financial Analyst) after passing the third exam in June.  He has enjoyed singing with and directing choirs at our church.  He is keeping up with his running, completing his second half marathon in October, as well as several other races during the year.

Katy is thankful to continue to stay at home with the three boys.  She gets her "mommy breaks" through involvement in a book club, a Bible study, a Bunco group, and has joined the ministry team for her MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers).  Thanks to Brett's encouragement, she has become a regular runner as well, with a quarter marathon and a few 5Ks under her belt.

Noah is six years old and in kindergarten, which he enjoys.  He is a good reader and even wrote and illustrated his own book recently, entitled Lily Goes to Bob Evans.  At home he enjoys board games, Legos, crafts (usually this means drawing objects and cutting them out) and, most of all, being silly with his brothers.  He played tee-ball, took swimming lessons, and goes to AWANA each week.

Caleb is three years old and loves going to preschool twice a week.  He is very interested in "academic" pursuits, such as reading, addition, and maps of the U.S.  He enjoys singing and playing the piano.  Caleb also started AWANA this year with Katy as one of his teachers.

Micah is one year old (17 months) and is a lovable bundle of energy!  He is walking and says a few words we can understand (many more that we can't).  He loves to find an open door and wreak havoc on whatever is behind it.  He loves bath time, but every diaper change is a wrestling match.  Not to be left behind by his brothers, he has learned the letter "O" and points them out in various places.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14

Apple picking and Halloween

Picking apples at Lynd's

Micah saw the apples and said, "Ball!  Ball!"  He spent most of his time throwing them.

We also visited the pumpkin patch.

Here is Noah, the globe.  I had fun seeing him at his school party and parade.

Little cow!  

Right before trick or treating

Caleb (aka Ohio) and the pumpkin he carved with Brett.

Micah's first haircut

Micah got his first haircut tonight!  He sat pretty still (for him), watching a Baby Einstein DVD.  The only crying was when I had to vacuum up the hair on the floor at the end.  He dislikes the vacuum cleaner right now.

Before

During

After

Don't worry, he still has some curls in the back!  Isn't he handsome?

September birthdays

September is birthday month in our family!  It has been nothing but cake here!

Party #1: Wiant family party with Grandpa (86), Brett (35), and Noah (6)

Party #2: Dutton family party

 

Party #3: Noah's actual birthday - He asked for a blue Ohio cake with a 6 on it and red M&Ms for Columbus and Westerville.

Party #4: Noah's "friend party"

It has been a fun month, but suffice it to say, we are partied out!

The end of summer and beginning of school

No summer is complete without swimming lessons!  Caleb had a hard time the first couple days, but enjoyed it by the end.

Noah learned some new skills...

 ...and jumped off the diving board for the first time!

 A trip to the zoo

Noah's first day of kindergarten (I can't believe my baby is in kindergarten!)

Caleb's first day of preschool (I can't believe my baby is going to school!)

Micah's 1st birthday... better late than never

I'm feeling a little guilty about not making a bigger deal about Micah's 1st birthday on this blog, so here are some pictures of his big milestone, plus a few more recent pictures.

This was right before his brothers took over the unwrapping process. They were "helping" of course.

Not a big fan of cake.  He'll learn eventually.

Rocking horse cake

Letting me know how he feels!

I love my precious boy!

August - He likes sitting in this chair "reading" books

August - He can always spot an open pantry door.

August - Love those blue eyes!

September - I have no idea how he managed this!  Quite the fashion statement.

I love you, Micah!

The rest of summer

We've had a busy summer, as evidenced by my lack of blog posts! This is my attempt to catch up, so I'm just posting a few of the many pictures from July and August.

Noah played on his first tee-ball team. His favorite part was hitting the ball and running the bases, closely followed by playing in the dirt in the infield.

4th of July parade in Westerville

Micah's first bike ride!

We spent a week on Elk Lake in Michigan with my family.

Micah's 1st birthday! (I know this deserves its own post... sorry, third child!)

Swimming lessons

Justin and Danielle Hill's wedding

Only a week left before school starts! Unbelievable!

Camping

Last weekend, we camped with some of our family at Alum Creek State Park. It was a very rainy weekend, but there were some times dry enough to spend outside.

This was Micah's first camping trip and his first corn on the cob. He loved the corn! As for the camping... not so sure.

Katy C. (aka "Little Katy"), Noah, and Brett

Katy D. (aka "Big Katy"), Mom, and Micah

Caleb and Aunt Janis

Grandma and Aunt Janis

Michael and Micah

Andrew and Dad playing ladder golf in a semi-swamp

Mom, Caleb, Julie and Uncle Phil getting ready to make mock pizzas!

Uncle Gary and Aunt Janis took Noah and Caleb fishing. Noah caught 2 fish.

The rest of the trip was spent inside the camper while it rained, but I don't have any pictures of that. :) Our camper is still set up in our garage drying out. We may attempt one more camping trip this summer... we'll see.