2013: A Year In Review

This year I decided to do a Christmas letter in our blog in lieu of sending out an actual Christmas letter. (Honestly, who keeps them? Do you?) 

Jordan: 

  This year was an bit of a roller coaster ride with our 4 year old.  A few weeks after Jordan turned 4 in March, we went to WA for David's grandfather's funeral. The same day we arrived, Jordan fell out of our hotel window 2 stories up. Praise be to God who protected our sweet boy.  He had a grade 3 liver laceration, but no broken bones and no lasting injuries.  In September, Jordan started Pre-K and more prayers were answered.  He has a wonderful teacher who understands that along with his high energy, there is a sweet and caring heart.  Jordan has been loving school this year. He can write his name (and Lucas's), and asks me to work on his school project with him. (A weekly packet that gets sent home). Jordan has started karate and is loving it. What a great outlet for his energy. Another change that happened over the past few months was taking Red Dye #40 out of Jordan's diet. Yes I was quite skeptical when I read about it, but I figured it would be a relatively easy thing to do and why not give it a shot. While Jordan is still your typically active 4 year old, he has calmed down a lot. The over the top tantrums and aggressiveness have dramatically reduced (and now only happens when he is overtired or ingests Red Dye unknowingly).  This simple change has made life so much easier for all of us, especially Jordan who says "Red Dye makes me mad. I can't have it". Hey, whatever works! He has been a champ since day one in understanding why he is unable to have certain foods, drinks or candy.  I look forward to seeing how my handsome boy continues to mature and grow in the next year! 

Lucas:

    This year was a big change for Lucas as he adjusted to Jordan going back to school.  He was 16 months old when Jordan fell, so he was too young to remember Jordan being in school prior to his accident.  When Jordan started school in the fall, Lucas was beside himself. Remember this picture from September? 

Thankfully, after a month, Lucas transitioned and started realizing that Mommy was not so bad to hang out with after all :) This little guy has been keeping up with his brother and gets his fair share of bruises and bumps.  He so badly wants to do everything his big brother does, and becomes extremely frustrated when faced with his limitations. When Lucas turned 2, he decided that he had to throw a tantrum every day, say 'no' and cross his arms while walking away. I still maintain that someone told him how a 2 year is supposed to act.  Approximately two weeks after Lucas turned 2, he decided that it was time to sleep in the bottom bunk. That was it - one night he asked to sleep on the bottom bunk and never went back to the crib.  I admit it has made bedtime more challenging as the boys play more now and Lucas is not great at staying in his bed until he has every toy and book his little arms can hold, including a green bucket.  I can tell that we are in for a different kind of ride with this boy as he enters the toddler/preschool years!

David & Stacy:
   David is keeping busy with working at Flextech, teaching music lessons once a week, and doing Crossfit three times a week. Stacy is always trying to stay one step ahead of the boys (not an easy task) and has discovered that she enjoys baking, especially when she is able to pass off the baked goods to others.