Our return to Georgia coincided with our oldest daughter starting 1st grade early in August and Dad starting his 2nd year of his PhD program shortly thereafter. Not much had changed in our absence and we quickly fell back into a familiar routine. One major change was that we got a new roof on our house. When we bought the house we found out that the roof was the original roof and was nearing the end of its life. It was one of the major things high on our list of things to take care of once we got settled.
By far the biggest news since our return was learning that Mom was pregnant again! The kids were excited to learn of this news. Our oldest by far understands this process the best and is old enough to help out a lot this time around. Mom got into the first trimester and endured through the usual bout of morning sickness (e.g. fatigue, nausea). Dad helped out by spending more time at home between classes; cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of kids, and helping out all around.
At the same time, Dad worked hard at school writing a couple of grants in hopes of obtaining more funding for his research and schooling. He also found time to train for a 5K and a half marathon in October, he placed 2nd in the 5K and 30th in the half marathon. Our oldest began thriving in 1st grade doing more reading each day and learning more complex math. The other two enjoy helping Mom at home and playing together.
By the end of October, Mom was beginning to get her strength back and Dad was finishing up his grant writing. Halloween brought the usual excitement for the kids and they enjoyed the haul of candy they brought in for their efforts. They actually had a variety of costumes to choose from (see below) and enjoyed the whole dressing up part.
Before long, Thanksgiving was upon us and we enjoyed getting together with some other friends from Church. There was lots of food and lots of kids running around with each other. Thanksgiving also allowed Dad to get caught up on some of his research and studying as he prepared for the end of the semester.
Mom was well into the second trimester by December as Dad wrapped up his schoolwork. Since Dad is also taking his written exams in January he immediately began intensively studying for them. He has continued to study throughout the break. It has been very good for him since no one is around at school to bother him and he pretty much has lots of quiet time at the lab each day.
Shortly before Christmas, we had an ultrasound. We took the whole family in to see the new baby for the first time. The baby looked good and healthy and we are going to be having a boy! Dad and his son are excited to even out the sex ratio in the family now. The baby is due near the end of April 2011.
Christmas weekend was fantastic. Dad spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with the family. The kids enjoyed the pre-Christmas traditions of getting ready for Santa, putting out reindeer food, and having treats. They awoke on Christmas to stockings filled with goodies and presents. One of the biggest surprises was finding an aquarium set up for them with fish in it! We awoke the day after Christmas to find three inches of snow on the ground! Church was canceled and we enjoyed another full day at home together! The season has been great and we look forward to the coming new year!
Various Halloween costume options.
More Halloween costume options.
Two sisters love hanging out with each other.
The youngest loves snuggling with her Daddy.
Since we had no snow on Christmas Eve, we played in the leaves.
The kids love playing with Daddy.
