Annie enjoying becoming one

Where's Annie gone?
There you are! Hello.

Yum, yum, pink icing. I think I will enjoy being a big girl!

Happy Birthday Annie Rose

Annie Rose Hope Cole was born this day last year. She looked like this!

This was taken on the eve of her first birthday. She is a happy, easy going baby who loves her family and loves to sleep and eat and sway to music. She has been a joy all year. She has a beautiful soul and I am so excited that I am get to see her grow up. I love you Annie.

One afternoon

Lily the cat went cycling to the front gate

We had to stop to check a toe boo boo, well Laura if you would wear shoes sometimes!
Lily got the camera!

I have been in this stroller too long mommy.

Winter at the Coles

We are cold here. It is lovely, a lovely change. The kids went wild to see real icicles hanging of our roof.
Mark likes to use our fireplaces as much as possible to heat the house. A good spot for QT.
We still made it to our regular playdate at the Nixon's house. The boys played chess, the girls did as they always do - dress up!

Weekend in Waco

This weeknd we went to Waco to visit friends. The kids loved spending time with Mr. & Mrrs. Roberts. Mark and Matthew went with some of Mark's old college buddies to a basketball game after we had a blast at the children's section of the Mayborn Museum.

Dress Up time

Annie Rose

Annie is keeping up with the big kids. She is in that crawling, dirty hands & knees, put everything in her mouth stage. She is putting more weight on her legs now, so perhaps walking won't be too far away. Her 2 buddies Belle and Hope are both walking!

Matthew

My big, strong boy. I am so proud to be his momma, as he calls me.

Dancing princess

Lily loves to dance. She is always moving and singing and dancing. She loves the musicals Cats, Sound of Music and Starlight Express and can sing along to all of them. What fun having little girls.

Another dancing princess

Laura has taken to dancing everywhere, just like Lily. We do family worship after dinner and when we sing the doxology she runs around with her arms out. We are thinking perhaps she will be a charismatic :)

Back to School

We had a pretty succesful start to the homeschool year. Mark and I had a big planning session on Sunday thanks to the Michelsens for taking our kids home after church. Lily is doing really well in her Veritas Press Phonics Museum. She does Math U
See, Bible, copybook, Latin songs, art and gmnastics also.



Here I am with my cross Mommy look.
Even Laura gets some school done. I am concentrating on her learning her letters. She knows all her shapes, colors, numbers, matching things, animals etc... she can sing the ABC song, but now will be learning to recognize them. Lots of flash cards and reading aloud.

Matthew is going to continue to do the 3rd Grade work he has been doing, but we are adding in Veritas Press history this term (Last term her read 'A Child's history of the World on his own and wrote a summary and did an illustration per chapter). I will sit down with him and do history - it is Rome, should be interesting. He does Latin and Greek with Mark. He does literature, math, spelling, film review and chess himself. He does Bible, Latin songs, art and copybook with Lily. And of course he has Karate and Gymnastics. And he does 'Men of Valor', like boy scouts, which is organized by some teens in church. Phew!

A few days in Tulsa

We went to see Mark's family in Tulsa after Christmas. It was fun. This is Grandma Marcia with my 4 and cousins Everly and Delaney.
That is Mark and his dad.

We had fun, we stayed at Mark's brothers house and we played tons of games. I didn't get photos of his sister (sorry Dedi!).

At Grandma Marcia's house Lily and cousins Delaney & Everly deorated a cake for Uncle Clyde's birthday.

We went to a fun park and rode some rides.

We played with cousin Taylor.

We ate their food.

We did crafts.
We lounged.

Matthew beat everyone at chess!