Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you! We love you and wish we could be together this holiday season! Love, David, Julie, Gracie, Sammy, and Benson

Nerdy, nerdy, look who's 30!

Happy Birthday David! I just want to tell you how much I love sharing this life with you. I love this adventure that you have brought us on during medical school. I love being the mother to your children. I love being your wife. I love you. I wouldn't trade a day of my life with you for a million dollars. I am so proud of you. You are the best husband and father a girl could ask for. Gracie, Sammy, Ben and I are the luckiest people in the world!

Quick update.

Benson is getting so so big. He is going to be two months old on Tuesday. I can't believe how fast the time flies. We are still adjusting to having three kids in our house. The occasions where I am brave enough to go out with all three of them by myself are rare. It seems like when we do go out Gracie runs one way and Sammy runs the other and neither one of them will listen to me and there is no way I can carry Benson in his car seat and Sammy and hold Gracie's hand, so for now we are content to stay home when David isn't around. David has been so good to us. He studies from home sometimes and lets me get out with one or two of the kids or even by myself when I need to. Benson has started to smile but of all of my children he seems to be the most shy. He doesn't really like to be held by other people and cries for almost everyone except his mommy and daddy. Out of all of my children he is the best sleeper too. I nursed him at midnight right before I went to bed last night and he didn't wake up until 6:00 when his siblings woke up. He loves to sleep in his cradle, his swing, and his mother's arms. I worry that he sleeps too much sometimes actually. Don't we always find something to worry about as mothers? I think it comes with the job description.

Sammy is the biggest tease and loves to toment his sister, brother, mother, and father on a regular basis. Can't you tell it by the smile on his face?

I tricked Gracie into taking a nap today. Those of you who know her know she doesn't take naps except by accident. She is so sweet when she is sleeping (and when she is awake too).

Benson loves this swing. I bought it at a second hand store and David tells me it was worth every single penny that we spent on it. Look at his perfect round head! There is just something so peaceful about a sleeping baby. Just looking at this picture makes me need to go give him a hug and a kiss!

He speaks!

Sammy has all of a sudden started talking. He seriously says like 5 new words every day! This has been so fun and amazing. Gracie didn't start talking until after she turned 3 so this is so new and fun for me. One of my favorite things that he says is "Ha!" For some reason this means yes. When I ask him what he is doing he answers, "Nothing." He calls every drink "wawer" and it is up to us to figure out what he really wants to drink. He says sentences too. "I wanna bite" or "it's a ball." I just love to hear his gruff little voice! Of course with the good comes the bad too. He has a sassy "NO" when he doesn't want to do something! Sammy is so sweet though that I can't stay mad at him for long. He has been sick this last week and he has really been adorable (is that terrible that I think my kids are cute when they are sick?). He has only wanted to sit by his mom and dad and cuddle. He is the cutest little stinker around.

I want to share...

Gracie got a piece of candy today as a reward. Sammy went up to her and started crying because he wanted it (even though he already had one). Gracie went right up to her dad and said, "Can you cut my candy in half? I want to share it with Sammy." Can I just tell you my heart melted! It has been an extremely difficult couple of weeks with her. I think she has probably gone to time-out at least half a dozen times every day this week! Then out of the blue she says something so sweet that I just wanted to get all of the reward candies out and shower them both with treats!