*Natalie is 6 months old already. She's our little peanut - only 13 or so pounds. Unfortunately for her people mistake her for much younger and try to cuddle her like a 3-month old - she quickly lets them know that she does NOT enjoy that! :) She had a miserable bout with RSV in February, but praise the Lord it was short-lived. Other than a trip to the ER, she handled it great. She started eating oatmeal and enjoys it - I'd forgotten how messy these little people are during those first few weeks of eating. :) Her latest antic is to squeal like a baby pig. This is very cute when she's doing it out of pure joy. But it is also used when she is upset, antsy, ready for some attention or hungry. We have decided that she is the smaller and louder of our two children (is that possible?). But she is such a joy.
*Adrianna . . . 2 1/2 going on 16. The Berenstain Bears have taught her what I wasn't able to: Manners! Yes, she now insists on being polite in every circumstance, even when manners are not necessary. For instance, when she has been rebuked by me, she asks for forgiveness and then walks away and says, "No harm done!" (I beg to differ!!). If someone forgets a manner, she quickly reminds us that manners matter (except she says, "Matters Matter!"). She is a bit confused about God and who He is. She understands that she can talk to God whenever she wants, even in bed at night (we talked about that during a thunderstorm one night!). But she is confused as to why God doesn't talk to her in return. It's so hard to explain that He does talk to her through His Word! She loves going through "My First Book of Questions and Answers." When I ask her, "What is a spirit?" She answers, "A spirit is an invisible being who does not have a body like us." And she knows that God is a spirit. It wasn't until later that I realized that she thought that a "body" was a "bottom." Oh, dear. I quickly tried to correct her wrong impression of God. :) Nate and I are still baffled that she is our daughter, mainly because she is so active, imaginative, and crazy!!! And any of you that know us well know that we are both easy-going, calm and stable (or so we think!). But we wouldn't know what to do without our AJ. :)
*This winter has passed by quickly, despite lots of snow and cold days. I see robins in the backyard now, and each day that we have sun is a reminder that spring IS coming! I had a not-so-fun allergic reaction to our live Christmas tree this year that lasted for months! That is finally gone now, thank goodness. I found out I needed glasses by casually trying on my sister's glasses one day - it was like the Claritin commercial - I had NO CLUE what I was missing! :) Nate is busy with church, but it's been such a great year to see God work. His family is coming up in April for his ordination - it will be such a treat to see them again. This was not meant to be a Christmas letter. I'll try to update more regularly in the future. :)
