James, Kinley and I went to the dentist this week. They were AMAZING! Kinley went first and she was so brave. James hadn't been too sure that he was going to let the dentist do her job on him until he saw how well Kinley did. His first experience at the dentist last year isn't his favorite memory. The hygienist showed them all the tools and let them use them all. She also had several drawers of toys hidden around her station for them to play in while I had my teeth cleaned. Other than having to leave my left leg for payment and making a second appointment in which they will require my right leg and one arm to help my jaw problem it was a great experience.

Kinley is slowly getting into girly things. She hasn't had a lot of experience with them because James has schooled her more in the art of a good sword fight, and the kind of bullets you need for a shotgun. Her natural bent for the finer things in life is finding its way out though. She got a new pretty pink dress and danced and twirled in it. She kept saying she was a princess, then out of the blue she asked "do princesses poop?" I guess she had to make sure she still qualified because she definitely poops. I should have told her princesses don't poop in their diapers!

January has held it's share of sickness. We got home from Christmas on the 28th and the 29th James and Kinley had fevers. James' got high quickly and we got an antibiotic before the long weekend but he still had a fever of 104 for eight days before he got better. Kinley has now had a 99-101 fever for 19 days. We went back to the doctor last week and her strep test was positive so they gave her an antibiotic too but she has been on it 7 days and still has the fever. I guess we will be back at the doctor on Monday for better antibiotics.

Mallory is quiet the drool machine. She looks like a sweaty man that just left the gym. There are still no teeth to show for all that drool. She is just beginning to sit up on her own for a few seconds at a time. She is very hard to make giggle especially for the camera but she'll flash a good smile anytime.

We went to her 6 month appointment and she weighed 18 lbs and was 27 in.

In the last month we have had to buy a new kitchen sink faucet and dishwasher. It has provided Josh and James with a lot of male bonding time. Josh installed it all himself and replaced some old piping while he was at it. It is so fun to watch James hang on to every word Josh says and move he makes. My mom asked if he wanted to go stay at her house this weekend without his sisters and he said "yeah!... but it's Saturday and that is Daddy stay home day" we encouraged him to go and that they could hang out next weekend. He ended up going but it was so cute how concerned he was about missing out on Daddy's home time.

Mallory is growing like crazy and I would give anything to push the pause button! Since she is the last baby I have started to get rid of things like swaddle blankets and 0-6 month clothes and it is breaking my heart. I never thought I would cry over making space in my home but getting rid of those sweet little blankets made me cry and I didn't care about the space they were taking. She will be six months on the 9th. She is sleeping and eating like a pro. She is content doing whatever we need her too. She smiles constantly and her eyes sparkle like diamonds. Below is her first meal in her high chair.

Her first ride in a swing. She giggled as she was swinging.

We took the kids to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop. We considered it successful because no one cried and the big two actually voiced their Christmas present wishes. James asked for a medium sized stuffed panda bear (medium meaning the same size as stuffed polar bear so they can play together) and Kinley asked for a pink puppy dog.

We did Advent boxes this year. It was interesting. The kids loved opening the boxes but acted totally uninterested in the spiritual component each evening. As the month went on I tried to get more creative on how to apply the Bible truths and stories to their life. Some of our favorites were building a ginger bread house (of course), hiding God's word in our hearts (we played hide and seek with our paper hearts), and serving each other as Jesus did when He washed the disciples feet. I had Kinley wash and lotion James' feet then he washed and lotioned her feet. When Kinley finished she said "James, I love you" and when James finished he said "Kinley, I love you". It was one of those rare and amazingly sweet moments. I think we might have to repeat this activity every few months!

She is lovin' the camera these days...she actually requests that pictures be taken of her when she feels she is particularly cute.

Wednesday before Christmas we went to OKC to see my family. We stayed until late Christmas Eve. We had a great time relaxing and playing. While we were there we managed to break two bowls, a large ornament, and a bottle of Patron tequila. I think they were ready to see us leave!

We made Jesus birthday whoopie pies, went to church, played with cousins, opened presents and ate pizza.

Christmas morning we woke up at Grandad and Nanna's. Santa had been there and he brought what they wanted.

We enjoyed Duncan and our Morris family. We played games, enjoyed the horses, dogs, fire pit, and pond. James put the hard sell on me AGAIN to have a dog. He told me I had two choices either live in a box or take Charlie (the farm dog) home. I chose live in a box until he told me I had to come out to help him with the things he couldn't do on his own. The kid is going to have to have a dog someday.

We got home from Duncan Tuesday night and Wednesday James and Kinley got fevers. James got to 104 and stayed there for five days. Kinley's fever was between 99 and 100 and still hasn't gone away. I have no idea what they got but I sure got a lot done around the house being stuck there for five days. We enjoyed a lot of cuddle time, movies, and naps. It has been really nice to just be slow and lazy after the holidays. I am kind of dreading getting back into a productive routine.