So, It has been a year and a half since I last posted on pleonast. Zach is not 11 anymore. He is 12 1/2 and he has matured so much in that time. Not only physically (He has grown so tall he looks me in the eyes. Very soon, I believe, he will be taller.), but more importantly spiritually. He was baptized earlier this year. Joel and I are so proud of him for this decision that he has made. He did not take it lightly and he is so excited when he is asked to lead singing or prayers. He is now in the 7th grade and has matured in that way also. He really enjoys many of his subjects and works hard at them.

Maddie just turned 10 and is very happy to be 10. She has changed and seems older but not in a bad way. She's not trying to act older than she is. She is very sweet and quiet but hilariously funny in her own way. She is a hard worker in school work and she strives to do well. She still loves to play the piano and I will find her playing several times a day. She loves to hang out with me and learn about the things I am doing. She is very helpful to me around the house and especially in the kitchen.

Andrew will be turning 8 this Friday and is in the 3rd grade. He is my little character. You never know what thoughts are running around in his head. He can come up with things to say that are so thoughtful and smart that just makes me think, "Really, how old are you?" He is very methodical in his work. (Which sometime means slow), but he wants it to be right. We call it "Andrew time". He is also hilariously funny. He loves to come snuggle with me and give me hugs. I love it!

Another big change is that I am expecting our 4th child! We are so happy and feel so blessed that this has finally come about. The kids are so extremely excited. They had no idea and were very surprised when we announced it to them. There was complete silence and then they asked if Joel was joking. (He is where they get their hilarious funniness from.) Finally we had some comments. Andrew, our analytical thinker, said, "It has been a really long time since you had a baby!" Yes, it has. Ha Ha. Maddie, later in the day asked, "So when are you going to get fat?" :) I am already feeling sick pretty much any time of the day, but nothing real bad. I am thankful for that.

The baby is due June 3rd. Perfect timing. Our school year will be over and we can enjoy the baby all summer.

Today Zach turns 11 years old. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that he made his surprise entry into the world 4 weeks early and made it the best April Fools Day ever. He was healthy and perfect at 6lbs. 6oz. He had great timing too. My parents were down for a visit and were able to be there for his birth.

One year later, he was such a trooper while we moved clear across the country from California to Florida. It has got to be hard for a one year old to sit in his car seat for so many hours under normal circumstances, but he got sick on our drive to Texas. We were able to stay with my sister for a few days and take him to urgent care. He ended up having ear infections and I believe he also had pink eye. He was miserable, but when we had to leave, he was still so good for us in the car.

When Zach was old enough to go to Kindergarten, we decided to homeschool him. At 5 1/2 he started learning karate along with his daddy, and at 6 he started taking piano lessons. These are two activities he still loves to do. He is now just one testing away from earning his black belt. He is in 5th grade, and though there were a few years when he did not exactly enjoy school work, he now loves to learn and he is an avid reader. I have to tell him not to stay up too late reading.

Zach has such a wonderful heart. He always thinks the best of people. He is such a good brother to his sister and younger brother. There are times, of course, that they bother each other, but for the most part they are each others best friends. I pray that doesn't change. He loves little kids and is so sweet to them. He will come up out of the blue and ask me if there is anything he can do to help me. He will come up and give me a hug and say I love you. I love him too.

It has been so long since I last posted. I wanted to update with pictures, but I had so many pictures that I thought linking to Facebook would be easier.


You may or may not be interested in what we have been doing so far in 2010, but here are some pictures.

What we've been doing in 2010

The kids had a piano recital tonight. They performed beautifully! Here are some more pictures.

Piano Recital
I will be running my first 5K tomorrow. The experience will determine if I continue to run races. We'll see.

glitter-graphics.com

I may have gone a bit overboard. We kept thinking of more things I "just had to make".

Many Sugar Cookies
Fudge with almonds
Pumpkin Bars
Lemon Bars
Magic Cookie Bars
Peanut Butter Chippers