Cold and Beautiful!

Our District Spelling Bee Champ!

Yep, the little stinker took 3rd place! We didn't know much about the details of this event, ahead of time, but we are very proud of how well our good little speller ended up doing last night! And he went straight to the Bee from a few hours of basketball practice! (hence the reason he looks a bit tired :) He competes in the next round, which is in Pearl City, only if the 1st or 2nd place District winners get sick...

Christmas With Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Eric and Aunt Sarah

We celebrated Christmas and Brian's 34th Birthday last weekend, in Indiana...our visit was short, but filled w/ many many nice gifts for all, good conversation, and great hospitality :) Its fun to spread out Christmas into January, we think! Especially when we get "Grandma's famous carrot cake" (Brian's favorite birthday cake) to go along with it!!!

To The Start Of A New Year...2013 Here We Come

Our White Christmas

"Face Time" W/ Santa (As Avery Calls It :)

Please go to: www.portablenorthpole.com Click on "Watch a Video." To watch Lily's, Avery's, and Bryton's: Username is jessengle@msn.com; Lily's PIN is po2y; Bryton's is 0z2c; Avery's is hab9. They were happy to see that they made the "nice list" this year :) Merry Christmas!!!!

Kiddo Update

Lily is growing, growing, growing! She watches people and toys as if she is inspecting them. She gives almost anyone a smile, and she giggles for her Mommy. During the day she’s the queen of cat-napping; however, once she is ready for bed at night, she is down for the count, with her arms up in the “touchdown” position, all night long. We are learning she likes the feel of a snuggly blanket on her face, when she is tired. She is starting to play upright in her exer-saucer, and she still loves her mobile and play mat with the arc of toys over her. Bryton and Avery can really get her “talking” and Bryton is very sweet about talking to her while he’s playing, explaining what he’s doing, and helping her play with her toys. Avery enjoys kissing and hugging Lily, and reading to her. She is almost 4 months old now – where does time go, seriously?! Avery is stretching out, now taller than most everyone in her class. Now the wise 7 year old that she is, she enjoys playing at her desk – “working” there – writing notes, letters, drawing, coloring, reading. She also enjoys playing in her kitchen, making food for her horse and her puppy, and taking care of them. Homework isn’t a burden for her, yet, and she is sure to get it finished as soon as she gets off the bus. Avery’s teacher says she is a delight to have in class, and she is a very good leader and helper. She’s a no nonsense girl, when it comes to her brother when he’s acting silly, and she is very very excited about Christmas festivities/traditions, Santa Claus, and Delson (our Elf on a Shelf). Like her sister, when she is ready for bed at night, she doesn’t put up a fight, and is usually asleep within 10 minutes. Singing and dancing come easily for Avery – she seems to be a natural entertainer! Soon to be 10 years old in February, Bryton is taller and surprisingly a little (only a little) wider! Lego’s are one of his favorite past-times – he can still spend hours building, and what he is capable of building on his own still amazes us. He is a very good drawer, and his story writing is sure coming along, too! Semi’s, trucks, planes, helicopters, tractors are some of his favorite drawing subjects, and people are his least favorite….although, they’ve come a long way with practice. Basketball will start soon, which he enjoys as much as football and baseball. Playing Wii and looking at magazines are also favorite past-times, as is eating. He’s still our sugar fanatic. Homework is something he greatly dislikes, and procrastinating is something he does very well. It seems that he’s had a birthday party to attend every week over the past few months – he’s well-liked by his class-mates because, as his teacher says, he’s friendly, fair, and funny. Lily, Avery, and Bryton continue to keep us busy, laughing, and "believing."