Blizzard of 2012

Finally, snow.

Enough said.

The girls brushed the extremely heavy snow off our  tree.
They saved that baby for sure!

Avery's Christmas Program - Baaaa!

I am so in love with Avery's new preschool.

Originally, we had planned on sending her to the same preschool

the older girls attended.  It's a great preschool, but for some

reason, I was really being pulled to find something different.

So, 2 days before school starts, I sent a desperate late-night email

to my neighbor, who also is the director of a local church-run preschool.

Now, if you know anything about preschools around here you know

that you can not call days, weeks, or even months before school 

and have a prayer of getting a spot.  Well, by the grace of God, they

happen to have a spot that just became open, and it had

Avery's name all over it!

I have not regretted that late night decision for one second.

Avery is doing so well there. She is making friends, learning some cool

stuff and gaining confidence and independence everyday!

One of the coolest things about her new school: the Christmas program!

I don't know how they did it, but they had all the kids, in costume and

singing for all the teary-eyed parents.  What a blessing (and miracle workers)

these teachers are!

Aves was a sheep, and about the cutest sheep I've ever seen.

Best quote: Teacher, "Avery be sure to smile."  

Avery, "I can't smile. I'm a sheep. Sheep don't smile."

Luckily, she couldn't resist a couple grins for her adoring

audience!

Avery, we love you to the moon and baaaaack!

Enjoy a few video clips!

The Christmas Letter - 2012

Merry Christmas friends and family,

The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung.  George the Elf is hanging around and the cookies are made.  Now, I am anxiously awaiting our first snow, scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and then it will really feel like Christmas around here.  The only thing left: our annual Christmas Letter.

Life is good.  We are all in a very good place right now, which is such a blessing. We are healthy, active, enjoying life.  But, this wouldn't be the Christmas Letter without details, so here you go:

Claire is amazing! Seriously, such a great kid.  She is doing great in 5th grade, mostly because she is so busy (she is so her mother's daughter!).  She is in pre-algebra, plays percussion in the band, sings in the choir, participates in the talented and gifted program, serves on the student council, and is a great friend to many. When she's not at school, you'll either find her on the computer doing homework, on the piano practicing, at the gym doing gymnastics, or at the pool swimming for the Walnut Creek swim team.  Despite the long list of stuff, she actually does find time to hang with friends, read, and even play with her sisters quite a bit.  Claire is a great kid.  She is smart and kind and faithful and so wise beyond her years.  We've taken to calling her our "old soul".  I am so grateful to God, my family and the great group of friends we have around us that have helped guide and support her, and will continue to do so.

Ella is awesome!  She still loves attending school at Sayre, and is relishing her year as the 'oldest kid'.  She is a great role model and leader in class and takes her school work and responsibilities very seriously.  She is advancing through her academic work very quickly, and is so proud of her accomplishments, as are we! Ella  is our early bird.  She gets up well before anyone in the house and loves to make her sisters breakfast before spending time playing the piano.  I have grown quite spoiled waking to the music of her practice every day!  She is enjoying swim team this year, and is quite the fish in the water.  Ella is still our sweet, gentle spirit. She loves to lay in bed, or just about anywhere, reading.  She is always doing something kind for someone, without ever looking for reward or recognition.  She is such a loving sister and great friend.  I am so grateful for her continued health this year, and for the blessing she is to us and to so many around her!

Avery is a one-of-a-kind! She has really grown up this year and has started to become such an amazing little person.  She is fiercely independent and scary smart. It is so neat to watch her maneuver through this life, with such maturity, and wit, and creativity, and pure genius!  Avery started a Pre-K program at Westview Church preschool and she loves it.  It is the perfect fit for her.  She is making friends her age, she is learning so much, and she is experiencing all the joys and fun of preschool. She is also enjoying several preschool classes this year, including; tumbling, Spanish and story-time.   She still swims and can't wait to join the swim team with her sisters. Aves is still my baby!  She and I are extremely close and I can't imagine my days without her next year, when she heads off to Kindergarten. Until then, I am enjoy every hilarious moment and cherishing her big heart and even bigger mouth!

Dave and I are still going strong!  We are really enjoying the bit of freedom we are beginning to experience now that the girls are getting older.  Dave is still very happy at Hummel's Nissan. I spent last year working more than I ever have and am very grateful that I know that is not for me, or this family!  Surprisingly, as the girls get older, I seem to be even busier! I need my daytime just to prep for our crazy afternoons and evenings!  Plus, I've earned this time!  I've been home for 11 years with kids non-stop.  I'm ready for some quiet days at home!  I'm still doing a bit of adjunct teaching at DMACC and a whole lot of volunteering at school and church, so I get my 'grown up' fix too!

Every year, as I write this letter, I get to reflect on our year.  What we've done, how we've grown, where we've struggled.  Most years, I can smile and see that, while we aren't perfect, we are so very blessed.  Our greatest blessings remain the same this year: the grace of God, our loving family and our incredible friends.  We are so grateful to all of you for being a part of our lives, however big or small it might be.

Many blessing to you and your family, and much love from us all!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Janelle, David, Claire, Ella, Avery, and that annoying little dog, Jack

Just a few random tidbits of awesome!

I've been spending the last few days getting caught up on my blog.

As you know, this is my journal, my photo album and my

scrapbook all rolled up in one.

