Our sweet, sweet Victoria is now 11 years old. She's growing and maturing into quite the young lady. This summer our girl participated in two basketball camps; the Citadel and the Harlem Globe Trotters Shoot for the Stars Camp. She thoroughly enjoyed them both. As you know, Victoria is now back in public school. While I thought it would be difficult for her to get back into the swing of things, she pas proven me wrong. She not only has adjusted well, but is flourishing in the new environment. She is maintaining a straight A average, not getting less than a 96 of her report card, and has even gone on her very first overnight field trip. That was a tough one on Mom and Dad, but she did great; enjoying a few nights in Huntsville, Alabama at space camp! This year she officially started 6th grade at Mossy Creek Middle School. I was a little nervous, as I've heard so many horror stories about this transition , but so far so good. Victoria stays busy reading, playing her clarinet, going to FCA meetings, Book Club meetings and shooting hoops. In fact, basketball season is right around the corner. This year, because of her high scores, she will be playing with the 7th and 8th grade girls, despite her young age. We say it every year and this one is no exception...Victoria is a precious girl who dreams big...we are so proud of her!
Ethan Michael has finally reached double digits. My boy is 10! This, I must say, has been a year full of firsts for him! Ethan adopted his very first pet...a bearded dragon named Rex. I was reluctant at first. The thought of having a reptile of any sort in my house gave me the creeps. However, after a family field trip to the pet store and an introduction to the creature, I caved. He truly loves his new friend and is doing an amazing job taking care of him. In March, Mike and Ethan took a trip of a lifetime to North Carolina to watch the ACC tournament. This was a dream come true for Mike and an experience Ethan will never forget! I'm not sure what was the best part; slapping five with the Duke players or having the entire Georgia Tech team sign his shirt. Next, of course, is when Ethan broke his foot in three places on the tire swing. He is our first child to break any major bones. Now, THAT, was a lot of fun. Poor boy, couldn't run, jump or play basketball for 6 weeks. It was tough, but did well listening to the doctor. Thankfully, he was all together for both basketball camps and the biggie...TACKLE FOOTBALL! Yep, my baby played tackle football this year. I was hesitant to let him play, thinking he was too small (the kid barely breaks 58 pounds), but once again my worry was for nothing. Football has been the best thing for Ethan. He has learned that he is tougher than he once thought he was and has a new found confidence that I've never seen in him before. When he's not playing sports, you'll either find him at a student council meeting, studying, creating a masterpiece out of Lego's or reading a good book; all this while maintaining a straight A average. I am so proud of the young man Ethan is becoming. He's tough as nails, but sweet as pie!
My sweet Christian is now 7! He's grown in leaps and bounds over the course of this year. He's excelling in school, sports and friendships. This has been HIS year! We spent his birthday at Frankie's Fun Park in Charleston and wouldn't you know, my little boy was now tall enough to ride of some of the big kid rides! The timing was perfect, as he was sure it was because he was 7. He was even more thrilled when we went to Disney World and he could actually ride some of the amazing roller coasters! I don't know how much he actually enjoyed them or if he just enjoyed the fact that he was big enough. Christian was able to partake in all the camps this summer as well. He loved, loved, loved them! Christian finished his last season of flag football this year pulling a record number of flags and scoring 7 touchdowns. He's determined and competitive beyond words (wonder who he gets that from -Ahem - MIKE). He's stumped as to which sport he likes the most; basketball or football. When asked about it, he'll get a sheepish grin and look to see if Daddy is listening. Christian is still the social butterfly of the family and thrives on attention. We love him so much as he adds so much color to our family!
My little ones are 3!! It almost hurts my fingers to type that...3 already. Some days I'm asking myself where has the time gone and other days I'm asking when will day be over. So many things have changed since last year. Their once quiet dispositions have now blossomed into full out personalities. We've gone from pull ups to panties; sippy cups to cups; cribs to big girl beds and we're officially pacy free! We've had first hair cuts, first days of school, first field trips, first birthday parties, first pony rides, first fairs, first time seeing Mickey Mouse, first trip to Disney, first time on a boat and on and on and on! It has been a wonderful year for them! Although every moment has not been easy, it has been a year full of blessings to see their sweet faces experience it all! Here's a little more about each little girl:
Princess Addie Pie is our most independent little one! She has an undeniable spirit and loves to try new things. Her favorite color is pink and she loves, loves, loves Beauty and the Beast. She loves to change her clothes as often as possible to show how much of a princess she can be. We like to call her Curious George as she's just that...curious. I know she wants to do the right things, but her curiosity just gets the best of her sometimes. One of her favorite things to do is to make soup; puppy food soup, make-up soup, toilet bowl soup, anything that can mix with water. Although she's rough and tough, she likes dressing up and having pretty toes above all else. What can I say, she's a true princess at heart.
Last, but not least, is our precious Kaitlyn. She loves Cinderella, My Little Ponies and anything purple. She likes having painted fingers and toes and thinks it to be a special treat when she gets to wear my make-up. She loves to eat sweets, cuddle with Mommy and follow her "Too-ri" around. I must confess, she is the sneakiest of the bunch. Her siblings try and keep her out of their rooms by locking their doors; however, Kaitlyn has mastered the art of picking locks. So, when no one is around she likes to sneak in and play with their toys. I have even caught her playing their DS when she is suppose to be napping. It's a good thing she's cute.
As for Mike, he pinned on Major. With that promotion has come a lot of responsibility and a lot of long hours. He's been on several TDY's and spent a lot of time on the jet training students. Despite the long hours and the busyness of life, we still make it a priority to spend as much time as a family as possible. This year we took a family vacation to Florida. We visited Disney World, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Center. Each of us had our favorite spots, but we all agreed we had a blast! Another family favorite was spent a little closer to home in Pine Mountain, Georgia. There, we visited an Animal Safari! We loaded up in a van and drove through a park full of safari wildlife. They were roaming free and would even come up to our van and allow us to feed them. We hand-fed giraffes, zebras and all kinds of other animals. The kids were so tickled! It was a lot of fun.
While 2011 was a good year, I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2012! We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and pray for a blessed New Year!
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