A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Christmas is almost here. I'm so excited. This is my absolute most favorite time of the year. We are finished shopping for the kids-we scaled down this year, way down! Somehow I think they will be just fine. I'm trying to find new traditions to start with the family during December-I'm copying from other blogs. One is a basket of Christmas books and the kids pick one out and we read it every night. Next year, we will wrap 25 books and they can open one each night and we'll read them! I love reading other blogs to get ideas. Anyway, that's just one we've started this year, you get the idea. :)

Cade is headed off to Winterfest camp at Pine Cove this weekend. It's a Christian summer camp that offers this winter weekend camp every December. He is going to have a blast! We'll take him this evening and pick him up Sunday after church. He also starts basketball in January and they've already started practices. He's getting into running and wanting to bike with his dad more. He's getting a new bike after Christmas so he and Jeff can ride together. Last night Jeff took him running with him, for fun, and they ran 6-1/2 miles but then it got dark. Jeff seemed very, very impressed with Cade, that he wanted to just go run and then was able to run that far. We are finished with school until the first week in January. I am sooooo glad-I'm sure Cade is too. BUT I'm realllllllyyyyyy glad for the break! haha

I've been reorganizing the school/playroom again-shocker. I'm always looking at ways to re-vamp it. I've been very lazy with Jenna's school, but in January that will change. It will be a formal program and scheduled time. She can recognize a lot of her letters, spell her name (although now she spells it like this ANNEJ and writes it right to left-not sure what to do about that-suggestions?) She is a lefty. She knows colors, counts to twenty, counts to 5 in spanish-maybe 10 (working on that). She loves school and is VERY excited about starting the Venture homeschool co-op next year. She will go on Tuesdays with Cade.

Cloee is doing great. She can also count to 10 and wants to do school with Jenna all of the time! It's very cute. I think she's ready to potty-train. I hate potty-training! She likes to go in the bathroom and pull her "panties" (pull-ups) down and sit on the toilet. Have I mentioned how much I hate potty-training. Can they just potty train themselves????

Our adoption is final. Waiting on the I171H approval letter from our government that says we can adopt internationally. That is the final thing over here. We're ready! Ready to get our little boy home and shower him with hugs, kisses and love. I hate that we won't be having Christmas with him but this will be the last Christmas that happens! His birthday is in January-he'll be two. I don't think I will be there for it, but we will put together a homecoming/birthday celebration when he comes home with me for good. I simply can't wait!

I'm reading the Hunger Games trilogy right now-on the last book. Have you read it? You should, it's pretty good. Very different from what I'm used to reading these days.

That's it for now!

Blessings!
Lauree