In honor of new traditions...we are trying something new this year...
A Bloggie Christmas Letter!
I've been watching the amount of paper that enters and leaves this house, and let me tell you ~ it is horrifying. Not that I'm an extreme environmentalist, but we are trying to do our part by cutting back. So, now that you've received our Christmas photo in the mail (hopefully soon ~ working on mailing labels...) ~ please, run to the kitchen, grab a cup of coffee, a handful of dark chocolate, and get back here to enjoy catching up on our family. I have lots of kiddos to talk about, and I'm not limited to one page. (The real reason I love this bloggie letter!) Also, if this is your first visit to the blog.. check the rest of the blog archive posts out. They will give you more pictures and information about our life. I'm sure you have nothing better to do...besides, I'm keeping the Christmas letter up until Christmas! Then be ready...lots of cool things have been happening...more parades, a candlelight ceremony, and of course - Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all of our Family and Friends!
This year was definitely a busy one for us. We watched the twins turn 1! Tyler started preschool! Ashley got her permit! Tim and I added on a new wing to the house, and we opened a new business!
Aiden
He is our super chunk. His nickname is "Tank." You can't believe the love that this gentle giant possesses. He loves to play with trucks, tractors, trains, and push toys. He also prefers to play alone. He wakes up with a smile and a hug. He loves to hug and tease. He doesn't like to wear shoes. I'm constantly looking for his shoes because he hides them. Aiden has great comprehension, but he doesn't use many words. He can sign and he is great at getting his point across without speech. He is very spoiled. He enjoys sleeping in bed with mom and dad, being a "ham" for the camera, and dancing to YMCA. He is a constant wonder.
Isaiah is our shy one. He was entered into the Early Intervention Program to help with his communication and physical therapy in the spring. His walking issues were fixed when the physical therapist popped his hip back into place. He is able to run with the boys now. In an effort to keep up with the others, Isaiah has become a dare devil. (Or perhaps it is just his personality...) In May, he dove off of the couch onto our stone coffee table. He cut his forehead open which resulted in 7 stitches. Upon arriving home, he jumped on my skateboard and tried to ride it. Then in October, he took a fall from a lawn chair onto my brick planter...yep. Cut his forehead open...again...same spot. Back to the ER... He has decided that sign language just isn't for him ~ he prefers squealing and pointing. Although he is slightly developmentally delayed, he is begining to catch up. He has adopted Ashley's teenage mannerisms, and he follows her around. He will do ANYTHING for her. His favorite toy is a ball. It doesn't matter what type of ball...any ball will do. He is remarkably skilled. He can kick, catch, throw, and drop kick. He is able to dribble a soccer ball, and kick without having to stop and line up. He loves to tickle and be tickled. He likes to cuddle.
Tyler turned three in April. He is every bit a three year old...bossy. (Have you ever met a 3 YO that wasn't bossy? They know it all...kinda like teenagers.) Tyler loves to watch tv and videos, but he especially loves to learn new things. When we finished the addition to the new house, he got to pick out his bedroom theme. He wanted to have a cowboy room. He got it! I was worried about him adjusting to his new room ~ it is quite a ways away from our room, there isn't carpet (concrete flooring) and he had never slept in a "big boy bed" (twin bed), and he has a room all to himself! Since he came to live with us he always shared a room with the twins and he slept on a toddler bed with rails. I was nervous. He was excited! Not once did he say that he wanted to go back to his old room. His adoption was final in July. (Thus the name change...last Christmas his name was Stephan.) He loves his new name. He was the one to give us the final say on what his new name would be. Let me tell you...I was worried. He hadn't agreed on any of the names we suggested and it was the last day that we had to make a name change. Ashley suggested a name (on a whim) and he yelled from the backseat, "Yes! I like that name. Call me Tyler." There you go. In an effort to keep him socialized with peers his own age, I enrolled him in preschool. The kid is a genius. No ifs ands or buts about it... He enjoys preschool and playing with his friends. He also attends AWANAS at our church. He has to memorize bible verses each week. He loves the time spent with mom working on his verses, but he also just plain likes to hear about the word of God. He has the most amazing smile.
