Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! Our card and letter this year is going online.
This year has been quite the busy one! Let's review...
Last January we found out our little surprise bundle of joy began her journey. She wasn't quite a surprise since we wanted another baby but we thought it would be a couple more months until we started trying! The pregnancy went well, monitoring the gestational diabetes which looked to be non existence (perhaps it is only a boy thing?), and went off work a little earlier before she arrived. She surprised us by being a girl and as seen throughout this blog has quite the smiles! She is very muched loved by her siblings. Carter has to have her as soon as she wakes up for kisses and hugs, and then throughout the day. (Thank goodness, it could have gone the other way, right?) Avery is a little mama's helper and Hudson seems to be the one that can really get her to calm, when she does fuss. She is currently 3 months old and sleeps well. She has more than doubled her weight, likes to pull herself up, and looks like she's going to crawl as soon as she's on her belly. She can almost roll over but only bothers when she's got help otherwise doesn't seem to care much. Possibly teething but we don't see anything in there, which Jen likes. (Carter started getting his at 3 months!)
Hudson enjoyed a year of rookie baseball, flag football, a lot of reading and a lot of growing this year. His fall report card was excellent and got a reward for his reading. He missed the first and second Friday of the year because of allergies, which he did not like. Besides reading he loves playing on the computer, playing imaginary games and webkinz, watching Animal Planet (Most Extreme is his fav), and currently got a Nintendo DS for his birthday and is loving it! He's still a great big brother and best friend to Avery. His other best friend is AJ -2 peas in a pod!-, and just want to say that AJ and his family were a HUGE help taking Hudson to school while Jen was on maternity leave and THANKS! Hudson wants to be an animal scientist when he grows up.
Avery got to have her first "real" birthday party this year and hasn't talked much about anything else...everyday. She plans for her birthday party every day. It changes often. She's been on the countdown since Christmasish, her birthday's in March. LOL She loves being a big sister to her little sister. She was the first to find out Jaylen was born and a girl-she hadn't doubted it for a minute! Her hair is long and beautiful and she doesn't want it cut, but said she'd donate it when she does decide to cut it. She's learning her letters and numbers and is very excited to start Kindergarten this next year. Currently wants to be a mama and a cooker when she grows up.
Carter seems much older than 2 years old. He loves to do anything his older siblings are doing and doesn't get why he can't. He's finally learned the art of MINE, which the older two seemed to miss, and he's making up for them. He has become quite the artist, showcasing is work throughout the house...on the walls! He's learning his letters and numbers, too, but not quite the same. He can throw a ball like no one's business. His favorite show is Blues Clues and loves to sing and dance!
Oh, Jaylen LOVES football! She is totally calm watching sports with her daddy, or even without him! Once, he was watching football with her in the seat and he paused it to leave the room and she got all up in arms!
Rob
Jennifer finished up her year at the middle school and found a job at the same elementary school Hudson attends! This year they went year-round so that has been a nice change! She's still in Special Ed and still teaching part-time! Papa is also still babysitting while she's at work! He's been great! The house is a mess but the kids are fed and happy and full of love, so no complaints!
This year the family was able to finally go on a REAL VACATION! We went back to Missouri for Rob's family reunion. We drove, and it was long. Jen was pretty pregnant but even Rob said she travelled well! (Rob had more bathroom breaks than she did!) We left our computer in Alberquerque and only realized about an hour out...that was a funny and scary ordeal! We stayed in Texas, "Texas, the home of the knuckle sandwich", and the kids loved making stops to look at artifacts, rocks, and more rocks. Jen's friends Kerry and Derek live in Oklahoma and we stayed two days there, which was sooo nice! They took us to dinner at a wonderful local place, to the OK Zoo (Hudson LOVED) and the OK Science Museum- Awesome!
Family reunion in Missouri is where Rob's dad grew up (still need to upload the pictures). It was great to see some family members we've seen once or twice over the past 1o years and more that Rob hasn't seen in 30something years and got to introduce his family to. The reunion was in an very small town where the actual party was held in the local banquet...in a bank!
Then it was time to head home, Jen and Hudson needed to start school as soon as we got back. We stopped in Wyoming to visit Jen's friends. One was from Carson, Sabrina and Family, and they hosted dinner for us. The other friend was from Jen's way back past, 5th grade and meet her two children at the park on the way out of town. Jen hasn't seen her since she was 19 and then it was only for about an hour! Her kids were the same age of Hudson and Avery and were so excited to finally be able to play with kids their own ages! We imagine they might all be pretty good friends if we lived closer together.
Once we got back Hudson began 2nd grade and loving it! Jen worked one month and started maternity leave. And Rob, well, you know...he started FOOTBALL! Football season didn't go quite as well as he'd like-------- though he did have a by week when we had Jaylen. (Rob had it all planned out with the doctor!)
(still in draft mode)
From our home to yours, enjoy one another and let the little things go to truly enjoy the best in life. Keep your loved ones close and be safe and happy in all you do!Love,
The Kittrells
Rob & Jen, Hudson, Avery, Carter, & Jaylen
Jaylen-Roll over, get teeth, eat REAL food, give more hugs and kisses, learn to crawl and walk, and keep on smiling! Avery would like Jaylen to give her more hugs and kisses and smiles too!
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