News!

I suppose our news is public now: we're expecting #4, due in April, Lord willing! I'm thankful for God's help in dealing with more effects of pregnancy than I remember in the other ones, and glad to be feeling a little better more recently. God is good.

The kids are all growing...


Katherine is 6, and we're homeschooling, though since NC doesn't require kids to be in school till age 7, we have almost a year to figure it all out before it has to be official. She also gets to go to some "enrichment" classes one morning a week for some practice in language (recitation, book reading, etc.), music, and science review / experimentation. She looks forward to that.

Emily with birthday presents (she likes lions)

Her favorite presents (I think): 3 lions, and a booster car seat

Emily is 4, and doing much of the homeschooling along with Katherine. She still loves dolls and mothering things (or younger children). She and Katherine also got to start some piano lessons from a friend this year. Katherine really loves it, and Emily is getting into the swing of it as well.

Playing at The Magic House kids' museum in St. Louis

Jeff turned 2 in May, and is certainly a boy. Loves to throw things... loves his cars and balls - and still likes babies too. He recently learned how to get up and down the ladder to the top bunk of the bunkbed all by himself.

David is plugging away at his contract position at Cisco in Durham. It's probably not a position that gives very good long-term career prospects, but we're thankful for a job and income, since was without work for several months at the start of the year.

Lydia is trying to keep up with homeschooling and meals and laundry (and very thankful for all the dishes David does for her). The house will get clean someday... the kids are getting big enough to vacuum and such, so maybe she'll be able to teach them to take over more of that. They like earning money for collecting the trash or folding laundry, etc.

Lydia and the kids enjoyed (well, mostly) a very long trip to see all the relatives we could in 2 weeks, stopping first in Lookout Mtn to spend a few days and pick up Mom, then going with her to Iowa to see Esther and her family, and back through St. Louis... finally driving through Chattanooga on the way back to drop Mom off again, and going on to N. Augusta to see Matthew & his family before heading home. It was long, but it was good to see everyone again, even just for a few days.