Ashley
...is a teenager. Do I need to say more?
She finished her soccer season with school last year and decided she wanted to try something new so she went out for track. For never having run before, she did great! She also did the high jump and hurdles. It was an interesting season. During the summer, she attended a Young Life Capperneaum camp. It was a very special time for her. She met some great people, and made a few wonderful friends.
Ashley played soccer with a U19 women's team at the beginning of the school year. She really enjoyed the girls that were on the team and I think that she learned a lot. She is, of course, playing soccer for the high school now. She has the advantage of playing both midfielder and forward. Her legacy of holding the most goals scored last year will be a hard record to beat, but she is attempting to reach it again. She is playing with a new group of girls this year, and it has been interesting to watch them learn to read each other's plays. She has scored quite a few goals...not sure how many though. Ashley was also inducted into the National Honor Society this year, and she received an academic letter. Her grades are obviously good. She is learning a lot about body building and weight training and so she has moved some of her interest and time to developing weight conditioning skills. She was the Runner Up for the Colonel's Daughter Pageant in the Fall. She has also ridden in a number of parades this year. While we were in Texas this year, Ashley toured Baylor University. She is smitten. They have an equestrian club, good girl's soccer team, an honor's dorm, and it is a Christian college. She still has two years left of high school... The biggest news of all...she got her permit! She can now legally drive on the roads. With having three little brothers in car seats she is definitley used to distractions! :)
Tim
Tim is of course still working for his parents at Roper Plumbing. He is the President of the school board, and an active member in our church. He teaches a class at AWANA's on Wednesday nights, and attends a men's Bible study during the week. He doesn't rope much at all anymore. He prefers to hang out with his kids. He has been kept very busy with building a large play structure for the kids, adding on to our house, and starting up a new business. We bought a Mr. Rooter franchise this past October and are planning to be open and running the begining of January.
Robyn
Still staying home being a mom. Actually, with toddlers, a teenager, and beginning a business I'm seldom home. Most of my days are spent running Ashley around, playing with the boys and pretending to clean. I'm excited to begin working a little with our new business because I like working. I like the challenges (although I get myself stressed out easily). I spend a lot of time with a camera around my neck. Taking pictures has almost become an obsession. I photograph almost everything! (It drives Ashley crazy!) I like to post on my blog daily, but lately weekly hasn't even been happening. I feel like I need to play with and Photoshop every picture instead of just posting straight from the camera. (although you may see more of the straight from the camera shots with the business just starting up)
Spring Break was spent in Tennessee this year. It was just Tim, Ashley, and I. It was one of our more relaxing trips that we've taken. With the exception of a couple hikes...we did very little. I liked it. The boys are all old enough now that they will probably be joining us on our trips from now on.
We didn't do any traveling or camping during the summer the way we used to. Time just didn't permit it. We did take several day trips to the woods just to get out. It is nice that the woods are only a 35 minute drive from the house. We would sleep, eat, read, relax...
We did take a week and travel to Texas as a family. Tim and I had training for our Mr. Rooter business so my mom went along to watch the kids. I think she had a great time, but she was a little worn out at the end of the week. Ashley was able to go with us. She spent a couple of days with my friend, Amy. They went running, toured Baylor, and attend Chapel at Baylor. Ashley came home with a goal...get enough scholarship money to attend Baylor. :) Not a bad goal to strive for.
We will be staying home for Christmas Day this year, and for the next few years. If you find yourself in this area, please stop by and sit for awhile. We love to have visitors and we love to "catch up."
May God Bless you in the new year and the many years to come!
Merry Christmas!
Love,
The Roth's
Tim, Robyn, Ashley, Tyler, Aiden, and Isaiah
