Christmas

 This Christmas we headed to Annapolis for a Heckert Holiday

 The girls really enjoyed spending time with Gran and Granddad Heckert and their cousins.

 The original Heckerts

 We had a girls' day out and went to the American Girl Store where the girls picked out their first American Girl doll, it was quite epic.

 Kate with her doll, Rebecca

 Elise with Julie

 Lily with Kit. 

 Christmas morning!

 Making gingerbread houses

A wild game of Hungry Hungry Hippos

December review

 December started off with a bang as Elise turned 3! It didn't hit me until we were shopping at Walmart that same week and I looked at her and realized she was not a baby anymore...I totally cried right there in the isle. I am sure stranger things have happened in that store.

 She received lots of goodies and very much enjoyed all the attention. We love our little bug!

 They love their cool jean jackets

 Early December also brought us about 7 inches of snow and 3 snow days. I loved it, we had so much fun just hanging out.

 Elise was done after about 3 minutes in the snow, that is my genetics at work! Cold and wet do not agree with me!

 During our snow days we put the Christmas tree up. This year was the first year the girls really grasped what was going on, making the whole season much more fun. 

 Another awesome thing this December? Kate had her first ever piano recital! She played Jolly ole' Saint Nicholas and wowed the audience! It was really nice to see all the different abilities of the students and to imagine where Kate will be in a few years.

 Andrew, Jonny, and Alisha came home for Christmas break and we had such a great time with them. We didn't want them to go back to college.

 For Christmas the girls received roller skates and a scooter, so during break we went and tried them out. They all spent more time on the floor than on their feet.

 On New Year's Eve we went to the IceMen game and it was awesome.

Graditude

November came and went in a flash, but I didn't want to start December until I took time to count my many blessings. The past couple of years have been emotionally difficult as we have dealt with miscarriages, infertility, and way too many doctors, but I know I have a million and one fantastic things in my life and enumerating them helps me stay sane.

1. I am thankful that my children need me, and not just to feed them or get them to school, but to be a good person. They need me to show them how to handle conflict, be generous, and work hard. I am glad that I have 3 pairs of eyes watching me, motivating me to be better everyday.

2. I am so grateful that my husband loves me, just as I am. When I am convinced I have screwed up my kids or when the house in shambles, I know he is going to be there, and that makes even the worst of days one thousand times better. I know he isn't keeping track of how many fruits and vegetables or serve or if I scrubbed the floor, thank heavens.Love is a beautiful thing.

3. I am thankful that my parents raised me to be confident. I was always, always encourage and supported in following my dreams. What a sweet gift to give to your children, the feeling that they can achieve anything.

4. Lastly, I am grateful for prayer. I know that God hears my prayers and that I can receive guidance and peace from Him. We are not alone, we are loved and watched over by a loving Heavenly Father, and we can speak with Him through prayer, what a powerful thing.

While I have tons more to be thankful for, these are the four things with the biggest effect on my daily life. I would not be the person I am today without my children, husband, parents, and God.

Halloween

 This year for Halloween the girls were superheroes! I think these are some of my favorite costumes we have done so far.

 We went to Boo at the Zoo with our friends the Tibbs and the Patricks.

 Our super poses!

 Trick or Treating fun.

The Evansville Half Marathon/Monsoon

 On October 5th a group of friends and I ran the Evansville Half Marathon. Leading up to the race, my biggest worry was that it was be unexpectedly hot. Luckily it was a wonderful 70 during the race. Not so wonderful? it POURED the entire race (okay only 10 out of the 13 miles, but it felt like the whole time). I don't think I have ever been so wet in my life! However, it was still a fun race, I was able to run with my friends and enjoy the beautiful city of Evansville, and it was nice not to worry about the heat.  Above is picture of me at mile 8. I tried to stop so Drew could take a picture, but the camera was being difficult. P.S. I have to give a huge shout out to my sweet husband who took our kids and stood in the rain to see me run. What a great guy.

 In the purple shirt is Catherine, my friend who talked all of us into running the race.

Nearing the end!!! I was trying to smile, but it was more of a grimace! I am really glad I did it, and I can't wait until next year.

D.C. in September

 In early September we had to opportunity to go out east to attend Drew's grandparents' funeral. It was a wonderful time with family, even though the circumstances were less then ideal.

 The coolest thing we did was a tour of D.C. on a duck boat, an old World War II truck/boat. It was awesome to drive right into the river!

 Kate with Grandma Heckert

 Kate and Hailey

 The Heckert cousins had a great time playing together. Here is the pirate ship they built to explore the seven seas.

 The scurvy crew

 The little ones at the funeral

 With Uncle Trip and (soon to be Aunt) Kari

The Heckert clan. I think it is really neat that we got a picture with my whole family and with Drew's family within a month of each other, even if it does mean that we drove 1000s of miles to do so!