Fond Farwell to 2014

It's time yet again to say farewell to a wonderful year! Here is a small list of our blessings of 2014.

Leora was born - which is a huge achievement in and of itself much less her daily survival among the smothering loving of her three other siblings. The furrowing of her brows is indirect relation to the sibling closest to her view and she sits most contently in the quiet of her swing - a blessing for which Mama is profoundly grateful for. She's a tough cookie and we can already tell she will hold her own nicely when she can stand on two feet. Her favorite things are sucking on her lower lip, milk and snuggles, especially at night when she can command the attention of her parents with her darling coos and ear to ear grins.

Elias list of achievements is long as he began the year learning to walk. Since then he's quickly learned to run (and practices it frequently on his parents much to their dismay) can walk up and down the stairs holding the rail and even jump off the ground with two feet. His skills in sign language have progressed by leaps and bounds since the show Signing Time is the only thing that will have him sit still for more than 10 mins. He is frequently surprising people with the new signs he has picked up from the show and loves the power it gives him. He loves music and dancing and will break out his moves just for the joy of music. He amazes us with his persistence and we look forward to seeing what else he will achieve in the future.

Keila will forever remember this as the year her baby sister arrived. Since before Eli was born she's known about Leora and drawn her in her pictures of family. She told us there was one more and she was right. Her achievements this year are measured in her heart as she has worked on facing her fears and consequently found a love of learning, preschool and the joy of new found friends. She loves girl time with Mama ( her favorite being the pedicure at a 'real spa place'), learning about bugs and other living creatures, helping out around the house and of course her baby sister. She is always willing to watch her and will chat endlessly to her about everything under the sun. They are the best of friends!

Isaac is our math/science loving first grader. He is proud to be able to read all on his own and we love that he will practice it in reading to his siblings. In addition, he swam in the preliminary meets for the district. While he did not make the final cut we are so proud that he improved so much and found joy in working hard. He's begun finding creative outlets with all things normally considered junk through a show called Artzooka and amazes us with the things does make. He's and engineer at heart! He loves pokemon, spending time with Baba, playing games of all sorts. He had a particular fascination with chess and even request to be a chessboard this years for Halloween. Thankfully he gave plenty of notice and Mama was able to whip something up. One thing is for certain, this boy is anything but typical!

Kent finally feels more at home in the management department finds great fulfillment there. Last years project of a moveable garden cart has been a success and he had proudly provided us with beautiful fresh kale, bok choy, beets, okra and even a little broccoli. His current project is a large sandbox on the side of the house that he hopes will be a great outlet for Isaac and Eli. The skills from this may lead to bis dream of a raised garden bed lining the edges of our backyard. The kids love him to pieces and one or two always jump up to greeting when they hear the garage door open. Nothing tops off the night better than a wrestling match of kids against Baba and we pray he'll survive long enough for Leora to join in on the fray!

Flo survived another pregnancy without the entire house falling down around her. She is proud to say she is managing the obstacle course of four children and being somewhat sane. (Though the general consensus is that sanity is overrated) she is currently working on maneuvering through the education system for special needs kids and has begun a blog for the Sharing Down Syndrome Westside chapter. She adores her four munchkins and finds so much learning and growth in meeting each one of their unique needs and personalities.

2014 has been a great year full of surprises. We love the friends and family that have been apart of it and look forward to the adventures of 2015. Happy New Year everyone!