The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

There was a Staples commercial in 1996 called “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, with the same-named Christmas song playing in the background while parents glided down aisles joyously picking out back-to-school supplies for somber, unenthusiastic youth mourning the end of summer.  It took me a few years to understand the humor, and it took us until this year to really understand.  The double-entendre known only to seasoned parents, an appropriately fitting title for this brief update before the Christmas letter!

Paternity leave was 100% as awesome as it sounds.  The time was filled with so many fun memories, like shoveling dirt, destroying an old shed, fighting off a nest of yellow jackets…wait no that’s the wrong list…learning Go Fish, jumping at SkyMax, exploring the McKinley Museum, and playing on a new playset!  Dad got lots of things accomplished and Mom had 6-weeks of sanity insurance payout before resolving to raise four kids. 

Ezra's happy place is always the highest one he can reach

Faster kids need faster shutter speeds

Beech Creek Botanical Gardens

Always daring, always tu-tus

Hair twirl like a boss, McKinley Monu

Elia decided to grow up and head to kindergarten, now under the week-long, year-long, full-day tutelage of Mrs. Drummond, the first of a laundry list of teachers to come.  So far so good, though Elia and parents continue to consider home-learning a way of life, what with lessons in piano, geography, math, and reading/spelling on the daily.  The most exciting parts of her school day, so she says, would have to be recess, art class, gym, music, and second recess.  Double recess madness.  The most exciting part after the bus-ride home would have to be our west-Werstler neighborhood girl party, where at least some of the 5 girls (including our 2) of adjacent houses run around and make believe in a variety of backyards.  More neighborly friendships and shenanigans to come for our social butterfly, of that we are certain!

P.S. And a butcher, and a candlestick maker, and a kindergarten teacher, and...

Sophia decided to grow up and recognize that she has a brother.  Perhaps our middle children had never truly met until the eldest bussed to school for the first time, but now they are close compadres.  She has also found her own unique interests and hobbies apart from Elia, including gymnastics and Merida (from Disney’s Brave).  She is the keystone introvert, the eye of the Joseph storm, good to keep around so we all remember that the whole world does not function at 10,000 megawatts.  And so we don’t lose her somewhere, the quiet puddly-head.

There's a third Joseph in this picture, see if you can spot her

No need to match your clothes when there are princess dresses to be had

Ezra decided he likes being a year old and chose to skip his birthday this year, and all the milestones that are associated with 2-year-olds, other than being outstandingly awesome and energetically photogenic.  One of those milestones, unfortunately the main one, is communication, because we’ve recently learned that he has temporary hearing loss due to fluid build-up in his ears, and will require surgery for that and other ear-nose-throat related ailments.  It’s humbling to think about how our family would have faired in Bible-times…Ezra the mute, Sophia the crusty…much better with modern medicine.  But in other news, Ezra is now in love with Daniel Tiger, and we celebrated his birthday with a DT cake, DT books, and DT plates. 

Mini-dad

100% Linus

Birthday at Mimi's

Summer decided she wants curly hair and wakes up 2 hours early every morning just to style it.  She has the normal bit of trouble with sleeping, but is so far a wonderful cherub baby (side note: Deeper Waters Systematic Theology lessons have got me thinking that perhaps babies shouldn’t be compared with fierce angels with flaming swords guarding Eden…just a thought?).  She loves swaddles and pacifiers, but who doesn’t?  The thing that sets her apart is her adorbs smile and chub-a-dub-dub-dub chub blub, perhaps our fastest growing babies to date!  #ThungerThighs

Waves on waves on waves

Growing up so fast!

Since fall is our favorite time of year, followed closely (both literally and figuratively) by the holiday season, there is much to tell of family fun.  One of the favorites was a trip to the Wayne County farm show, where our city kids learned some life lessons, like what a turkey is, and what a farm is.  And that some kids not much older than them spend hours each day raising and feeding and milking cows, pigs and chickens, the same amount of time they spend searching the house for shoes, socks, and water bottles.  We celebrated Halloween at a few different parties and fall fests, culminating in a grand trick-or-treating escape all over the neighborhood for Halloween, where some lucky parents netted a whopping 3 giant bowls of taxable income candy.

Goat...Elia's spirit animal.  The only one that can keep up with her in conversation

Painting pumpkins

First roller coaster ride ever...didn't even crash

Now that Advent is upon us, we’ve begun our December Christmas book tradition, unwrapping one every night.  Erin had her first Christmas choir practice.  Piano students have been playing carols for several weeks and we’ve been singing Jesus hymns each night for bed time.  The tree is up, the lights are out, and it’s a holly and jolly time to be a Joseph.