Kristen

So, clearly I'm not a good blogger.  I'm more of a facebook kind of girl. :-) I enjoy looking at other people's pictures, uploading my own albums, and adding an occasional status update of something fun we just did or something cute one of my kids just said.  But I have memories that I want to write down,so here are some more. :-)

Kristen recently turned 5, which more than anything else so far is starting to make me feel old.  She's just a little girl now... way past "toddler" and no longer acting like a "pre-schooler."  She knows and understands so much.  She's started reading, and I'm SO proud of her.  We've always made it a point to read to our kids, but Kristen especially- as the only child until she was almost 2 1/2, I would sit and read to her every afternoon, especially when I was way-pregnant with James and too hot and tired to do anything else.  Recently we've added chapter books, and Josh has read to her almost every night since he came home from his deployment (8 months ago!).  They have finished The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and they are currently on Book 9 of Little House on the Prairie.  We've read other books also, but every night before bedtime Josh will say, "Kristen, want to read a chapter?"  And she'll run and bring him whatever book they are reading.  It's one of my favorite things.

For Kristen's 4th birthday, among other things, I bought her Candy Land.  We played Candy Land 1 or 2 times daily after that for probably 4 months.  I would put James down for his nap at 12:30 and we would play until her nap time at 1.  I loved having special one on one time with her.