(You can click on any of the pictures to see larger versions)
Merry Christmas from the Patton family!
Here I am, once again, wondering where the year has gone! A decade ago I was pregnant with Ali and the hot topic in the news was the Y2K bug. I can’t believe how quickly it has all passed by!
We’ve had a good year and have kept very busy. Back in March we added to our family again when we got our sweet little pooch, Bella. She is a lab-boxer mix with one brown eye and one blue eye, and she has been an angel.
At the end of May, Aaron and I celebrated our 10th anniversary (Where did the time go?) We took our first real vacation since our honeymoon – a 5 day trip to Riviera Maya! It was heavenly! While we were gone, Ali and Emma enjoyed their first plane ride (that they can remember, at least) when their Grandma and Grandpa Klarner took them and their cousin to Disney World. That was quite a treat! While the rest of their family was vacationing at exotic locales, Meg & Julie enjoyed a vacation at the Alligood Family Resort in exotic Eureka, MO. They might have had the most fun of all of us!
This summer we bought our first pool (a 16 foot quick set one). That was quite a treat when you have four little girls and no subdivision pool. It was also very handy to cool off while we sweated away building our new fence. Yes, this project began in May, and was FINALLY wrapped up in mid-October. Better late than never, I suppose.
In August we pulled out the old tent again and discovered that our kids are old enough now that camping is great fun! We enjoyed two weekend trips: one to Kirksville, MO (where we enjoyed visiting our old college haunts) and one to Lake Charles State Park, Arkansas.
Also in August, I kicked off my third year of home schooling. This is my first year schooling three, and I assure you, that has been quite an adventure. Our fall was also busy with three little girls enjoying their first experience on organized soccer teams. Thankfully, Ali & Emma could play on the same team, and all three girls practiced in the same place, at the same time. Julie was just happy kicking a ball around, and was often heard telling anyone who would listen, “I played soccer once!”Well, that pretty much sums up our year as a family. Now on to the highlights for each of us . . .
Ali turned 9 in April and just started the 4th grade. She is my creative little one, who really isn’t so little anymore. (I recently bought her new socks, and she now wears the same size as me!) She is in her 3rd year of piano lessons with Grandma Patton and her current favorite piece to play is “Alouette.” Ali’s all-time favorite hobby is reading. If you ever wonder where she is, it’s probably safe to assume that she’s curled up with a book somewhere. I (seriously) think that she reads faster than I do. Ali enjoyed her first year of soccer, but let’s face it: she’s mostly there for social reasons. Running and getting sweaty really aren’t her thing! : )
Emma turned 8 in August and is now in the 2nd grade. The highlight of her year was playing soccer. She has endless amounts of energy and is definitely willing to be aggressive on the field. It was so fun to watch her grow during the season. She was seriously bummed any time practices or games were rained out (which was TONS this season.) While Ali was glad for the extra reading time, Emma was disappointed and felt like she was being robbed of her time to improve her ball skills. Another new addition to Emma’s plate this year is piano lessons. She’s been very eager to get started, but I wouldn’t let her begin until 2nd grade. Her favorite piece these days is “Away in a Manger.”
Megan turned 5 in July and she began Kindergarten this year! She is so excited to FINALLY be doing school with us. She loves to write, and can often be found with her Magna-Doodle, copying book titles onto it. She is giddy about the fact that she’s learning to read (really Meg is giddy about pretty much everything.) Two other rites of passage for Meg this year: She got her first American Girl Doll (Kit) for her birthday, and she got her ears pierced! She also enjoyed her first experience on a soccer team this year, though she tends to “enjoy” it more like Ali does: fun time to be with friends, but not so crazy about the running and sweating.
And last but not least we have Julie. Oh Julie . . . what to say about her?? : ) Well, she turned 3 this past April, but she thinks she’s 10. She could talk to a brick wall (and convince it to talk back). She has an infectious laugh (that is often more like a witch cackle) and spends most of her waking time jumping. If I could bottle her energy and sell it, I’d be a bazillionaire! Right now, her goal in life is to be just like her sisters. If they’re doing it, she wants to as well. She did get her ears pierced this year also, and is itching for an American Girl doll. At church, she graduated out of the nursery and is now in the 3 year old class – which she LOVES! She is a relief to her teachers because she actually responds to the questions they ask!
I guess that leaves Aaron & me. We aren’t nearly as interesting, but we are certainly keeping ourselves busy! Aaron has now been working for Boeing for 6 years, and is still enjoying that. He was one of the assistant coaches for Ali and Emma’s soccer team, which was right up his alley. He is still working in Student Ministries at church. When he’s not busy with one of those things, he enjoys down time with his girls (all 5 of us!)It’s really pathetic that I can look back on my year and wonder “What did I do?” Silly, I know. I have been involved in all of the above mentioned items. School has kept me very busy, but for the most part, I love it. It’s very satisfying to teach your kids and watch them learn. I have also been involved in the leadership team for our Friday Morning Ladies Bible Study at Church. Being with those ladies is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my week. I also acted as the team manager for both soccer teams this year. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed that – it seems that I have more administrative gifts than I was aware of. All in all, it has been a joy to serve in the areas where God has put me.
Well, I guess that pretty much sums it up for the Pattons. It’s such a treat to look back on this year and see God’s faithfulness to us. I love being able to come to the end of the year and celebrate the birth of Christ. I’m so thankful that His birth was just the first step to his death on the cross that paid the penalty for our sins.
Rejoicing is His Birth,
Aaron, Andrea, Ali, Emma, Megan & Julie Patton
