So much has happened since my last update. . . Too much to even begin to put in to words or sentences or paragraphs. One thing I can say is God has been steadily at work from then until now, something I am forever grateful for. I cannot possibly begin to recap what all has happened in the last two years so I will attempt to hit the high points.
- Our kids are older now
- I know that is a little obvious but it doesn't make it any less true. Reid is now 6(and a half he would say), Owen is 4, and Halle Kate is 2. Some of the biggest changes in our daily routine is that Reid is now school age! I really am still having a hard time understanding the fact I have kindergartener who is almost done with kindergarten. To me that is just a little crazy. He started a program at a local Christian School called the Collaborative Education Program where he attends school Tuesday through Thursday and then he is homeschooled on Mondays and Fridays. We have LOVED this method, and while there has been a learning curve as to how to schedule/handle school plus everything else in our lives, it has been totally worth it. Owen and Halle Kate currently attend Mother's Day Out 2 times a week, and LOVE their teachers and classmates so much. Owen has the biggest crush on "Miss Jennifer" and HK adores her "my Kristen" as she calls her. I have many Halle Kate stories from MDO that I need to record lest I forget them.
- Each kid is coming into their own personality more and more. Reid with his more serious/literal side that STILL loves anything to do with a ball or any sport. He also has found a love for creating books, mostly about animals, which is fun to watch him explore. Owen is still our lovie, caring kiddo, but his year 4 has been quite a doozy of dealing with new attitudes that are surfacing. He is a "worker man" and loves to build, make, create, and imagine with toys. He loves to help his daddy or me and is the only kid we have that will play alone. Halle Kate is well, Halle Kate, there really are no other words. I have never met a kid quite like her. She is SPUNKY to say the least, with energy that rivals Reid's. She has been fluently speaking in full sentences since about 18 months, knows what she wants and can tell (demand) it from you with all the right words. She is always talking, always busy, sneaky, always in trouble, pulls down all the things, and yet loves to sing and give sugars, play with her babies, and do all things girly. I love her to death, she has broken every mold I had in my head of what having a baby girl would be and I am thankful to her for that.
- We are currently expecting kid #4
- Yes you read that right, Clifton baby number 4 is on the way. And before anyone need silently wonder to themselves "was this a surprise?" you can rest assured that we were not surprised, but this baby was prayed over and for for months before we attempted getting pregnant. The further along we go in this parenting journey of having a raising littles we know there is no guarantee that we can get pregnant or that we will stay pregnant. We feel so blessed by this sweet gift and are so thankful to God that He saw fit to grace us with this sweet baby.
- We also know what we are having! Another little. . . GIRL! There are no words to describe how excited I am by this. I adore my two boys' precious brother relationship and after having always wanted a sister I was thrilled Halle Kate would be able to have a same gender of sibling as well. This is the tail end of our "having kids" years so I am cherishing every last bit of this pregnancy. I say that now at 19 weeks as I can sit her comfortably with my laptop able to be on my lap. Give me about 12 more weeks and I will probably be singing a different tune.
- We also have her first name picked out which makes me excited. We chose Karis because it means "grace" in greek. Mark actually wanted to name her Grace, but I wanted something that started with a K, so Karis was a perfect fit. I am totally in love with the name and with her and I cannot wait to meet her.
All in all our family is doing well. We are busy with Reid beginning schoola nd sports, but we are enjoying this new season we are in. Mark and I are also doing well too. God has bestowed so much grace and love and peace on us, especially in these last two years and we don't take that for granted for a second. This is a far cry from an indepth update, but I am HOPING, really really hoping I can actually keep this thing up again. I forget how much I enjoy coming back and reading what we were doing at different stages in life, and I don't want to forget or miss it for a second more.
