Hello, Rhino!

There haven't been any special visitors or major vacations this month. We've spent a lot of time at home and around town. We've done a lot of relaxing since we got back from our big trip last month. So there's nothing really exciting to report!

Your days are still fun, though! We go to the playground and to various parks, visit playgroups and parties, and have fun at home with Heron and Daddy. You like to construct elaborate tracks for your trains and pull along as many magnetic "choo choos" as you can. We've been reading a lot of books together lately. You especially love any books about trains! You also enjoy composing your own songs on the piano, helping out in the kitchen, and doing puzzles (your favorites are your African Plains and Construction Site puzzles.)

You had a WIC appointment recently and they weighed you and took your height. You're growing a lot lately and have shot up in height drastically! Your waist is still small and you wear 2T pants, but your head is giant (nothing to worry about!) and wear 3T and 4T shirts!

You've been going to church all your life, but when you turned two you started going to Sunday School and Junior Church on Sunday morning and the King's Kids Feed My Lambs class on Wednesdays. You like it in there so much more than the nursery! Pretty much any time we start getting our shoes on to go anywhere, you get excited and keep asking if we're going to church! Sometimes in class you're a little mouthy and occasionally are involved in some sort of hitting fight, but for the most part I get great reports and you have such a fun time! In your King's Kids class you've been memorizing scripture (just since we've been home from the States – and you all ready know abridged versions of John 1:3, 1 John 3:23 and Genesis 2:7 and tell them to us all the time!) You're also praying for your food at every meal. You've always been a part of the prayer, but now you're the one actually saying it, which is so sweet. And you say your whole "Now I lay me" prayer on your own every night before bed. I'm amazed at how easily you remember all these memory verses and prayers (and lyrics to Sunday School songs, Thomas and Friends songs, etc!) You hold sweet conversations with me all day long and it's really fun now that you're speaking coherently!

You're getting so excited about Christmas! I have a hard time believing that you'd remember anything from last year, but apparently you do! As soon as lights started going up around the neighborhood, you'd say "wow! Christmas! So beautiful!" I pulled out the advent calendar to hang on the wall and you excitedly started looking inside all the pockets, asking for candy! We are always driving around after dark looking at the new lights that pop up on base because you enjoy them so much. You and your brother have all but destroyed our tree. The entire bottom half is now undecorated. Punishment doesn't seem to bother you; those shiny balls and pretty present ornaments are worth any swatting! You of course enjoy all the candy and cookies that have been around lately, too! I've introduced you to all the people in the nativity scenes and now whenever you see a display you tell me who everyone is. It's been quite a festive few weeks and you're loving it! I am so excited to have another Christmas with you!!

You haven't seen much snow yet, but I hear it's right around the corner. We've had a couple short flurries, but nothing sticking. It will be so much fun to play out in the snow with you this year! We're going to get a sled (we have a great hill right across the street!) and you're all ready with your snow suit and mittens. Hopefully this week or next you'll be building snow men and throwing snow balls!

I love you, Rhino!

Mommy