That Time of Year Again!

It's that time of year again, if you can believe it! The holidays are upon us and with that comes our annual photo slide show. We hope you enjoy a quick look at our year and how the kids have grown and we wish you the best the rest of the year has to offer!

Happy Holidays!

Dean, Sarah and the kids

Spring has Sprung

Can it really be true that Penny is over a year old? So hard to believe how fast time flies but there you have it! We celebrated Penny's first birthday over a month ago and she is just growing so fast we can't even stand it! In the last month she's gone from walking to running, cooing to saying a handful of words and has even started sleeping through the nights about half of the time. She's funny and sweet and everything we could ask for in a baby!

Cooper is growing fast too – he's very excited that he's almost as tall as Nonee! He's been playing baseball this spring and he just gets better every week! We've really enjoyed watching him grow into this new league he's playing in and making some new friends. He's about ready to wrap up the third grade (as are we all) and hit summer! He's expecting a baby brother (his father's) and day now and he's very excited and we are excited for him. We only wish some of this rain would let up so he could get outside just a little more.

Natalie is keeping us all busy as usual – she's more work then Cooper and Penny combined. She loves to be outside, rain or shine, and get as dirty as possible. She's also a big helper for her Daddy and when he works on projects around the house she likes to follow him around and help him. He's been working on finishing the porch and Natalie will stay out there with him for hours, hammering nails, taping things up, sanding the siding – she's a great help! ;)

Memorial Day is just around the corner – which means summer is right behind. Since I am working now that means a little less time home during the day but we are hoping to squeeze in some weekend trips, swimming, summer camp and fun times through the summer. Also, as per usual, we still have tons of projects around the house. Slowly we are getting there – but the most important thing is we are having a great time doing it!

2011 came in quietly here in the Chappell home. All of us were sleeping safely, happily and healthily when the new year turned over.

Cooper is about to start the after school ski program next month. He's not exactly looking forward to it at the moment but I'm sure that once it starts he'll love it as much as I did when I was his age. Right now he is busy playing with his Beyblades (some kooky toy he loves) and Uno Slap. He also just got news that he's going to be a big brother again (on his father's side) to a baby brother. He's extrememly happy about it and loves the baby already as well as his father's fiancee Lisa. He's a lucky kid to have so much love in his life.

Natalie, as always, is keeping us all on our toes. Right now she has fallen in love with crayons and markers and everything in the house is her canvas! Paper, walls, skin -it's all fair game! We have invested in washable markers and crayons to make clean-up a little less frustrating but she just loves to toe the line!

Penny is growing so fast. Dean and I found that just last night we were talking about her first birthday, which is less than three months away! Is it really that long since I had her? A whole year already? I just can't believe it. But she is already cruising around on the furniture and showing interest in walking. She sits in her high chair and says yum when she eats and says Dada when she sees Dean. Her personality is amazingly sweet; it's easy to see that she loves us all so deeply, she's a little cuddler and is amazing in every way.

Needless to say, the New Year has been good to us so far and we are hoping for more of the same. Dean and I continue to love each other and the life we are building together.