Updates, news and announcements (most recent ones listed first)

30 NOVEMBER 2006
We had our annual Christmas photos taken earlier today! You'd never know how much time it took to get the kids into position - and then repositioning them over and over again - but the end result were some great pictures. (One of them is on the main page. I wanted that shot for our Christmas cards, but Daryl said NO! Oh well....)

27 OCTOBER 2006
Meghan lost both of her top front baby teeth, which gives her a slight vampire look -- and just in time for Halloween festivities! Seriously, she and Brooke are Cinderella princesses and Matthew is a Steelers football player, complete with a Steelers helmut! Grandpa Bill also brought Steelers shirts & hats for the kids (and luckily, we're fans)! Brooke has her initial consult with the plastics team at Fairfax Hospital. We'll be doing tests over the next month and, once results are in, we'll have to decide which hospital will perform her surgery: Fairfax, Philadelphia or Syracuse. More news (and Halloween photos) coming soon.

18 SEPTEMBER 2006
Brooke is quickly learning the excitement of potty training - and is showing incredible success at it! Yay Brooke!

14 SEPTEMBER 2006
Chris just got his top braces put on today. In a few months, the bottom ones will also be placed. Go to his page to see the before/after images.

15 AUGUST 2006
Here she is - our media darling! The photo at left was taken by our tri-state newspaper and was published last week! Our local library held a fiesta to close the summer reading program & the twins & Brooke attended the fun! When the author asked for volunteers to sit with her as she did a bilingual musical song, Brooke ran up there and sat on her lap before the author could even choose! And then, ten minutes later, guess who was the first one to strike the pinata? It's amazing to see how far we've come in the past 3 1/2 years. We still have a journey ahead of us, but she's doing great. And in the next few weeks, Chris will start 8th grade, the twins will begin 1st grade and Brooke will resume her preschool program & speech therapy. And mom? I'll be working *very* part time as a case manager (good money, flexible hours and service-oriented work). It's a win-win situation all the way around. Daddy just marvels that everything gets done! :-)

15 JULY 2006
The twins had their first real birthday party - with a lot of kids & parents running around, laughing & having a GREAT time. 10 kids + three of mine made for a very interesting time *smile* but it was worth it. We had an outdoor party, complete with a candy-filled pinata that Matthew smashed open! Lots of gifts, cake, ice cream & about 50 balloons! (Yes, really!) Pictures will be coming soon. Matthew & Meghan are now six and looking forward to first grade in another 6 weeks. It was a special day for two special kids :-)

1 JULY 2006
A happy birthday wish for my Aunt Millie, who came from Florida (with Uncle Luis) to visit our family. It's been a few years since they were in town, so it has been wonderful showing them all the changes in our family & home. Speaking of which, Daryl & his dad (Thanks Bill!) spent a few days painting the family room (which looks GREAT). Daryl also removed some overgrown bushes from the front of the house. He installed new, black shutters & painted our front door to match, adding a new brass doorknocker as an extra touch. A lot of work went into the house facelift, but the results are stunning. As for the kids, they're all doing well. :-)

16 APRIL 2006
It was a relaxing, joyful day as we spent time together as a family and remembered the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our day included all of the following: church services, opening Easter baskets, hunting for eggs (in the backyard) and eating a delicious ham dinner with all of the side dishes!

31 MARCH 2006
Report cards are in! Matthew & Meghan are very "social" (ie, talkative) and have different strengths. Matthew is very good at math and drawing, while Meghan is the best reader in her class. Her reading skills really are very good and she is developing a love for the written word. She takes after her Mommy! :-) Brooke still prefers to rip and/or chew pages - but does like pointing to the pictures when we read stories together. Chris has maintained his 3.6 GPA which makes us all very happy. Good work, kiddos!

27 MARCH 2006
Meghan has lost her two front bottom teeth - and has three other loose ones! Matthew, with no loose teeth, has been overheard muttering, "But I'm a minute older!" Apparently the saying about girls maturing faster than boys may also apply to teeth! :-) In other news, Grandpa Bill came over last night and cooked us a delicious chicken & rice dinner - and bought us a rice steamer to help motivate us to cook more rice! Yummy!

2 MARCH 2006
It's been a busy month for our family! Chris was just accepted into the Spanish program (for 8th grade) which will go towards his high school transcript. It's a big deal because it's an honors class. Now we'll be able to habla espanol together. :-) Brooke is now signing 4-5 word sentences. She understands everything WE say, but to understand *her*, knowing ASL is very important. Meghan is her unofficial interpreter but everyone else is catching up to Brooke & I. The rest of the family is doing very well. We're happy, (relatively) healthy and life is great! Happy (upcoming) Spring!

31 JANUARY 2006
Brooke started preschool last week! The first day was nerve-wracking for both Mommy & Brooke, having never really been apart. We've really been blessed to stay at home together because Daryl works hard to allow us that privilege. But the (only) downside is that Brooke isn't used to being separated from her Mommy. But she handled it as well as can be expected. She's in a special classroom with a teacher who knows sign language and can communicate with her. Brooke is working on social skills, as well as the routine preschool stuff. She gets speech therapy at school now, instead of at home. We're looking into scheduling her palate surgery sometime this summer, most likely in Syracuse, but nothing is set in stone yet.

11 JANUARY 2006
Chris' team won their basketball game tonight - and Chris was a major contributor to the victory! He made a few baskets, including a three-point shot, and was quite the star on defense. We're so proud of him - as a Scout (working on Eagle-required merit badges), as a student (A's & B's), as an athlete and as our son. Matthew & Meghan are halfway through their first year of school and love kindergarten. They're in separate classes, but share their assignments at home, so they learn from each other. Brooke is getting ready to turn 3 on the 17th & is looking forward to her special party! She'll begin at the special education preschool next week and will have speech therapy twice a week. She has mastered over 110 signs and is trying to verbalize words quite often. She has progressed quite a bit in the last few months! Daryl & I are also doing well. We're happy (but tired) parents of four children! He's working hard & reaping quite a few benefits and accolades. I'm working as the acting Visiting Teaching Coordinator and as the Relief Society 2nd Counselor (over Enrichment), both of which are busy callings. Life is great!

2 JANUARY 2006
Kathi finished the Book of Mormon on Christmas Eve, as her Christmas gift to herself. This year, we plan to read the Scriptures as a family and incorporate more of the Book of Mormon in our Family Home Evenings. There are wonderful blessings in store, so we encourage all of you reading this to do the same!

1 JANUARY 2006
Happy New Year!