4 years old!

Well, as always I'm a little late for my annual birthday reflections. But can you believe it? 4 years old? I think I've been in denial about the passage of time! But alas, here we are, four years later and couldn't be happier. So without further ado, here comes the babbling of one proud mama.

Kayla
Kayla Ann continues to be full of life. She loves to sing, she loves to dance, and she LOVES to talk. Everyone is amazed at her "talent" of going on and on about any particular subject she is interested in and amazingly enough she has the ability to keep you entertained in the process. Just like every other four year old girl, she has developed a love for all things princess and ballerina and can be seen prancing around the house in a tutu or wearing one of her princess crowns. This year for Christmas, we got her a Cinderella castle for all her little princesses and heard joyful screams about it for days! Kayla continues to be very caring with others and loves to make new friends. She also has a flare for dramatics that can have us rolling our eyes and laughing at the same time. She is mommy's helper and constant companion and in a male dominated house, I'm really starting to value having a kindred spirit around! We are so thankful for our Kayla and rejoice in the Lord as we watch her grow.

Braden
Our Braden is pretty much the leader of the pack. He loves to be in charge and tell everyone what to do, but his delivery is many times so polite and gentle that the others don't seem to mind following along. He is our encourager and has made us smile with his kind words to his siblings or even to us in any given situation. He is concerned for others and seems to be the only one who notices if mommy stubs her toe and is laying on the kitchen floor! Braden continues to know what he wants and when he wants it. He is extremely determined and likes to follow the rules, which most of the times is a plus but can annoy his brother and sister who like to be a little flexible now and then. I find myself relying on him to take care of some bigger things too and I love that I can trust him to be responsible. We are so proud of our Braden boy and pray that God continues to develop his gifts.

Daniel
Daniel is his father's son. I mean that in the best way...most of the time. :) He has an affinity for all things logical: puzzles, legos, lincoln logs, he could sit and be occupied for HOURS! He is our boy who is completely self entertained. That could mean that he quietly works on one of his favorite things, or we simply find him laying in his room singing and wrestling with his favorite bear. Daniel is also our musician. His favorite Christmas gift this year was a "real" guitar that looks just like Daddy's and he plays with it every single day. Daniel just loves any form of music. In the car, I always hear from him, "Mommy, can you please turn this song up." And then he is the back seat drumming away (amazingly many times on beat) and just living it up. He is also our silly, silly guy. He loves to laugh, even if it means cracking himself up and there is nothing better to him than making his brother laugh.  We pray that God will use Daniel's talents in great ways as he grows.

As you would guess, their Birthday and Christmas was a blast this year. We just loved how excited the kids got this year. They really understood everything this year and it was such a delight to see their eyes light up on Christmas morning. Below are a few pictures from their birthday dinner out as well as Christmas day. We trust you all had a wonderful Christmas season and pray God's blessings to you as we all face a new year, learning and growing by His grace alone. Love to you all!