The Dust Has Finally Settled!

Well, it is the beginning of a new year and where have we been? The better question is where have we NOT been! Our holidays were once again full of hustle and bustle but we tried to keep things as simple as possible. We celebrated with family and friends all over the place. We finally took the boys to see Santa but it was different than before. We went to a neighborhood in Apex where a couple decorates and partitions off their garage to be like a living room. Santa comes out and sits with the kids, poses for pictures and just has a generally good time. His wife dresses like an elf and hands out gifts to the kids (Austin got a bookmark and candy cane while Caleb got a cute little stocking with tissues!). Caleb was not a big fan of the guy in red so he went around back and stood behind the chair so that we could get a picture with both of them (and unfortunately me). Christmas Eve we were at home and we decided to pick someone in the rest home to visit. I picked one of my patients who would be there on Christmas Eve. She has dementia and I knew she would probably not remember the next day so I called her daughter to ask if it would be ok for us to go. She was so excited to see the kids. Austin talked with her and we gave her some little gifts that we brought. We only spent about 45 minutes but she was so happy and I think it taught Austin a good lesson. Of course Santa came and the boys got way too much stuff. All in all it was a good and relaxing time.

Shane went to the bowl game in Memphis for New Year's. The boys and I went to Greenville. It sounds like Memphis was a good time, except for the game and we had fun getting in bed well before midnight to get a good night's rest. Shane went on his annual golf trip this weekend and the boys spent time with Nana and Grandpa. That left me all alone. I must admit that it was not so bad!

Austin is doing well in school. He is really learning a lot in Pre-K. He does great with his sight words but is resistant when it comes to math. He is going to sign up for more sports for the Spring and is excited to get involved. He is working on his inside voice and just being a good listener. He has really started to talk back and has become a real pain at times.

Caleb is all over the place. He is running everywhere and wants to be involved in whatever his brother is doing. He is starting to be very mischievous and will do something only to look over with this huge grin on his face. He has been cutting some teeth, ever so slowly. He has started to wake in the middle of the night and has become very hard to get back to sleep. If we let him cry, he will wake up Austin. We are hoping it is just the teeth because he seems fine otherwise. Who knows what is going on in that little head. He has had many tumbles resulting in numerous bruises on the head and scratches here or there. He seems to weather them all without difficulty!

We hope this new year brings more fun to our house as the boys continue to grow. Until next time, stay safe and keep warm!