Evelyn is Three!

Our sweet little Evelyn has gotten so big! She has learned so much in a year. The latest thing she learned is how to read short-vowel words! She knows the sound each letter makes! But not all the different sounds the vowels make, she only knows the short-vowel sounds. English is a complicated language! It is amazing that kids are capable of learning English! David and I have said to each other, “How did we ever learn how to read?!” Now we know; one-step at a time.

Evelyn has really gotten into reading! Their Aunt Annie & Uncle Adam gave us a great curriculum. Because we have been using the curriculum with Peter and been watching a Leap Frog DVD we checked out from the library titled, “The Letter Factory,” Evelyn has learned how to read short-vowel words. It is amazing to see how quick kids can learn. It is also fun to see their intense desire to learn.

Evelyn is bright! She loves to pray, read books, color, draw, snuggle, play with cars, play with her stuffed animals, occasionally play with her doll, and she especially loves to play with her brother and sister. Evelyn is great! We are sure blessed to have her in our family. Our Father in Heaven has entrusted us with a choice spirit.

Here are some pictures of the fun we had celebrating our sweet Evelyn:

Peter was so excited (perhaps more than Evelyn) about the birthday festivities. He couldn’t nap the day before because he was too excited. He helped me make bracelets for Evelyn because she had asked for a pink bracelet. He helped me wrap them and then wrote his name on the gift. He woke up early on her birthday because he was so excited! Thus, he helped me decorate a little more and then we made pink pancakes!

Evelyn was the last one to wake-up... Peter could hardly stand the wait! Since he was patient and helped me so much, I allowed him to give his gift to her before breakfast (Indicated by the lovely hair-does ;)).

After breakfast we got ready for the day and played a bit inside then we played outside for a while. It was a beautiful day! Peter had a great idea: run around with streamers! After running with them for a while they decided the tree needed to be decorated too J.

Ice Cream after lunch...

Cake after dinner...

And we had a surprise guest: Aunt Kate! The kids LOVE their Aunt Kate!

It was a joyous day J

Evelyn’s Stats:

32.2 lbs. and 38.5 in.

Hannah at 18 Months

Our little Hannah Jo has grown so much! She loves her brother and sister! She will copy whatever they do and always tries to join them in play. She is her own little person with her own, unique personality. We love our sweet Hannah Jo!

Hannah Facts:

1. She loves books!

2. She loves to play with blocks.

3. She loves peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwiches, cereal, graham crackers, pasta, hummus, corn, and almost all fruit.

4. She loves to SNUGGLE! Any doll or stuffed animal but best of all she loves to snuggle with us!

5. She loves to help get things we need, like her shoes or a diaper.

6. She loves to help throw things in the trash. Sometimes this backfires though… I have found toys, measuring cups, and even one of Peter’s shoes in the trash!

7. She loves BATHS!

Stats:

23.8 lbs. and 32 in.

Nicole & Seth

My little sister Nicole and her husband Seth left their warmer home in California to visit us out here in Missouri! We were so glad to have them. They are FULL of fun! My bright, accountant sister had the privilege of attending an accounting conference in Kansas City. She decided to come early and bring Seth along for some fun in Missouri before her conference. We played games and saw a few sites while they were here. We went to a couple historic sites, Far West and Liberty Jail and of course we stopped by the temple J.

After Nicole’s five-day conference ended, she came back to our place for a couple more days before heading back to California. She took me out to get our nails done! A sweet treat! I never do that sort of thing. We sure loved having them. We wish we lived closer so we could play all the time! Someday…

Christmas 2014

The day after we moved in, Dec. 16th, we bought our Christmas tree and brought it home! It was nice to start decorating and making our home feel like Christmas!

A couple days later it SNOWED! We LOVE snow!

 

Because of our move just two weeks before Christmas we were unable to make it back to our families in California for Christmas Day. This is the first time we have been separated from our immediate families for Christmas since we have been married, first time ever for me. We missed the fun and games and the blessed feeling of sustaining joy that comes when surrounded by so many of those who love us. Nevertheless, we did have a marvelous Christmas. We feel it was a great opportunity for us to determine what Christmas traditions we wanted to establish for our own family. One such tradition; baking and sharing.

 

We made loads of cookies, more than needed. If we had still been in Bolivar, there would have been several homes we could visit and deliver cookies. Alas, we were not in Bolivar and I made a plethora of cookies… We decided to deliver them to all of our neighbors. There are only six homes including our own on the street on which we live. Needless to say, after delivering cookies to our neighbors, we still had too many cookies! Eventually, after a week or so we finished the cookies and we found new creative ways to eat sugar cookies. I had made thick and soft (Lofthouse wan-a-be) sugar cookies. We decided they weren’t too much different than pancakes and had them for breakfast with peanut butter on top. They were actually quite tasty :). You should try it sometime. 

We will keep the tradition of baking goodies together and then delivering them to neighbors, friends and family, but we will try not to overdo it next year. Another tradition we will keep is acting out the Nativity with the kids. They were so excited to put on a live Nativity. They loved dressing up and being the center of attention. However, most of all, we loved the spirit it brought into our home and hearts as we reflected upon the first Christmas, the first gift, our Savior.

We also made Christmas banners, a Reynders’ tradition. The kids love coloring so of course it was a hit. Right before bed on Christmas Eve, we hung the banners so they were blocking the entrance from the hall to the living room where the tree and presents were. On Christmas morning, the kids ran through the banner. Who wouldn’t love to run through and tear down a wall of paper?

We did a few other little fun traditions that we will perpetuate. In addition, we thought of things we would like to add next year.

There are so many things to love about Christmas. It is by far our favorite Holiday. The best part for us is striving to find every opportunity to remember Christ and share the gifts Christ gives with others, especially with our Children. Peace, love, hope, kindness, gentleness, meekness, forgiveness, joy; these are what we can strive for year round; these are gifts we can share with others.

Here are a few more pictures of the fun on Christmas Day:

Bubbles= true joy

Hannah: "Uh, what are we doing? Can I just eat this popcorn?"

"I'm read for this popcorn!"

Peter was so excited to give daddy his helicopter.

A little outside play :)