Merry Christmas!

This post is the first in what I am calling my Christmas series. The last post in my Christmas series is entitled, “My Year in Six Words”. Grab some hot coco and enjoy!

I hope this letter finds you and your family well and enjoying this wonderful season.
We are finally in our new home, but there is no time to relax yet. We are unpacking and organizing here on Hickory and cleaning and updating at our previous home in order to sell it; I am so thankful for FlyLady! (If you want help with household responsibilities, check out www.flylady.com) The kids are learning some new rules (no touching the walls and how to clean their own sinks); I am learning how to cook and clean with our new appliances.

I love our new home for so many reasons but I have been surprised at how much I LOVE the location. Besides having wonderful new neighbors and being close to Jane Phillips Elementary, we are now within five minutes (and/or within walking distance) of David’s office, the bank, the library, the post office, the recycling center, two city parks, two community centers, a grocery store, and the new recreational aquatic facility (when it is completed). I should probably also include City Hall and the County Offices as well; it is nice to be close to them since I visited them more this past year than I did during the previous 11 years combined! (LOL!) The only thing that would make the location better would be for our friends who have property over here to be residing here as well.

We have all adjusted well to the move. I was most worried about our dog Murphy and about Brooke. In dog years, Murphy is in his 70’s and we thought the move might be very traumatic for him. So far he seems very happy here; he loves watching us through the back door, which is glass, and when the clothes dryer is on, he likes to rest by the dryer vent because of the warm air. Brookie is in her own room for the first time in her life and she has done so well! I think all of the daily trips over here to look at the construction progress helped her to become comfortable; moving here has been a very natural thing to her.

The last two years have been an exciting adventure and I feel so blessed by everything that God has given to us – a wonderful family, marriage, home, friends, purpose, and of course, our salvation!

Well, I need to go find a box to unpack! Keep reading to see the Top Ten Settle Quotes from 2008.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Top Ten Settle Quotes from 2008

10. “ . . . or a mullet.”
Claire, finishing my sentence when I was telling her how much I love her hair because we can put it in pigtails or in two braids, or one bun, or two buns, or a high ponytail or a low ponytail . . .”
9. “I love me. You love me.”
Brookie, singing the Barney song, which is supposed to be, “I love you. You love me.”
8. “Stop! Whining!”
Brooke (my 2 ½ year old) to Claire (my 6 ½ year old).
7. “Or you could do something really bad.”
Claire’s thoughts about what the President of the USA could do if he no longer wanted to be president but he had not served his four years yet.
6. “Take Love-Love and boot-tase (suitcase). Stay in hotel?”
Brooke, talking about going to heaven.
5. “No! Chocolate!”
Brookie, a few days after Halloween, objecting to getting her regular two Skittles as a reward for using the potty.
4. “Jee-us, Nice Boy.”
Brookie’s description of Jesus.
3. “I am thankfool for a house and food.”
Claire, on a paper turkey feather at school. Two years ago, she said she was thankful for all of her toys (which is fine, but I think her response this year shows that she is learning not to take some of the basic things for granted).
2. “Miss . . . duh . . . paci.” (I miss the pacifier)
Brooke, we weaned her from her pacifier months ago, but just this week (November 16th) she started telling me that she misses it. It really breaks my heart because although she is not crying when she says it, she is just on the edge of falling asleep and they are usually her last words before she falls asleep; so it is very pathetic. Poor little thing.
1. “I think it would be cooler to be Warren Buffet.”
Jack, in answer to my question about if they (the children) thought it would be cool to be a prince or a princess. It was my lead-in about being adopted into God’s family – not quite the response I was expecting. (Incidentally, Jack knows who Warren Buffet is because he is enamored with a book about World Records -- biggest spider, fastest bird, richest man, etc.)

Please continue to scroll down and you can see our year in pictures. Or at least, March 2008-November 2008. Jan 2008 and Feb 2008 were still on an old-fashioned camera using film and I can’t find those photos in the middle of our current chaos.

In March 2008 . . .

We made puddle jumpers. Who would have thought two recycled cans could be so much fun? (cub scouts)


We celebrated Easter. Can you tell who just loves to get his picture taken? (Easter 2008: personal training studio on Cornell)


I tried to take more pictures of Jack. This is not him posing, this is him refusing to look at me.


I took pictures of my two little hams.


Jack did his first science fair project. "Will an ice cube melt faster in a glass of water or on a plate?" (Can you tell he is tired? We had the poor kid tested for everything and we think it was just allergies.)

In April 2008 . . .

We had Jack's first allergy test; I was actually surprised that there were some things that he was NOT allergic too.

Claire participated in her first "Rise and Shine" ceremony at Jane Phillips elementary with her kindergarten class.


Brooke planted her first tree with Daddy on the Hickory property before the construction had ever began.

In May 2008 . . .

I took pictures of my girls in our favorite picture spot (our front porch provides the best light in our current home but makes for rather boring photos). I think I took this picture because it was one of the first times I was able (with some work) to get Brooke's hair into a ponytail.


