Recap of 2013

We come again to the close of another year! Here are the highlights of 2013:

Kent is ALL about management this last year! He moved from being the senior manager of the pharmacy department to the director and while it was a planned move, it was not expected for at least another year. His boss retired early and so with only a little over a years experience in management he moved on. It's been a steep learning curve for him with lots of growth but its also been difficult to balance with home life and personal progress. To make all of it a little more efficient, Kent decided to bike to work for a few days. He calculated it to be about a 17 mile ride which took him 80 mins. His energy was great and the limited daylight hours was incentive to get home earlier which made everyone at home happy but alas it is not a realistic ideal but he is glad to have found a new hobby. He also oversees the rental of our old house and the settling in of the new home. He has engineered his own mobile garden (a garden in boxes on wheels which can be used to maximize/minimize sunlight for year round gardening) which he hopes to get started in the spring and in the process had fun with a little wood working. He and the children made some wood Santa ornaments for the tree and they enjoyed it so much he hopes to do more.

Flo continues to find growth and joy in her role as a mother. In addition to the usual jobs of house cleaner, decorator (we bought a new home), taxi driver, teacher, mediator, cook ... (Perhaps it might be easier if the list were of things she didn't do!) she took on the challenge of fundraising for Sharing Down Syndrome of AZ. It was a labor intensive process but was gratified to see nearly $500 raised by September. She hopes to begin doing it year round by selling cute sugar scrubs and handmade soaps. She also visited Washington DC for the first time for a little R&R from her duties and was replenished by the experience to find a better sense of balance. Weight lifting and running have become part of the regular schedule again and it is the general consensus that a healthy Mama is a happy Mama!

Isaac began kindergarten this year and now has a wonderful outlet for all his enthusiasm and energy. Here he is with a family friend goofing off. He loves math and has begun to use his skills in understanding money, enough so that he budgeted and bought Christmas gifts for the family and a simple toy for himself. He was so proud to watch us open our gifts! During the summer Isaac joined the Bellair swim team. It took a lot of courage to dive let alone compete but it's been a powerful experience for him. He's grown to be quite the helper with Eli and the giggles between them tell us they'll be the best of buds as they grow up!

Keila has a charm of her own! She is very much an introvert but when she's comfortable can chatter a mile a minute in her adorable voice. A doctor once told me we ought to patent her voice because he found it so cute! One of the things she'll chatter on about are bugs, "the cute little fellas" and is a stanch protecter of them. she stands guard and shrieks at you if she should come close to stepping on them. She loves time with her Mama and especially spa time. She's already asked if she can use cucumber on her eyes the next time we do it! There's a bit of a love hate relationship between her and Eli but when a stranger comes along she is as protective of her baby brother as she is of bugs. Adule or child- you better watch out for her wrath if you mess with him!

Elias has grown much in this last year! He finally got some teeth in that little mouth of his and went from army crawling rapidly to crawling on his hands and knees. His physical therapist says he will be walking as soon as he gets the confidence to try on his own. He's taken quickly to sign language and can tell us word like: more, please, finished, wash hands, bath time, nap time, up, down, bye-bye and thank you. He LOVES music and has developed his own sign for it. Anytime he hears something he likes he begins to do what we fondly call, "the Bubby dance" by wiggling his little bottom and or swaying side to side. He insists on music while he does therapies and will stop in the middle of work to get his musical toy going again before he continues! We wonder if years down the road we'll see him in the center of a dance floor as the life of the party!

We are so grateful as a family for each other and the friends and family we find in our lives. Most of all we are grateful to The Lord and all the blessings He gives us daily. Happy New Year to you all and may His Spirit stay with us through into the new year! Welcome 2014!