The Trent Family: Long Time Coming

The title of this post is also the title of one of Johnny Lang's albums...I happen to love Johnny Lang, plus, it seemed an appropriate title as it's been SO LONG since I posted last! We're still busy, busy around here. I also seem to be spending less time on the computer (we have HGTV now, which is a great substitute!)

The biggest change since I last posted is that the kids are now in kindergarten...full day, 5 days a week. We started off the year homeschooling and going to an alternative school 1 day a week. It just wasn't working out for us and in October we heard from a friend of mine who teaches kindergarten at an awesome school (Orchard Prairie)...they had 2 openings. We visited and checked them out and fell in love! Nicholas...yes NICHOLAS...and Gabby LOVE school...really, really love it and I love their school too. The kindergarten classroom is in the original one room school house...built in the late 1800's. It's so cute! Their teacher is a friend of mine from my Moms of Twins Club and she's just the most awesome teacher. I do miss the kids during they day and it's hard to fit everything in on school days. We have to drive about 20 to 25 minutes each way so it's close to 4 pm when we get home...and bed time is 7. There are some days when I get really lonesome for them and other days when I really enjoy the new time I have. Grocery shopping and running errands is so much more enjoyable by myself!

I'm getting pretty involved in school as well. I am now the vice president of the PTO. They had an opening and nobody stepped up so I volunteered. I helped with the Halloween party and was in charge of the Christmas party...plus, I think I'm going to be the chair person for their annual fundraising auction this year. We are choicing into this school district so I figure I'll make myself indespensible...so they can never ask us to leave!

In other news, both Nicholas and Gabby are growing like weeds...both physically and intellectually. They've both lost teeth and grown in new, big person teeth! They're learning to read and write and all sorts of other fun stuff. Gabby is a whiz at reading and is at the top of her class. Nicholas is doing great on the reading too, but isn't quite at Gabby's level. He has the most beautiful writing. He treats each letter as a little work of art. He often chooses to sit and write letters during his 'free choice' time at school. Gabby seems to treat her handwriting exercises as Nascar races...the faster she can zip through them the better. She's not nearly the perfectionist as Nick. They've also become experts at making hats out of newspaper and cutting snowflakes. Our living room often looks like the home of a newspaper/snowflake explosion lately.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at The Farm this year despite Chad's visit to the ER the night before. He woke up in the middle of the night to the beagles barking, got up and smacked their kennel to quiet them down. In the dark, he missed the kennel and his hand came slamming down on the metal rod that keeps kennel door closed. He punctured his palm and ended up going to the ER. All was well but he was in a good deal of pain. He slept during most of Thanksgiving but did wake up to feast.

We spent Christmas everywhere. We had dinner at Travis and Angie's the week before Christmas with the Farm Grandparents and Kip and Nancy. The evening before Christmas Eve we went to Alvin and Anne's house to celebrate with my Dad. On Christmas Eve, my Mom and Jack had dinner with us at our house. On Christmas morning, they came over for brunch-y snacks and gift opening. That afternoon it was off to The Farm for more Christmas festivities with the Farm Grandma and Grandpa and Travis and Angie and their kiddos. The following Sunday, we had another Christmas with my Mom, Jack, Alvin, Anne, Beth, Lon and Natalie. whew! That's a LOT of Christmas cheer! We had lots of fun but next year I'm hoping we don't have to stretch it out so much.

I'll try to keep this up and post more often...keep you all updated.

For now, here are some pictures from the last few months....enjoy!

Gabby lost her third tooth at school. I was a little teary about it, but her teacher kept me updated all day via email. Gabby was thrilled to receive a special tooth necklace and wore it for days. The first two teeth she lost were extracted by the dentist!

Gabby was a cave girl for Halloween and Nicholas was a pirate. He won 'best kindergarten boy costume' at school and was quite proud of that!

Gabby on an October day...

Nick, banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee on Thanksgiving

Gabby and her new, crooked tooth

Chad and baby Rowan on Thanksgiving

Baby Rowan on Thanksgiving...I wonder how old she'll be before we stop calling her that?

Gabby on Thanksgiving

Gabby and Jordyn...Gabby's out of focus, but it's a cute shot anyway

Gabby, Jordyn and Mason put on a little Thanksgiving show for everyone.

a couple of shots from the Kids' Table

a few shots of our Thanksgiving feast...

Kip's famous sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Helen's potato rolls...made by Rich

Gabby and Nick made homemade butter at school for Thanksgiving

mini pumpkin icecream tortes

Chad carrying our Christmas tree through the woods

Our gingerbread house

Gabby and I...at the coffee shop before a day of Christmas shopping

Our Christmas card...if you didn't get one, don't fret! I didn't mail them...just handed out a few to people we saw personally...I STILL haven't finished making the rest!