These pictures are a take 'em or leave 'em type... if I could cut and paste each kid I might have one good picture... so like me after 5 pictures you will have to take'em or leave'em...:) Merry Christmas...
Okay so Jaden is out of the hospital and doing well, tearing up the house and making laundry for her poor over worked mother... :)
Christmas this year is not what we imagined it would be last year. Of course life is never what one plans it to be at least mine isn't.
Quint has a new job, since most of you who follow know this I will not get into detail except to say that he is VERY content with it, and while we are not rolling in dough we are keeping up and paying off... all good :) We have enjoyed Idaho for almost a year now. both Quint and myself being near a sister, that has been great, lots of fun stuff including rafting, hiking, movies, dinners, and video game parties.
James has been getting ready for his mission, he is taller than me, thinks himself a comedian dangling things out of my reach and such... I have learned to bruise his shins :) All in all not bad, lol. Really though he is a great kid, and I know he will do such a great job on his mission. He has seen a lot of his biological family the last few years, this year especially. He has enjoyed getting to know them all better and being adored by extra family never hurt anyone :)
Rannon has been enjoying School. He is his science teachers best student, and he looks forward to advanced sciences. Rannon has been writing a book lately, I am impressed that he has stayed with it for so long. We wait to see what comes of it. He has grown 4 inches in the last year, his feet are like giant triple E oars flapping through the water, he is taller than me now I am pretty sure, about 5'7- 8. He loves his new glasses that are tinted in the sun... his pride and joy wearing sunglasses everywhere :)
Sicily is growing into a beauty much to her Fathers concern. He has already begun the threats to lock her in an attic until she is 30 but since we don't have one she has managed to maintain a normal life style for now :) She is doing really well in school, loves Art, and playing her Clarinet. She is very clothes savvy, and is developing a healthy shoe fetish collecting as many as she can winkle out of family who want to spoil her.
Jonah turned 8 this year and is thrilled to become a full member of the church... we are postponing his dunking until March so he can have his Grandparents come to witness the near drowning, all very important rite of passage for one who is 8 going on 50. Jonah knows everything, if you don't know something he will be happy to tell you, he too is doing well in school as one would expect of one so knowledgeable and he has grown 4 inches as well, proudly he stands about 5-6 inches above Calvin's head... now this glory has been a long time time coming, we are supportive of his joy. :)
Calvin, our 5 year old boy... I have a story about this happened yesterday. I was primping in my bathroom getting ready for a night of good food and laughter with the husband and his co workers :) Calvin came into my room holding a hot dog. (this is not uncommon, we go through many around here, he like them cold hence the reason our are ALWAYS precooked) "Mom" he says in a five year old boy voice... very cute :) "I'm so sorry, I wash my hot dowg" and proceeds to turn on the tap water and rinse it. Now I am still unfazed, aren't you entitled to wash a dog that falls to the floor, well certainly you are! I continue my primp.
He is back several seconds later, spitting his hot dog in the trash, and turning on the water again... this gives me pause, what could cause such a reaction? "What are you doing Calvin?" I ask him waiting for his answer.
"I wash my hot dog," now I was given the 'are you feeling alright' look (a relatively new thing to our experience...) and he carries on undeterred, but now he is mumbling something. So I lean down slowly to not appear to nosy, :) to hear...
"It is hot, hot, hot dog." He is very serious, and attempting to wash away the hotness of the dog in his hand. puzzled I walk out of my bathroom.
"Did someone heat Calvin's hot dog" this got me the same 'are you feeling alright' look from two more of my children, of course fearless now I carry on. "you know he likes them cold." I walk into the kitchen and look at the bag he took them out of, then laughed. It seems in my hurry to get out of Walmart with all of my body parts still intact I managed to grab HOT SPICY hot dogs instead of our plain and normal hot dog fare. My dear son the 'hot dog gourmet' noticed this slight problem in my shopping and attempted to wash away the 'hot' bless his heart... so after I told him I WAS SORRY for this gross error I explained the finer points of drinking milk and using ketchup with the offending HOT dog and all was well in his universe.
I think that says it all about Calvin, he walks to the beat of his own drum, and that is good around here :)
Jaden many have already heard about, but she is doing well in her school as well, she has a teacher that comes to the house three times a week and along with her nurse she is slightly spoiled in attention. but I am of the firm opinion that if anyone should be spoiled she is. :)
Myself... well most of you follow, I am officially a writer now :) It is selling already beyond what I imagined and I have my first book signing next month, so far the list gathers of people who plan to attend, I am beginning to wonder if I should throw a party instead and just sign what ever books pass by me... well you get the idea, :) Take care everyone, and know that we are always thinking of you. The Nelson Family.
