I am sitting here on a frigid winter day looking out the window at the white snowflakes coming down thinking that "updating my blog" would be a great New Year's resolution for me. I don't even know where to begin! It's amazing how adding a third child to the mix makes life that much more busier, but SO much fun! I guess I will start with the kids....

Isaac is now 6 months old. The girls adore him. They are always chatting and cuddling with him. Lydia LOVES to carry him around as if he is her very own doll. He is a very straight-faced kid, and it takes a little to get him to smile. Believe it or not, he ALWAYS smiles when Lydia is carrying him around or paying special attention to him. He is really drawn to her. He is sitting up and rolling over. He loves his ExerSaucer and has outgrown his little gym. Isaac is always reaching for anything in sight no matter where he is. We will need to watch him closely. He slept through the night much earlier than the girls (big size, maybe??:) and has been eating baby cereal and solids for about 3 months now. He is not a big fan of green beans, but gobbles everything else down quickly. He is just getting over thrush:( I felt so bad for him because I imagine he was in some pain. I have heard adults say that it is very painful. He had the white blisters on his tongue and lips and the rash on his bum. I am still just so amazed how much babies learn in the first year of life..all those little milestones even though it's my third time around:) Unlike the theory, I am taking lots of pictures of him to remember these milestones. Now getting them in the books is quite another story, but at least I have the pictures:)

Ava has such a sweet personality. She is talking so much and such a cuddle bug! I love the way the girls interact and play together. Yes, there are days when it's not peaches and cream between them:) Ava enjoys playing with trains, cars, and race car tracks. We consider her our tomboy. However, she will also pick up her dolls and play babies. Ava has had only one breathing issue this year, and it was back in September for one day (Praise the Lord!!). This winter (unlike last) Ava was able to be outside and enjoy the snow.

Lydia is in 4 year old preschool two half days (Monday and Wednesday mornings) at Maple Tree preschool. She LOVES it! I can't believe everything that she is learning. The teachers and the curriculum have been wonderful. It's amazing what kids do and how they act for others:) She was an angel for their class nativity. After this, she had this obsession with playing nativity using her baby doll as Jesus and a pillow or basket as a manger. It's a good obsession to have and reminded us all of the true meaning of Christmas. We are just getting back into the swing of things. She is still our fashion queen and enjoys wearing layers. I have set a limit of 3. She picks out her own outfits to wear each day. On one hand, it's so nice that she does this and dresses herself but on the other hand, we have some interesting pieces being matched together as we leave the house. Oh well! I am promoting individuality, right?

As for Paul and I, it's been a crazy past week. Last Sunday night we came home from a Christmas party and Paul didn't feel well. Things got worse throughout the night. The next afternoon, he had pain near his lower right abdomen. I was going to go to the med center to have my rash checked out but we decided it would be best to bring him to the E.R. We got in an E.R. room right away and they did all the bloodwork. Paul had all the classic signs. Meanwhile, I asked the E.R. nurses about my rash. They said it looked like Shingles. I had a very mild case because there were just 4 spots and they were not painful. They just itched and burned when I itched the. I tried very hard not to itch because I didn't want to risk spreading them. I was more concerned about Isaac because he could get Chicken Pox from them. So far, he has had no signs and I would think he would have had it by now. Anyway, Paul had surgery that night. His appendix was severely inflamed. He was able to go home the next morning with a weight restriction of 10 lbs. for four weeks! This is very difficult when you have kids and with his job. He is using his judgement at work and trying hard at home not to lift the kids. It's hard because Ava doesn't really understand why daddy can't pick her up. Lydia gets it and Isaac, of course, is too little to care:) Paul started back at work this week. I am glad to have this behind us and to get back into some sort of routine. I had to reschedule our trip to Double JJ with the kids for later this month (we were going to go Wed. December 30th). We were able to go out New Year's Eve with our good friends, Nate and Kristi. It was much needed. We had fun going out for dinner and then playing some Wii afterwards. This week we also became an aunt and uncle for the first time! Andy (Paul's brother) and Ryan had a little boy, Joshua Mark. We are very excited! It's a bit of a different experience because we can't go to the hospital to see/hold him (they live in New York). For now, we will have to rely on Skype:) Hopefully we will see them in a few months!

As I wrap up this blog update, which is way overdue, I am thinking I will try to at least get on here once a week. I just hope I have some followers and aren't just writing into thin air for me, myself, and I:) God bless!