Homegirl

We have enjoyed some "2-on-1" time with Josephine Marie this weekend. Her big brother went to visit Doc's farm for two nights. We miss our busy boy but have been able to sit and enjoy our sweet girl more than usual. Jack is having a great time with his animals, his toys and his doting grandparents. Miss Josie is enjoying playing on the floor (she doesn't get to do this much due to a certain roaming, rough toddler) and taking lots of baths! She has begun mouthing everything, especially our arms and faces. She has great eye-hand coordination and can roll side to side and from her tummy to her back. Check out our homegirl!

Kisses

Jack loves to kiss his Mom and Dad, and JoJo too! He is a very affectionate kid. When he is in a "kissing mood," he will walk around the room, point to each person, and lean in for a kiss. We are proud of him for sharing his kisses, and hope he will always be so loving!

Hibernation

Consider us homebodies. For the past two weeks the kids and I have been homebound due to colds, fevers, coughs, runny noses and now, ear infections. Poor little Jack and Josie have been champs through it all, although getting them to take their medicine is near impossible. I don't blame them. Being home 24/7 with two sick babies has really given me "mommy brain." I can't remember the day or date, rarely do I shower and get dressed, and I am dreaming about humidifiers and thermometers. Please pray for our kiddos - for fast recovery and a great response to antibiotics. Here are our two little homebodies - thankfully they are resilient and happy even when sick!

Jack's Vocab

For those of you who haven't seen Jack in a while, he is becoming very verbal....mostly about things that he really likes. Some examples are puzzles, ("shuzzles") books, ("bop") cars, ("cock") balls ("bah") and movies. ("moomies") He is also very fond of cereal, ("seelie") crackers ("crackah") and juice. (juice!) His favorite people continue to be his "JoJo" and his "Goc." He likes to go to church ("shurz") to see his best buddy "Da-da." What is amazing to us is that he understands everything we say, and has even proven to know a few of his colors - red and yellow at the moment. We laugh because we have to spell some words already, especially the word outside! ("side") He shocks us every day with new words and understanding, like this week when he began saying "A-mee!" after we pray. How exciting to be almost two, talking, and understanding the world around you!

Welcome Home Unc!

http://claytonjackkennedy.blogspot.com

The Davis family is thrilled and thankful that God brought home our brother Clif from his 7-month deployment in Afghanistan. See their blog above for great photos as Clif arrived back to Hawaii on Sunday morning. We can only imagine how excited he was to meet his son Clay and reunite with Kat.

Jack's First Haircut

Jack and his Dad went to the barbershop this Saturday. Jack likes going with Dad but this time he got a cut too! His first haircut....suddenly he looks like a boy instead of our baby. Will said he did great, sat still and was patient until the very end. I love his new look! I was even more impressed with his Dad - who brought back pictures of the event and locks of hair in a Ziploc bag - without me even asking him to do it beforehand!

We're Crazy "Four" our Josie-girl

This month we watched Josie bloom into a squealing, active, funny and strong little girl. It was a big month as she celebrated her first Christmas and New Year holidays with family and friends. Her favorite activity is people-watching. She loves to sit in her seat and watch Jack play, Mom read books, and Dad make the morning coffee. She is still content but also likes to be heard, as she has now found her voice. Most of her days she can be seen sleeping, eating, doing mini-situps, and putting everything in her mouth. We are thankful for our little sleeper with the gummy smile. Dr. Halsell says she looks great - strong, alert and very ticklish! Four month stats are: 14 pounds, 6 ounces; 25 1/4 inches. This month was fun and it just keeps getting better with our Jack and "JoJo." (Jack's name for his sister baby)

A New Year

Will brought in the year 2006 with an encouraging message from the pulpit at GPBC. Doc, Mam, Kat and baby Clay made the trip to hear the Word that Sunday morning. We also said goodbye to Kat and Clay until they return in February - as the Kennedy trio. We are thankful for the many blessings of 2005 and look forward to what God has in store in 2006.

D-Day 2005

The Donaldson clan invaded the farm on December 26th for our Christmas celebration. My Papa always used to call our get-togethers "D-Day" and it stuck. It was truly an invasion - 27 in all. Doc and Will saved the day with hay rides, trips down to the Bosque river, and lots of games outside. Cousin news: two new great grandbabies, Katie's engagement (wedding in March), Joseph's approaching internship in DC, Elizabeth graduating from high school in May. This year, instead of drawing names for gifts, we all donated money to Heifer International. It is a charity organization that uses your donations to provide an animal for a needy family. They are then able to raise this animal and make a profit for their family. It is a great cause that improves the livelihood of a family in need. Check out their organization at www.heifer.org It was great seeing "all the bodies."

Kennedy Christmas: Plus Two, Minus One

It was fun waking up Christmas morning at the farm....I have so many memories of sitting on the stairs with my brothers, anxiously waiting to see what Santa had brought. This year the tradition continued with the grand ones - Jack, Josie and Clay - waiting on the stairs, and then running (or being held by mom) to see what Santa had brought in on his wagon. It was a special day and the blocks in the den read the above title "Plus Two, Minus One." We felt blessed to have our two newest gifts, but we missed Clif who celebrated Christmas Day in Afghanistan. Jack was hilarious this year, moving from toy to toy, and Josie sat in her chair and smiled and drooled through her first Christmas morning. Thanks Doc (or as Jack says, "Goc") and Mam for a wonderful day of memories. Happy birthday, Jesus. You were the greatest gift of all.

Davis Christmas

We enjoyed travelling south to San Antonio to see the Davises. This year we had much to celebrate - two new babies, totalling eight grandchildren in all. Thanks to Sam and Shannon for hosting us in their new home, and thanks to Josh and Shantel for hosting the Christmas get-together for everyone. We loved meeting sweet Connor and Jack made friends with the Davis family pets! It was a grand holiday with beloved family. Santa and Mrs. Claus, aka Pops and JoMama, were very good to the children indeed. Miss Josephine stunned everyone she met and proved to be our best Christmas gift of all.

Christmas Visitors

Our family is so blessed to have dear friends that come to visit us each year at Christmas time. This year we loved catching up with old friends Stu Glenn, Selena Babcock, Dave and Laura Tolar (and fiance David), the Bruce Greene family, and the Tom Henderson family. Here are a few photos of our Christmas visitors this year. My mom does a great job hosting everyone and treating them all to her special pepper jelly and other treats! Thanks to everyone for making the trip to visit us and our growing family.