I cherish this blog.  I cherish the memories and the pictures

and the time I get to spend looking back at all the fun

we've had.  

I had a few pictures that I wanted to make sure to include, so:

Here are my few random tidbits of awesome!

Avery loves her new preschool. I mean, she really loves it!

She enjoys her friends and teachers.  She is so excited to go everyday

to sing, and do art, and play.  She always wants to tell me about her

day and what she learned and how much fun she had.

It's quite a story, how we ended up here, but bottom line: I could 

not be happier with her school and I thank God for tugging on my

heart and pushing me this direction!

Avery, in her Halloween costume for mommy day, sharing
some of her artwork

Ella has been having some major dental work done lately, 

in hopes of getting her jaw lined up better (poor kiddo!)

She had an expander put on the top of her mouth about 6

months ago.  For many weeks, I used a barbaric tool to crank her

upper mouth open.  Ahh!

Now, she still has the expander on top and she also has

New Braces!!  She is dealing with them like a trooper and

loves picking out new colors each time she goes in for an adjustment.

I am very proud of her and very grateful for her hard working

Daddy, paying for this mouth full of silver! 

Ella's new braces!

Claire: Just Plain Awesome!

Claire looking cool, as always!

First snow of 12/13!

It wasn't much, but it'll do.

We have our first snow of 12/13!!

If only it would last long enough to give us a white Christmas.

As soon as we saw the snow, we bundled the girls up 

and headed outside.  These days, snowfall if too rare around

here and we wanted to enjoy it before it all melted away.

A couple snowmen later, and we were ready for

some hot cocoa.

Enjoy this beautiful winter wonderland ~

~ Beautiful Ella ~

Avery throwing her first snowball of the year at me!

Aves making her snowman

Claire made snowcones for everyone!

Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to the wonders

of fresh fallen snow and the giggles of girls and their snowmen!

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be

present with my babies today and everyday.

Amen!

Trees, Tinsel and George

Where will you find the Rousehouse on the Sunday

after Thanksgiving?  In our 'piano room' putting up the 

Christmas Tree, of course!

As is tradition, we put up our tree while taking lots of pictures.

 I use these pictures for our annual Christmas card.

Well, this year I grabbed my camera to start snapping away,

and low and behold, no battery!

Yikes! Now, I have been known for my occasional meltdowns,

especially when they involve my kids, cameras, and special

moments/traditions.  But, I held it together like a trooper, 

grabbed my iphone, and started snapping away.

Sadly, the pics didn't turn out as well as I would have liked,

but I'm okay.  We still had fun, I stayed happy, and the tree is

still there, all lit up and bedazzled like no other!

As for our Christmas card, I used some beautiful pictures 

from our trip to Yellowstone instead, and if I say so myself,

it turned out quite nicely!

Avery and her homemade ornament that she made 2 years ago,
then dropped and superglued back together

My 3 beautiful angels~

~being muzzled by my precious first-born

Ahh, the joy of sisters!

Love, love, love!

Our silly pic!  That is Ella, stroking her santa beard! 

I had to let Jack get in on the fun too!  He is very good and never
bothers the tree.  

A fairly new tradition at our house is Elf on the Shelf.

This little Elf arrives at your house, from the North Pole, 

on Dec. 1st and watches over you and then reports back to 

Santa.  He moves around every night, and in some homes

he even makes quite a mess.

Our Elf, named George by the girls, is a slight variation

of all this.  He does come to our house, to celebrate the Christmas

season.  We aren't too big into the naught/nice/Santa thing.

We try to keep the focus on God and that everyone is naughty

but we are forgiven through Christ Jesus.

But, we're all in for a little Christmas fun now and then too!

George has been a nice guest this year, wandering from one

place to another most nights (he did forget once, silly elf!).

One morning I went downstairs and found that Claire and

Ella had left notes for George.  This was done completely on their

own.  I was so touched by their kind letters and especially

by Ella's sweet request.  I am so grateful for their kind

and giving hearts.  

George, our elf

Their notes to George.  Ella's is the white paper, Claire's is the sticky note.
Notice Ella's wishlist: fish tank, glass doll, for 100 more kids to love God.
Claire gave a shout out to George for "doing a good job".
Such sweet, sweet kiddos!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving at the Rousehouse is the best time of the year!

All my brothers and sisters fly in and sit down for many

hours of eating and card playing!

It truly is my favorite time of the year.

Even though I go most of the year without talking to 

any of them much (I hate to say it), as soon as we lay

eyes on each other, it's as if we still live under the same roof.

I love my family very much, even when we drive each other crazy!

This year was extra special: Claire was pulled up to the major 

leagues.  Yes, that's right.  Claire sat down at the 500 table

and learned to play.  She is a card shark! 

No doubt she is the daughter of Dave and I!

To kick off the holiday, I got to attend Avery's preschool

Thanksgiving feast.  Man, what a blessing!  I love her

preschool and I love watching her proudly sing, well, 

whatever it was she was singing. Man, she is a cutie!

Her very own centerpiece.  It was proudly displayed at
our Thanksgiving table all weekend!

My beautiful, wonderful baby!!

Enjoy ~

The rest of the holiday was spend eating, playing and 

rocking out to Rock Band.  A very blessed holiday, indeed!

She's got the rocker spirit in her!

Cousins!! We have a full kid table now!

~ Aunt Jackie and Boppa ~