Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We hope that this Christmas Season finds you well! Our year has been another adventure for the record books! 

 Elsie also turned 4 in February and celebrated with a Tangled birthday party. She is our theatrical little girl as she loves to float about the house - singing and dancing or pretending to be a puppy or....you name it. She definitely brings a creative flair to our life. When she asks to bless our meal it is often in song, usually doesn't have much to do with the food, but always ends in I love you Jesus - just doesn't get much better than that!

On her birthday, modeling her gift!

Spring was beautiful here in Iowa and the girls spent lots of time enjoying the swingset we installed in 2011. We also broke in our NEW camper by camping at our local campground in March - can you believe that! MARCH! We also spent a weekend together at an indoor waterpark in Okoboji!

Our innagural camping trip

At the waterpark!



April got a little exciting when Maisie fell down and chipped her front tooth, which then cracked top to bottom, which then needed to be pulled. My vanity was a bit saddened by the loss of her tooth so young and her sweet smile being changed. We are quite used to it now, and maybe even fond of it as it seems to just fit her spunky little self.

If you look closely you can see that missing little tooth

May is usually a busy month as the two big girls are finalizing their preparations for the big dance recital. Both girls really love their dance classes and did an excellent job dancing. We choose to put Elsie up a class so that the schedule worked better for our family and we are very proud at how she kept up with girls 3 years older than her. Georgie was very focused and knew her routines inside and out! It always brings tears to my eyes seeing their hardwork on stage!

In their ballet costumes, they also do tap.

June and July were just plain ridiculously hot, especially on this pregnant momma! Luckily, our community has a great pool and you can easily say we were pool rats! I was happy to cool off in the water and the girls were just happy! It was impressive seeing Maisie don her puddlejumper life jacket and swim all around the pool to keep up with her sisters. If you haven't seen a PUDDLE JUMPER it is a MUST have for little swimmers. We did get in a few more camping trips before the most exciting event of our year.....

ITS A BOY!

Yes can you believe it, we welcomed baby boy Henry Joseph on July 30 at 5:30pm. He came out BIG - 9 pounds 9 ounces and 22.25incs LONG! We are thrilled to have the opportunity to learn what it is like to raise a boy. He is about the sweetest, most content baby! (praying this doesn't jinx me as I publicly state this!) He seems to always be eating. He smiles and coos! And now he has started to giggle, especially when his silly sisters come chat with him! He does kind of fit the nick name "Hank the Tank" as he is 17lbs at 4 months old!

One of his cute, cute newborn pictures

He's grown just a bit since the picture above!

We love being a family of 6 - its crazy, its hectic at times, its full of laughter and joy, but it just fits us well!

Maisie turned 2 in September and like I said before she has spunk. The girl gives this family a run for our money. She talks and talks and talks and talks. She nearly had me convinced she was actually turning 3 - I realized my mistake before I bought the number 3 candle! She can scowl like the best of them, a trademark of hers. She asks to rock nearly every night and by golly the girl loves her pacifier. She might actually go to college with it!

Georgie turned 6 this year and headed off to all day, every day kindergarten this fall. She was ready and just thrives! Her teacher is amazing and posts things regularly to her website so I get to keep tabs. She is learning to read and there is just something SO magical about that. She played tball this spring and soccer this fall! She's competitive and a bit of perfectionist. She has such a kind and generous heart!

Elsie also started preschool in the afternoons this fall. She loves it too! I've seen her mature and blossom in her own ways over the past few months! She still likes to wear dresses, especially if the they fluff out when she twirls. Hard to believe next year she will be off to kindergarten and I will back down to just two littles at home all day!

Matt continues to work on water projects in the tristate area, but most in South Dakota. He travels a bit each month, usually just being gone overnight once a month (mom likes that). He seemed to travel alot of the begining of the year, so we are glad its back down to the norm. His office is about 8 blocks from the house so he is usually able to join us for lunch and help get Elsie off to preschool. He also has joined city council! I've enjoyed seeing him trying to make our community even better. I am not sure how he does all that he does, but we are so grateful for how he serves our family. He tends to be the anchor for our family!

As for me, I am still working about one day a week or so at the hospital in the surgery department. I also continue to coordinate our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. Most of my days are filled with cooking, picking up, refereeing, picking up, playing games, refeering, refeering, dishes, puzzles, cooking again, washing clothes, folding clothes, picking up again, MOPS, sight words and letters, AWANA verse memorizing, finding long lost toys, organizing, cooking again, cartoons, picking up again, refeering a few more, dishes, stories, maybe a little TV and relaxing, and finally crashing into bed! And in all those busy moments we are making memories all along the way, trying to focus on "enjoy(ing) the small things for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things" (R. Brault). I try to soak it all in, take a few mommy moments to stay sane, and rejoice in the most important job God has ever called me to! Its not easy, it doesn't pay much, but I know the retirement plan is quite good!

So, another year has flown by! We've shared with you all the especially memorable moments. I hope that yours was blessed as well through the joys and sorrows, or laughter or tears because through it all God is right there too, even as a tender baby in a lowly manger. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS From The OEDEKOVENS

Georgie

Georgie Girl turned 6 last month, and again I am behind in making a post just for her, but nonetheless I'm able to get it posted.

Our Georgie girl is just one amazing little girl. She's our firstborn so she has suceeded despite lots of our trial and error. She has so many of the typical firstborn qualities, but there is a servant part to her heart that can only come from God. I see her serve others in ways that we have not specifically taught and it makes my heart so full.

This fall when we are eating at Slades Georgie bounced out of her seat and headed for the door.As I turned to remind her she needed to sit down to eat I notice that she is holding the door for an elderly couple who is getting ready to leave. She had noticed the couple when the wife entered using her walker and she noticed they were preparing to leave and without any prompting went an opened the door. That is just one example of the many ways she seeks to serve those around her.

Georgie also likes to succeed and be the best at things, yet she knows that those acheivements often come from hardwork. She is always working hard at whatever new skill she is learning. While I know this is a personality trait often associated with firstborns, we want to always support her in her acheivements. More importantly we want Georgie to know that Mom and Dad are always the safety net for her failures and that it's OK to not be perfect. I hope that she continues to feel safe to always do her best because to quote a friend "We got you Georgie"

Georgie also loves to laugh and be silly and smile! She loves to snuggle and always comes to give me a hug when she wakes up in the morning. She's tough but tender! She's a second mother around this house, even when I try to tell her to just be a kid. She's a tomboy. She's logical. She's so understanding.

Georgie Girl, I know God is going to do great things with you through both your strengh and weakness. May you always let him do great work in your life. I'm excited to see what that is! Love you ten times infinity stick period.