Our 2008 Christmas Letter

I'm being lazy this year and posting our Christmas letter, rather than trying to send them all out. Enjoy!
December 2008

Dear Friends & Family,
It has been another eventful year for our family and time flies when you’re busy! We started out the year with Ethan & Aidan bouncing off the walls with excitement and adoration for their new sister, then 3 month old little Robyn Dale. Now that the year is almost over the only difference is that she joins them in bouncing off the walls. Robyn started walking in September, a month before her first birthday. She is also a little parrot who has learned many new words and a few signs. What she enjoys most is spending time with her brothers. Her favorite time of day is when Daddy comes home and she runs to the door and puts up her arms for him to pick her up. Needless to say, she, like her brothers before her has him completely wrapped around her little finger.
Aidan turned 4 in September and is always asking me how to spell different words. He has also learned his colors very well and his speech has improved vastly through the year. We had him evaluated by a psychiatrist who said he appears to have Pervasive Developmental Disorder, (which is on the autism spectrum) and ADHD. We plan to do more extensive testing with a Developmental Pediatrician. Despite his developmental issues, he is a warm, affectionate, sweet boy who loves his brother and dotes on his sister. He always has Dave and Me laughing with the things he says and does.
Ethan turned 6 in May and began 1st Grade in August. He is very bright and has no problem making friends. He is especially good at spelling and reading, (I get to take credit for those genes) but needs a little work with his math, (sadly, I have to claim those genes as well). He’s getting very good at playing games on the internet and his favorite website is lego.com where he plays the Indiana Jones game. He still teases his brother like there’s no tomorrow, but he’s also very helpful with his baby sister and makes a great “go-fer”. He’s always the one who gets Robyn when she wakes up in the morning and he’d carry her around all day if I let him.
Amanda is still the 1st Counselor in the Relief Society at church and in charge of the book club. She also has a meal group that meets once a week to exchange meals and recipes. She spends most of her spare time not cleaning or doing laundry, like a good wife, but reading, reading, reading. Luckily Dave loves her enough to let it go, (most of the time) and be content with the way things are.
Dave started out the year a little roughly. As you all know with the housing market the way it is, it’s not the best time to be a self employed real estate appraiser. He was out of work for quite a while, but we always managed to get by. Someone would always have an odd job for Dave and he found himself pressure washing driveways, or painting houses, or installing air conditioners. Someone always had something for him to do, and eventually, a wonderful man in our ward at church gave him full-time work with his handyman/contracting business. He loves working with Brother Morgan and has learned so much. He is also still the Elder’s Quorum President.
We took about a month in the summer and drove all the way to Utah to spend time with family. We stayed with friends and family along the way and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to keep the costs down. It was a great trip and we had many memorable experiences, such as feeding the mutant prairie dogs at a rest stop in Wyoming and checking each other for ticks in Missouri. People said we were crazy to make that trip with 3 young children, but I honestly can’t wait to do it again.
In August we found out we were, (surprise!) pregnant again. I always seem to be pregnant. We are all excited to bring another amazing spirit into our already crowded home. It’s amazing how your capacity for love grows with the size of your family. We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving us this opportunity to have even more love in our home.
We love you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Holiday this year.
Love,
The Pickards: David, Amanda, Ethan, Aidan, & Robyn

Ethan the Bowling Champ!

So, we decided to start a new incentive program to entice Ethan to behave better. He has a weekly chart and if he does something on the chart, such as be VERY kind to Aidan, (which apparently is harder than it sounds) or set the table, or do something we ask of him RIGHT AWAY he gets a star. If he gets 10 stars in a week he gets special one-on-one time with mom or dad. This week he barely got the required stars and chose to go bowling with his dad.

Dave said he had a little difficulty at first with his aim, and bowled down someone else's lane by accident, but he got the hang of it and had a fantastic time.

Merry Christmas!

My Birthday Haircut

Dave was so sweet to arrange for me to get my hair cut for my birthday. I've been wanting to forever, but it isn't really in our budget, so this was really sweet of him. (He doesn't understand about paying a bit more for a really good cut, since he cuts the boys' and his own hair). What a great husband I have!

What do you think?

Robyn's New Thing

Robyn has discovered a love for accessories. She brings me shoes and hats and waits for me to put them on her. Girls are so much fun!

This is What an 18 Weeks Pregnant Fattie Looks Like

Ethan just took this picture of me so you can all take joy in my hugeness, (that's right, I'm only halfway there). The diet starts AFTER Christmas!

Our New Baby

Well here she, (we think) is! We just had the ultrasound today. Isn't she pretty?

Thanksgiving

So, how was everyone's Thanksgiving? We went down to Miami to spend it with Dave's parents, grandparents and 2 of his siblings and their families. I brought the camera down, fully intending to use up the entire battery with all the massive amounts of photos I'd be taking, but it stayed in the van the whole time. So you'll just have to take my word on what went down. It was pretty much a typical Pickard Family Thanksgiving, but we all enjoyed ourselves and my gravy actually turned out AWESOME this year, which was a plus. I also made 2 pecan pies, sweet potato casserole, (with probably quadruple the amount of marshmallows required) green bean casserole, and a very moist and delicious turkey. Luckily I didn't have to make everything. We played a few games all together, watched a LOT of TV, and just hung out. On Saturday night, after we put Robyn down Dave and I went and saw Twilight, (again for me, but the 1st time for Dave). I enjoyed it a lot more the 2nd time and even Dave said he didn't hate it. (What a good husband I have)
So what did you all do?