Brookie had to clean up after her party in the bathroom. Ever heard the saying, "You start out laughing and end up crying"?


Our cub scout den did a park clean up at Douglas park. A car stereo is quite a find; this was one of the few times that Jack was excited for me to take his picture!


We took pictures of the line of trees down the middle of our lot on Hickory.


Claire graduated from kindergarten (white t-shirts and jeans were her required outfit for the day)


The line of trees down the middle of our lot on Hickory were removed..


We said good-bye to the "lovies" that Jack had slept with since he was about 6 months old.


Brookie celebrated her 2nd birthday -- she was trying so hard to resist the temptation to scoop icing off of the cake. You'll have to read the post from her birthday to see how she did.


Neena (Sonja's mom) came to celebrate Brookie's birthday with her; at that time, Brooke had just learned how to say "Neena" and so we were so thrilled for Neena to get to hear her say it in person.

In June 2008 . . .

Brookie posed in her swimming suit on the day we went swimming for the first time in the summer of 08. When you are two years old, a flat chest and round tummy are adorable!


Claire posed in her new swim suit.


Mr. Universe (lol!) posed in his swim trunks.


Jack got his first pair of eyeglasses. The poor boy's vision was 20/100 and he could not see the board at school.


Jack actually shot a balloon with a bow and arrow at Camp McClintock! Those glasses must be working!


Jack had his first mud bath. You may have to click on this actual photo in order to see just how much mud he had on him. This was out at summer camp when the firemen came and turned the hose on the boys. Muddy Mayhem ensued.


Brooke got her first stitches (3) and I had my first experience having to hold a child while the child is getting stitches (and not numb). Hope neither of us has to go through that again! And it is like that spot on her head is a magnet; if she hits her head, that is the spot that gets it. Because of that, she still has a knot on that place and it is now 5 months later.


We celebrated Claire's sixth birthday.


We took her and her best friend to Build-A-Bear workshop. Big brother decided at the last minute that he was not "too old" to build a bear after all.


We collected wildflowers for our homemade flower presses. This spot was only about two minutes from our home.


There was some progress on the lot.

In July 2008 . . .

We played and relaxed in Neena's Pool.


The children ate gourmet ice cream in their jammies. (Claire with David's adopted sister, Lily in Dallas.)


We took "glamour shots" of the girls in Dallas with their new matching dresses.


We rode a real trolley to the Dallas Hard Rock Cafe (only to find out that it closed a few months prior to our visit). Brookie STILL talks about the "Cholley".


The girls dug for dinosaur bones at the Children's Science museum.


The girls were serenaded by Prince Charming. (L to R: Jasmine, Claire, Lily, Brooke with Prince Charming in the back.)


We ate at the Dallas House of Blues (since the Hard Rock was closed). I had, as my regular blog readers will know, tortilla soup, that was okay but it came with this awesome Honey Rosemary cornbread that I absolutely loved. (Here we are with David's parents and their two daughters.)


We went to Six Flags over Texas (I don't know what we were thinking by doing that in July!) and Jack rode his first real roller coaster, Claire had fun buying candy and desserts, and Brookie had the best time playing in the water misters that are provided to cool people off. Here they are riding the same carousel that I had my picture taken on when I was around 6. My sister told me I was on a replica Martha Washington's horse and I believed her.


We got to hang with my sister N's family. It is amazing to me how much all of the kids look like each other. I especially think N's daughter (sitting between Claire and Brooke) looks very similar to Brooke (minus the goose egg on her forehead). Here they are taking a "goofy" picture.


We watched the progress of the framers for our house.



The kids goofed around with their Uncle Scott (my brother in from Colorado). L to R: Claire, Scott, Abby (my sister Dawn's daughter) and Jack.


We were amazed at the progress of the framers in just one month.



Claire lost her first tooth.

In August 2008 . . .

We had some fun in the sun in Independence, Kansas at the water park (sure would be nice to have one in Bartlesville!)



Claire and Brooke drew pictures with sidewalk chalk on the wet sidewalk during a warm summer rain. Claire's kindergarten teacher had shared about doing this when she was a girl and so the moment we had rain with no lightning, Claire was ready to go!


Jack joined Claire and Brooke to play in the rain on one of the last days of summer vacation.



We had a quick photo op with Mr. Copeland, the principal of Jane Phillips Elementary; it was the first day of 3rd grade for Jack and the first day of 1st grade for Claire.


The children looked for fossils in the gravel at the construction site -- and actually found several!!

In September 2008 . . .

Brookie got her first "tair-tut" [hair cut].


Brookie had school picture day at her Mother's Day Out program and she got to wear a special dress from Aunt Raima and Cousin Glory.


We said good-bye to my Grandpa Donnelley.


We got closer to moving day.


David took a rare picture of me that I don't hate. However, if you enlarge the picture, you can see that I have lipstick on my teeth. Typical. :)