Happy New Year

Our 2009 Word Cloud...

Wordle has provided us a visual representation of our year in text...

Exactly what have I been sharing on this blog?

Well, it's mostly photos...

But I think the words are as pretty as any picture...

God has blessed us!

We have had an amazing year.

I hope that your 2009 was wonderful as well.

Love and Kisses

from Alyce, Billy and the E's

Merry Christmas

Christmas House

tree cutting day.

unhapp - e's

sometimes they get sick of my photo-shoots.

... and the boys

Same day,

Same leaves,

more E's...

Autumn Leaves

Loves to Eat.

Baby E has been studying our eating habits for at least three months now.

He has been very glad to join the club. His food list includes - rice cereal, peaches, sweet potatoes, avocado, baby mum mum crackers, and baby back ribs. Actually just baby back rib bones. For the poor teething gums. . .

our october news..

☼ Big E ☼

Doing well in school. He has surprised me with a natural math sense, that I do NOT possess. He is smart, smart, smart. It's amazing to watch him be challenged and then to be surprised at his own ability.

This month he lost his top front teeth.

That's six teeth gone now.

It's changed his face from a little guy face to something bigger,

older and a little sillier.

His love to cuddle and have his back scratched remind me that he is still my little guy...

☼ Miss E ☼

So girl.

Most conversations include "pretty" and most projects include glitter.

She is crazy smart just like her brother,

and enjoys listening in on the more advanced lessons

and blurting out the answers. Or just loud guesses.

She loves to help - with cooking, baby watching, closing car doors, shopping...

It can become a crisis of disappointment and drama if a job is not available.

In general Miss E is all sweetness or all tears.

Searching for attention in a busier year and a bigger family.

We make sure to have time with the kids as individuals,

for small things like a trip to the hardware store with Dad

or playing at a friends house without siblings.

I'm sure it could happen more often...

Any other ideas?

☼ Baby E ☼

Smiles at everyone.

This month has been full of big milestones.

This month we are

six months old,

scooching around the floor,

getting our first two teeth,

trying out solid foods,

sitting up unassisted,

making new intentional noises.

And he rediscovered that he can stick his tongue out.

All the time.

Baby E also had his first solo adventures as

Mommy and Daddy did some celebrating at a wedding.

A triumph! And a might big shout-out to our brave friends

who took such good care of him.

pants.

I got this cute fabric to make some camera lens bags,

but once I got home it didn't really go with my camera bag...

So, it got reassigned to a wallet for me and these "Simple Baby Pants"

for Baby E.

The pattern was truly simple.

And with an extra inch or two on the top of the waistband there is room for the big cloth diapered booty. Hooray!

VEGETABLEmania

Beautiful things are getting ripe in our garden!
Purple Carrots! Round Carrots. White and Yellow Carrots!
Striped Cucumbers. Giant Red Potatoes!
Beets! Beans! Tomatoes! Peppers!
It's a veggie picking party every day. The kids love to harvest.
(except for the spiders...) (and the webs...) (I attempt to be brave.)
And I can't get enough pictures of chubby hands washing dirty veggies.
or chunky babies teething on purple carrots.
It's picture overload.

Homeschool

School has started at the Dreewes House.

We have decided to homeschool again this year.

Mr. Big E is in First Grade!

Little Miss E is doing PreSchool and a few Kindergarten Workbooks.

Baby E is learning to crawl, babble and perfecting his grabbing skills.

I think he can say “hi”.

Swimming Lessons and our Co-op Classes begin next week.

Although this is my third year formally educating my children . . .

I still don't feel like an expert. Some days are difficult, and some days are amazing.

I try to dwell about the good times because they are so sweet.

More secrets to come.

Like my cunning use of post-its.

And my beautiful organized shelves of curriculum.

Past the Five Month Mark

Teaching Baby E to Crawl.

So far he can roll, wiggle, sit up for a little while and scoot backwards.

He is FASCINATED with cups, straws, spoons and all parts of the eating game.

We plan start to solid foods in a few weeks and I have no doubt that he is READY!

He saves his biggest smiles for brother and sister.

I can't imagine a better little guy for our family,

he's a dreamboat!

#4

caramel apple,

lost tooth number 4,

Big E !

So how fun is a four month old boy?

Um... pretty fun!

He's teething big time. Anything he sees goes in his drooly little mouth to be chomped...

And now he can roll over, but ONLY if he's mad and wiggly.

Longest Post EVER. part five

PART FIVE

I have dreams of a slideshow of pictures here.

- - - - - - -

But for now

One picture

Fun on the Fourth was -

Shopping for Fireworks at Boom City, the Indian Reservation.

Hot Weather.

BBQ with Family.

And trying some new tricky photography of the Fireworks!

Longest Post EVER. part four

PART FOUR

Miss E gave herself a hair cut. . .

"It was in my eyes."

It's a typical part of childhood. I guess.

It's also scary to find piles of hair through the house...

It was really long . .

and I miss it sometimes.

But new shorter hair has less tangles.

AND THAT ROCKS!

Longest Post EVER. part three

PART THREE

What else has happened...

Little E turned 3 Months Old!

We started doing Cloth Diapers. (saving some CASH dance!)

and he's just beginning to giggle...

It's going to solve some world peace problems!

Our area is having a Heat Wave.

Pink cheeks are the new look around here.

Sitting in the creek is the new hangout.

Mom also got a paid photography job.

Hello, Senior Portraits!

umm, apparently I should make it clear that

is graduating senior not senior citizen . . .

and Dad even watched our sweet nursing baby.

who hates the bottle.

and the binki.

Big E lost his third tooth. And THREE more are wiggly.

He's drinking all his food through a straw this fall...

Dad is starting a project at church,

leading a team of men installing the sprinkler system!

Mom is helping by putting the yummies in the tummies.

(also called bringing lunch -by people who don't get as much time with the Good Doctor Seuss...)

Longest Post EVER. part two

PART TWO

Dad went on a long business trip.

And we missed him.

And Mom forgot to brush our teeth sometimes...

But there were no unbearable situations.

We enjoyed some free video calls ( thank you skype ! )

We had some visits from friends and family.

We had a picnic by the creek...

And the house was not a disaster when he got home.

(which is quite unusual...)

Longest Post EVER. part one

Dearest Blog, I have been meaning to post all month.

It seems like we have been busy for a while.

What have we been up to?

SO MUCH!

PART ONE

Vacation Bible School.

" All Aboard "

God provided such a super-awesome-fun-healthy-exausting distraction while Dad was out of town ! ! !

The E's got the energy out, played with friends and learned fun songs.

Even Little E had a good time with plenty of arms to hold him.

And we can't forget SNACKS – Every night Miss E amazed Dad with a detailed description of every treat she received that day!

And as an added bonus Mom got to be the photographer for TONS of kids having a blast!