Dear friends and family,
Merry Christmas! And, by the time you get this Happy New Year! For us it has been a crazy and growing year in so many ways. We are looking forward to 2011.
We had our baby girl! Katelyn Joy was born on April 28- 2 days before her due date. (7lb 1oz for those who care!) What a difference from Kaden! Everything from being born early, smaller, and easier to looking, acting, and reacting differently! Basically, if Kaden liked/did it, she does not…and vice versa. “Katelyn” means “Pure” and she has TRULY been a Pure Joy. She is 8 months old today and so close to crawling. She is as laid-back as they come and her favorite thing is to laugh with her big brother. Her big blue eyes get her a lot of attention. She loves to smile, and talk to people, but mostly only from the safety of Mommy’s arms! She has already had 2 ER visits which resulted in a few tests in Rapid City to make sure her kidneys/bladder are working properly. In December she was declared healthy and that was a big relief for all of us.
Our Kaden-boy turned 2 in July! Kaden is still just as fun-loving and outgoing as ever. We sometimes wonder how he can talk so much and he is constantly praised for his vocabulary. Sometimes his mom wishes for some silence. He adores his baby sister and has been nothing but nice to her. In September, Kaden decided he was done with diapers. It took about 3 weeks to feel that he was truly potty trained. Bethany feels blessed to have had it so easy. He loves Diego, church, MOPS, trucks with trailers, trains, and almost every food. He’s been sick almost constantly since the end of August (which doesn’t seem to slow him down a whole lot) and we are in the process of finding out if he has allergies or tonsil problems.
Luke has been a busy guy this year (and thankfully, mostly healthy!). He still works for PCA Engineering, and still enjoys it. This year he was on the Youth Pastor Search, Budget, and Counting Committees for our church. He enjoyed playing basketball on a team from PCA, and softball with the church team. He didn’t have a lot of time for hunting since the family decided to be sick all at once. When he isn’t at work, church, or taking care of kids, Bethany keeps him busy fixing up the house. This year’s projects: painting/repairing the dining room and kitchen and putting in new flooring. Let’s just say it wasn’t as simple as it sounds. At all. He is rethinking his “One Project A Year Rule” –We may not have a project in this new year! (Except for the hail damaged windows that need replaced, and a few “small” projects from said hail damage. Ha!)
Bethany is busier now with the 2 kids, and is involved with MOPS, Director of the Church nursery, Bible Studies, Pampered Chef shows and 2 cooking clubs, and attempting to keep up with home life. After many problems during her pregnancy it was decided that her gallbladder must be removed. In July, she had surgery to remove it and feels so much better. The highlight of her year was her purchase of a Cricut Expression which enabled her to put together a “50 Years of Memories” scrapbook for a surprise 50th Anniversary party for her grandparents. She is looking forward to working on both Kaden and Kate’s baby books “someday when life slows down a little.” (It has been said that “someday” is the code-word for “never.”)
We were able to spend time with many family members and friends throughout the year. Bethany’s parents were able to come help out both after the birth of Kate, and after Bethany’s surgery. Luke’s mom also came after the surgery (for the 2nd week) and his parents came to watch kids while we attended a Weekend to Remember conference in Rapid City. (Which we both highly recommend!) In February, Bethany’s friend Rachel came from Oklahoma for a few days. She came again in October, this time with her dad (Bill) and brother (Nate) from Arkansas. Rachel kept Bethany and the kids busy and entertained while Bill & Nate hunted the wild west of Wyoming. Both were successful and we made some good memories and ate some good food. In May, when Katelyn was 2 weeks old, we made a quick trip to MT for the funeral of Luke’s Grandmother. It was a bittersweet trip. It is always hard to say goodbye, but it brought together family from all directions and it was fun to visit with them. We made another trip to MT for the 4th of July-this time for the wedding of Luke’s high school friend.
We spent about 10 days in MT for our Christmas vacation, splitting that time between both sets of parents. It was a busy and fun-filled time with Christmas celebrations, a 50th anniversary party, coffee, sledding, food (aka cooking) and a great lack of sleep. We were reminded how important family is-especially family built on the foundation of Jesus Christ-that baby born to set us free. We are truly blessed.
With Love from the Antonich’s
Kaden Kwotes:
• As Luke was putting Kaden to bed one night: “It’s dark in here, Daddy! I can’t see my eyes.”
• After one of the first snows of the year. Kaden: “Oooh Nooo!” Mom: “What’s wrong, Kaden!” Kaden: “Park dirty!” For the longest time he refused to call it snow. It was “snowdirt.”
• First snow of the season I took Kaden out to play. The first thing he said was “Mommy, I can EAT it!”
• One night Luke had popped my toes. After a minute Kaden’s shoes and socks were off, and his foot in Luke’s lap: “Daddy, break MY toes!” Then the very next night he had a babysitter and he started pulling on her finger and telling her “Kaden break your finger!” At first, she was horrified.
• We tore up the kitchen floor one night after Kaden went to bed. In the morning he stopped mid-run into the kitchen. “Oh No! Floor broken!”
• Kaden talking to a friend at church who is bald on top: Kaden: “What’s this?” Earl: “My mustache.” Kaden, pointing to his mustache then to his bald head: “That go on there.”
• Kaden tossed a ball to Katelyn (who had learned to sit only earlier that week) and it hit her in the face and tipped her over. “Uh oh, baby. Try again.”
