On the move!

An Amazing Fall

Hello! We have been busy this fall with many exciting events. We kicked things off with the Cookie Monster and a cute little Strawberry on Halloween. Soon after that Ms. Natalie was baptized, which on top of being a very special event, provided a wonderful excuse to gather with friends and family. We were blessed with opportunity to spend time with the kids’ great grandparents. It was a real joy for them to take a picture with their 5 great grandchildren!

We had a very nice and low-key Thanksgiving break, which included Tom and Amy both taking time off to stay home and spend time with the kids while school was closed. It was the first time in a long time that all of us were able to be together for so many days in a row and really relax together (not counting when we were all sick). We flew kites, went to the park, watched movies, baked cookies, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together as a family.

Natalie is growing so fast! She has started clapping and even trying to wave. Some of her favorite things are watching Harrison run around acting silly. He can make her laugh unlike anything else. She’s not crawling just yet, but she is sitting up and has started to reach out and grab his toys. This does NOT make Harrison laugh. But he’s a good sport.

We’re soaking-up as much Lawrence as possible this year, venturing downtown to enjoy the annual Christmas celebration done in a way that only Lawrence can do – with a staged “rescue” of Santa Clause from atop the tallest building in town (5 stories) by the Fire Department. Given that some of Harrison’s favorite things are fire trucks, ladders, and Santa, you can imagine that he was in heaven, and talked about this for days. He was convinced that Santa, for whatever reason, went back up on top of the building after being rescued. He kept saying, “Silly Santa, he went back up there!”

 Tom and Harrison have braved the cold several times to go watch KU football and visit various friends at tailgates. He has not figured out yet that we really should not take food from other people’s tailgates. But Tom thinks this is a good social experience, and that he should take advantage of his youth to meet new people. Who can deny that little guy a cookie if he is brave enough to walk through a crowd of people to pick out a special treat? He’s not shy. That’s for sure. As long as he gets to see his friends, and there is a steady flow of food and fun, he could care less if KU looses by 40. Amy and Natalie are much too smart to venture into the cold for too long, but have enjoyed the many opportunities to enjoy some nice and quiet girl time together.

Last weekend, was the Holiday concert at Harrison’s school, where we were treated to wonderful renditions of Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, and “The Jumping Song.” It was amazing to watch this year’s concert and think back to the same time last year. It really made us appreciate how much he has grown and matured over the last 12 months. Bring on Christmas!