Our 1st Winter as a Family of 6

It's chilly, but we enjoy playing outside in the yard and at the park.  If it's too cold, we play inside. We probably watch more t.v. in the winter as well.  Alice is getting used to Dexter crawling around and demanding so much attention. She is also playing more with the big kids, though she still requests to be treated as a baby every now and again.

We decided--for all our sanity--to put Jack in a preschool class.  He loves it and is doing well. We are very pleased with how fast he picks up new concepts! Most of the time, our mornings run smoothly, however, there was one morning where I sent Jack to school with no shoes on, because he decided not to wear any when I asked him to put them on. Upon realizing he didn't have shoes, I was embarrassed, but then I decided it would be good to follow through and let him reap the consequences of his choices.  He ended up having a great time in class and when I picked him up, he told me he wanted to wear shoes next time.

Alice and I have a Mommy and Me learning class.  We let Dexter come, but I try to focus on Alice.  She is very smart and funny and gets excited to go to her class each week.

Lucy loves her class and teacher and so do I. I started volunteering at her school every week and I love getting to be a part of her elementary experience.  We have not been able to volunteer for a while because someone always seems to get sick the day I can go.

I joined a carpool with some other moms in the ward and I love only having to pick the kids up twice a week rather than five times. Now, I let Alice and Dexter nap until they feel like waking up most days.  It's nice not to feel so pressed for time every day.  Though I know this peace of mind will be short lived, because next year I will have one full-day student and one half-day student, and will have three times to visit the school per day.

Leland continues to work hard at his job and work hard at the various home projects, because it seems we are always working on something.

The cold weather doesn't last for long, and even if it's cold outside, it's toasty inside!

As Dexter weans himself from 2 naps, I am figuring out how much work four kids actually are, but also learning to celebrate even the smallest accomplishments like doing the dishes once or bathing the kids!