The Keene Family

This past week we had a glimpse of sunshine. I just love this picture of Haley I got on my phone, which is unedited and unfiltered! And now, on to other things. We had a 2.5 hour appointment with an allergist and learned a lot about asthma and allergies, which was great. Jim and JT both got tested, and it was a little fun for them to do that together. Like father, like son. Look at these reactions to grass! Now we know when to medicate both boys, and when we should be able to stop antihistamines. It turns out, we should be using them for longer than we thought each year (Jim is allergic to pollen, grass, and certain weeds... over half the year something like that is blooming). But that will keep both of them healthier overall, which is our goal. I am so grateful for access to great healthcare!

Our second annual trip to Naches, Washington to spend time with our long time friends in the mountains was another wonderful success ( last year's trip photos here ). We got there Friday night and were the only ones there Saturday morning, so we got to enjoy a little family-of-four time before the other four families arrived. View from the deck   Just after noon, the arrival began. The kids were soooo excited to see old friends and play. We had a big chili dinner, followed by hang-out time and a movie for the kids. Sunday morning, we were up bright and early for cinnamon flops and playtime. JT got to ride the four wheeler with Jim too. One of the two cabins On a walk - with a matching friend! Then we packed everyone up and went to find some snow. Last year (and every year in memory for the people who live there), the cabins have had at least six inches this time of year. This year? Nothing but frost. We drove up White Pass to find som...

I managed to get a video of Haley at her tumbling class. She just absolutely loves her class, and her teacher. It is very fun to watch her try a "stork stand" on one foot, among other things. Here she is doing a springboard jump with a forward roll.

2013 wrapped up in a peaceful, happy week of friends and relaxing. JT and Haley enjoyed taking drives in the truck and singing worship songs at bedtime. I celebrated our god-daughter's birthday by taking her to see Frozen and shopping for a new outfit at Justice for Girls. Haley figured out she can get her own water from the fridge to fill her cup (and thus water consumption has skyrocketed). On New Year's Eve Eve, (Dec 30) we went out to lunch and relaxed home as a family. Jim and Haley doing a word search together On New Year's Eve, we stayed home while Jim went to work. We had friends over in the morning... I am so blessed to have a vehicle that I love that can seat more children comfortably, when we want. JT spent some quality time organizing his Legos in storage trays to fit in his new drawer organizer. This makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :) We watched for fireworks out our window before settling in for Planes (which I hadn...