Skating at the Chiller

We took the kids ice skating at the Chiller in Dublin on Feb. 16th. Isaac tagged along, but they don't make skates that small! A kind friend offered to watch him while the rest of us circled the rink and would let us know if he fussed. Brooklyn did great! By the end of the night she was skating on her own. If she fell, she'd just pick herself up and try again. No drama! Xavier still needed a lot of help but also made great improvement. Andy decided to let him try skate on his own so I snapped a picture. Seconds later, he face-planted onto the ice. I was picturing a broken nose or teeth, but he somehow managed to skate away with a fat lip. Whew! No trip to the ER this time!

Soccer Ball

We signed Xavier up for indoor soccer so he could have a chance to meet some boys his age and do something without Brooklyn. Yikes! We've created a monster! He is so intense and gets very frustrated if he doesn't complete the task perfectly the first time. I loved being able to see him master a skill. His smile of completion and satisfaction made all the tears worthwhile. He's ready to try real soccer games outside this spring. I think I'll make Andy break it to him that he has to wait until fall...

Better Late Than Never!

Brooklyn's school's Christmas cantata was postponed in December due to snowy weather. They were finally able to perform it in the school gym on January 23rd. They did a great job, but Brooklyn was most excited to introduce her new brother to her classmates.

Settling Into Life As A Family of Five

For the most part, life with Isaac has gone very smoothly. He's eating and sleeping well. The kids are thrilled with their new brother. They've been very understanding of Mommy's time being monopolized the baby. Brooklyn is upset if she doesn't get to kiss the baby goodbye in the morning before leaving for school. So far, so good on the nonstop crying made famous by Xavier. We'll see how the next few weeks go.

He's Here!

Isaac James Heller
7 pounds, 7 ounces
20 1/4 inches long
Born 1/13/2008 at 10:47 a.m.

More to come...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning was a lot of fun this year. The kids slept in until 7:30! We read the Christmas story out of Luke, opened presents, made breakfast, then headed to my parents' house.

Xavier's favorite gift was the Vsmile Pocket.

Brooklyn's favorite gifts were her "robot cat" aka FurReal Tiger and the collection of books about her new American Girl Samantha.

The aftermath.

My mom made this dress for Brooklyn in just a couple of days. Brooklyn asked her to make a long sleeved, velvet dress with a bow. Grandma just couldn't say no! It turned out beautifully and Brooklyn loves the way it spins.

I snapped this picture of my Uncle Ed reading the kids a story. Who would have known they wouldn't go near him two years ago!

Cakie-that's what they call it!

We made our "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake on Christmas Eve. The kids look forward to this every year. They're old pros by now! They love to crack the eggs and run the mixer. I even let go this year and let them ice the cake, no matter how it looked! The only problem...Xavier wanted to know if there is one Jesus or two? Hmmmm...I can't get him to explain why he thinks there is more than one. Maybe baby vs. grown up?

Making a Joyful Noise

Brooklyn sang with the children's choir at church for the first time on December 23rd. We missed quite a few practices due to travelling, but she did her best! What she didn't know in words, she made up in smiles.

The Annual Painting of the Cookies

After our trip to Alliance, we stopped by the Bautsch house for some quick cookie painting. The kids always enjoy decorating and eating the yummy cookies baked by Julie's mom. Brooklyn and Avery don't get to see each other nearly as often now that school is in full swing so I know they enjoyed having some time to play together. Xavier thinks anything Cole does or says is the coolest. It is so nice that Cole includes Xavier when we visit.

Fun With Friends

The kids and I travelled to visit the Kings the weekend before Christmas. Our visit was postponed from the weekend before due to the massive amounts of snow and ice in central Ohio. The kids all played so well together! Brooklyn and Jonathan went from tag and wrestling to doing the waltz in the living room. They were so cute! Once again, they were discussing marriage. Xavier and Drew are becoming good buddies and I know Xavier appreciated the "guy time."

Suites for the Sweet

We went to see The Nutcracker on December 19th at the Ohio Theater. The kids loved it! They sat(quietly!) through the entire 2 and a half hour performance then wanted to meet the cast afterward. Brooklyn was sure that the grown up Clara was one of her dance teachers. Xavier loved the live orchestra and says he wants to be a conductor when he grows up.

Way back when...

Back in November, Brooklyn's dance class participated in the Marysville Christmas Walk. The weather was terrible! It rained/sleeted/snowed all day before taking a quick break just in time for their performance. They danced a tap number to "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" which is one of my all time favorite Christmas songs! She did a great job and looked like she really enjoyed herself.

Hang up the stockings!

We hang our stockings up on December 5th and open them on the 6th. The kids were very patient and waited until Daddy got home in the afternoon. Xavier's stocking survived an attack by Ellie. She smelled the M&M's through the plastic wrapping and rummaged through the presents all the way to the bottom of the stocking without damaging the stocking! It's a miracle! She was in serious trouble! Thankfully, she didn't get sick.

Rigging up the lights

Does anyone notice a concentration of ornaments in a certain area of the tree?


Keeping with our tradition, we put up our Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving. Xavier was thrilled that Daddy let him help get the tree out of the box. Brooklyn spent most of her time wearing reindeer antlers and running in circles. Xavier had the honor of putting the angel at the top of the tree and Brooklyn turned on the lights. It was a fun, relaxing morning. Next year, we'll probably be trying to keep baby #3 from pulling the tree down! Oh what fun!

Perfect, posed pictures in front of the tree? Not so much.