The joys of turning sixteen...

Getting your driver's license!

Being asked to go on a date!

(We had to unwrap every tootsie roll to discover the letters of
the name of the girl who asked Johnny to Saddie's . And someone accidentally ate
one of the letters, so it took awhile to decipher who it was.)

Jake had an appendectomy.

On Sunday night (January 2nd)Jake's stomach was hurting. The pain
was centralized in the area around his belly
button. By the middle of the night the pain had moved
to the lower right side. It hurt mostly to move or walk.
He had no appetite (didn't even want dessert!) and was a little nauseous. I recognized
these symptoms as possibly being an inflamed appendix, since two of the other boys have had the same
experience. I called my doctor Monday morning, took him in, and they sent me
straight to the ER. By 3:30 PM on Monday he was in surgery. Jake was a trooper.
He didn't seem nervous at all, and he was a very easy patient. Not like Greggy and Johnny were, that's for sure!
The worse part for him was the sore throat from being incubated. We were home by
Tuesday afternoon, where he has been recuperating with the TV and X-box all
to himself. Back to reality on Monday.

Our December birthdays.

Johnathon turned 16 on December 28th.
I was so excited for this baby, because we had waited so long for
another child to come to our family (over four years). He's a good, good boy who has great style
and helps me make a decision on what to wear with what. He's in the know!
He has a pretty smile too!

Timothy turned 14 on December 4th. He finally got his first
cell phone. Now he can leave mine alone! Tim is a go-getter and knows how to go
after what he wants. He still loves to play baseball.
He's a neat freak who keeps his room and drawers spotless.
Tim knows how to work. He's hyper and always needs to be doing something!
I love his freckles, but he doesn't.

I loved having a newborn in December. First, it really forced me to be super organized and prepared for Christmas; and Second, there's just something extra sweet about having an infant in the home during that special season. And we always make sure that their birthdays are celebrated...even in this crazy time of the year.