Dec 21, 2010

Merry Christmas Everyone!

What would Christmas be like without the picture of a screaming kid on Santa's lap?

We hope this year has been full of happiness, good health and many blessings for each of you. It has been for us and we thought we would fill you in on how our family is getting along.

Quinsie Fritz turned 1 in November and she is such a joy! She sure stands out in our family with her blond hair and blue eyes and people comment on this without fail every time we leave the house. She is the runt of the litter for sure. She only weighed 16 pounds at her 1 year check-up and wasn't even on the growth chart so we are trying to beef her up a little. (If only we all had that problem right?) She hasn't dared take a step on her own yet and I'm ashamed to say I haven't been pushing her too much. I'm afraid when that happens she won't be my little baby anymore. Plus a toddler is so much more work! She definitely has everyone in the family wrapped around her little finger.

Chandler Delaney is 4 and in her second year of preschool. She loves to go to school and hang out with her own friends. Every time I pick her up from school I ask her what she did and I usually get some version of what snack they had. We both love her teacher and I can see she takes after her sisters and is doing really well. She is taking dance this year and just like school she loves it and does really well. I am so thankful we live next door to the dance studio because we have one girl in dance 4 days out of the week. Chandler is still a moms girl and doesn't like to be too far away from mom but I try to remind myself that someday she will be a teenager and her mom will be the last person she will want to hang out with so I enjoy it while I can.

Hayden Kristine is in first grade. She just turned 7 but she acts like she's 16 most of the time. Hayden is such a character. She's a girly girl through and through. She has a little of my Grandma Jo in her because she never goes anywhere without multiple accessories. Hair clips or flowers, rings, bracelets, and necklaces. And usually all of the above at once! She looooves to sing and dance and is taking Jazz, Acro, and Ballet classes. I try to throw sports into the mix hoping that one of the girls will follow in their moms footsteps and choose athletics over dance but so far dance is winning with all of them. She played T-ball during the summer and she's signed up to play itty bitty basketball next month which she's super excited about. She has always loved to read and is actually reading a couple grade levels ahead. She tries really hard to keep up with her older sister and usually wants to do whatever Gracie does.

Gracie Jo is 9 and in 4th grade. I can't believe how grown up this girl is getting to be. She is growing so tall and I'm sure it won't be long before she passes her mom right up. She is such a big help around the house and especially with the baby. She is an excellent student and loves school. She actually likes to do homework most of the time and I don't have to pester her a lot to get her to do it everyday. She has always been an avid reader and we catch her sneaking to read after bed time a lot. She has set a wonderful example for her sisters when it comes to school work. She played coach pitch softball this summer and is going to play Jr. Jazz basketball again this year. Last year she and her dad got to go to a Jazz game with her team and their tickets ended up being on the very last row! She couldn't have been more excited if she were right on the bench with the team. She is taking 4 dance classes and is on a competition dance team where she will get to go compete a few different times in the coming year. Like I said, thank goodness the dance teacher lives next door and they can walk to class.

As for Greg and Robbin, not a lot has changed for us. Greg is still working for Webster Construction in Francis as their project manager. We are so thankful that they have managed to keep afloat even during these bad economic times. I still babysit a couple times a week to earn a little extra money but mostly I just try to keep up with the girls. They manage to keep us both pretty busy. I am lucky to be able to stay at home with my children and grateful I have a husband who will work hard to make it possible. We count our blessings everyday for the beautiful family we have created and I hope this coming year brings continued happiness, good health, and prosperity for us and those that we love.

Happy Holidays!