The Holidays have come and gone in a whirlwind, and we are reminded that we are so insanely blessed with the wonderful family we are building.
For all of our driving and nights in hotels, our children were model citizens. Ullrich was relieved that Santa found us in our hotel in Des Moines! We spent Christmas day at my parents' church with Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins to play with.
Ron and I had the fun but weird opportunity to meet up with some of my old highschool friends (and frenemies?!) while we were in Des Moines.... thank you to FaceBook.
We hosted a mini-Christmas celebration at the house with Uncle Gary and Grandpa Bob, the weekend after. The kids now think that they get presents any time they see a relative. I can see where it could be confusing.
New Years was a bit anti-climatic for the Scherers. I think we were all sleeping by 10:30pm! Life with children... and no babysitters, apparently (we are working on that one!).
After New Years, we took a short vacation to the Wisconsin Dells where we took in some serious water park action and stayed at a cabin with Grandpa Scherer.
The kids continue to amaze us with their growth. We had Cadel's 9 month doctor's appointment and she had put on around a pound and 6 ounces in the month since her flu shot! She is 50th % for weight, and 75th for length. She has added several words to her vocabulary which now includes "hi (more like hiiiiiiiiii)", "dada", "mama", "brother" (well, some semblance of it, anyway), "uh-ohhh", and more. Her neatest accomplishment lately has been jumping off the edge of the swimming pool (from a seated position) into the pool. She LOVES the water, and seems to have no fear of it. Cadel is a little snuggler, and will cuddle right up and also pat you on the back. She's our princess, and I am a little obsessed with putting her in dresses, tights, and little hair bows and clips.
Ullrich is becoming quite a little man. He is fully potty-trained, with no accidents on any of our trips, even in his swim diaper. He is diligent! He is really growing a great imagination, and likes to pretend now. His little friend Mandy who comes to work with Val sometimes taught him to pretend he was a dog, which he really enjoys. He likes to dress up in his hockey gear and be "a real hockey guy". One of my favorite things is catching him reading books to himself. He has already memorized one that we got for Christmas, and his presentation is very adorable (he now corrects me when I miss a word). He is always laughing, and he likes to tell us "jokes" and be silly. He is our funny, smart, talkative little character.
The kids continue their love affair with one another. We ask ourselves often if all siblings are this good to each other. They keep each other smiling and laughing. People often stop to watch them when they are interacting together in a restaurant or public place because they are just usually roaring with laughter. We are a little nervous that our 3rd might not fare well trying to break in :)
We wish all of you health, happiness, and peace in the New Year. More next month...
