Maui

Does anyone have any suggestions for what Hans and I should do in Maui? Have you been? Anything we MUST do? We are planning on scuba diving. And I signed up to run the half-marathon that is there. But I'm worried about having too much time to think and miss my kids.
Any ideas?

Mia is 15 Months Old

I am completely amazed that my baby girl is 15 months old. And I'm not pregnant either. I always have been when my baby is 15 months old. It's nice to be able to enjoy Mia as much as I can and not be sick and throwing up. I am grateful for that. She is so darn cute too. She is so much more of a baby to me somehow. Is that because I'm not pregnant? She's so little and walked late. That helped. She is not even on the charts for weight. She's 18 lbs 4 oz, still in her size 2 diapers, and barely filling out her 12 month clothing. She's 20th percentile for height. The doctor told me that she looked like a movie star - but not her looks - her build. He's a little strange. She started walking in the last week and pretty much walks full time now. She's practicing going fast today. It's been amusing me all day. She says uh oh, happy, and I think that is all. If I give her what she wants she says "happy" and if she is crying to reach what she wants she is saying happy over and over again. She's a funny girl. She has quite the temper. And she's a brunette. She doesn't fit the mold of my other 3. She is a fun addition to our family and we sure love her. Here are some pictures of her in an outfit that the lady at King Soopers today said was surely purchased by a grandma, not me. She was right, but I wonder why she said that?

Mia likes to rub her food all over her hair. And she gets 1 bath a week. Max.

Mia HAS to be outside if anyone else is. She loves to sled.

So cute.

Walking.

She sticks her tongue out when she is concentrating.

Christmas Letter

Here is the Christmas letter I sent out to friends and family who don't live near me. You have to move away to get on that list. And even then, I feel that letters are slightly outdated thanks to blogs, but it is nice to look at the year in review. And then have it on my blog for when I get my blog into a book to keep. I'm all talk on doing that. I will eventually, I am sure. So here you go!

2008 has been one of those years that has gone by crazy fast and painfully slow at the same time. We started off the year with our fourth baby in five years that didn’t sleep much and Hans working 80 hour weeks opening his new dental office. I’m grateful to say that we survived and we acknowledge the hand of the Lord in that survival. We are especially grateful at this time of year for the birth of our Savior, His ministry here on the Earth, and our ability to return to live with Him again someday. We’re grateful for the perspective the Gospel brings to our lives. It has been an integral part of that survival this past crazy, wonderful, painful, and blessed year! As for an update:

Ashley (6) is a joy to us. She is a tender, loving girl who has a gift for helping others. She is a wonderful help with her siblings and is a great example to them. She is in 1st grade and doing great. She reads at a 3rd grade level and is proud to be 2nd in the class in math. She loves art and can be found doing crafts at our craft table at all times of the day. She is amazingly creative.

Katelyn (4 ½)) is the life of the party. She has an energetic joy for life. She loves to move and go and be doing. She likes to make us laugh. She is a great gymnast and can do 11 pull-ups and land a beautiful cartwheel on the low balance beam. She starts a pre-team in January where she goes to the gym 3 hours a week. It’s wonderful to have an outlet for her energy. She also goes to pre-school twice a week and has too many friends and playdates to count.

Justin (2 ½) is oh so handsome. He brings a smile to everyone. He loves Thomas the train and building train tracks and loves for me to sing him Thomas songs. He has discovered the joys and possibilities of watching trains on You Tube. He learned how to use the potty and is a great big boy. He also has an endless supply of playdates and friends. He anxiously awaits his 3rd birthday when he can also do “nastics” like “kayklyn.”

Mia (14 months) is the true baby of the family. She is little, but feisty. She can hold her own. She is close to walking, but doesn’t really need to when she has 3 moms to carry out her every whim. She has an intense love of candy and jumping on the trampoline. She tries so hard to keep up with everyone else. We love her immensely.

Hans is grateful that Cordera Dental is up, running, and producing. He works 4 days a week and is only 3 miles from home. He rarely gets out of his 3 mile radius. He plays basketball, racquetball, and ultimate Frisbee every week. He still dreams of owning a motorcycle. He is a wonderful dad and husband and I’m grateful for him.

I keep myself busy tending to 4 children. I’m grateful to have my sister Melanie living near me and great friends. They keep me sane. I entered the competitive running circuit this year. I won a trophy in Moab, a ribbon in Denver, and a beer mug here in Colorado Springs for placing in various races. I plan on running the marathon in Salt Lake in April. My goal is to finish, not to win. I keep telling myself that anyway.

We hope that this letter finds you all doing well and happy and firm in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Please keep in touch!

Love, The Egberts

Sick and Bored

I got the really really really bad stomach flu. Still lingering and I'm on my third day. Katelyn's on her 4th day and just starting to eat a little bit. And my dryer was broken for all of that so thanks to all of you who willingly dried and folded my clothes for me. Hans fixed the dryer on friday night. Hooray! I'm feeling well enough to get out of bed, but not really to do anything. So I am just looking on the internet and found this on a friend's blog. Thought you might like the Twilight spoof. Pretty funny.