Handwriting Worksheets

I happened upon a neat website this evening. I'm mostly posting this so I will be able to find the link again when I want to use it, but maybe some of you will find it useful too.

The website is: www.handwritingworksheets.com

You can type in any words you like and it will generate either a full page of traceable letters for your youngster, or one line of traceable letters and the rest "start dots" like the example below. You can also choose cursive or D'Nealian style worksheets. Maybe we'll add handwriting practice to Emily's "chore" chart...

The Kids

It's been a while, and Caleb never got a 13 month update, but here's a little summary of what both kids are up to nowadays.


Emily alternates between running wildly through the house and sitting quietly for hours concentrating on a project or workbook pages. She enjoys being a big sister most days, and will often race ahead of Caleb of her own initiative to close the door to the basement or bathroom so he will be safe. We've introduced chores into the mix the past couple of weeks, and she loves it! Right now her 7 "chores" are:
- Make your bed
- Clean the hall mirror (which she LOVES)
- Clean your room
- Pick up your toys
- Have a good attitude
- No potty accidents
- 2 workbook pages

Four year olds long to be independent and have very strong opinions, but Emily is an awful lot of fun - and she definitely keeps us on our toes!


As much as Emily likes to clean, Caleb loves to pull things out. Today Emily told me, "If I ever need a big mess, I know who I'll call!" We spend most of the day steering Caleb away from the harps, electrical outlets, toilet and stairs. He's not walking yet, but he is a furious crawler and cruises comfortably from one piece of furniture to another. Won't be long now before he's brave enough to take his first steps, though. We haven't been pushing him. I'm kind of dreading it, actually.
In the past month, he's begun to wave consistently and also sign for "more please." He's also really excited to have discovered that he can point to various objects too. His vocabulary still consists of "mama," "dada," and "nana" (banana). He's a very happy little boy, even on days when he's sick (like today). Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.

Christmas in Chicago

At long last, here are the rest of the Christmas photos. (Before February!)

Caleb settled right in to my parents' high chair. He enjoyed checking out the duck just as much as Emily always did. It's so refreshing to travel with a toddler who actually enjoys eating and is willing to try new things!

We were excited to see baby David again! He loves to sing.



So much striped cuteness!



Emily enjoyed her new books (including Ira Sleeps Over).



David is already so much bigger than their trip to Denver at Halloween!



We visited the local Children's Museum one day. Emily is starting to really enjoy dress-up, as you can see.



It might be time to teach her about 9-1-1. Let's hope she doesn't start calling for fun once she knows how.




Emily loves her "Grandpa Duck-Duck Goose" (though I'm not convinced he loves that nickname)!




We played in a box of choking hazards smooth stones and small figurines.




This girl takes her artwork very seriously.



I wasn't around for this puppet show, but I'm guessing it was pretty silly.



My mom and Emily baked some Christmas cookies for a tea party one afternoon.



She never turns down a chance to bake (or sip tea). Especially with fancy china!



Caleb may be all boy, but he sure knows how to enjoy a tea party!



Thank goodness for plastic nativity sets! Caleb wished he was just a little bit taller.



Maybe we had spent too many days indoors, but Caleb was REALLY jazzed up about going for a ride in the stroller. He kept kicking his arms and legs so hard that I had to take a picture on the way to the park.



Emily couldn't wait to push him on the swing. He was just as excited.



Caleb doesn't mind chilly weather as long as he's having fun.



She's quite the climber nowadays!



This girl loves to help in the kitchen! She sometimes thinks she's in charge too.



Not bad for a picture of a little guy who hates to waste time looking at the camera!



We spent a bit of time with my Grandpa while we were in town. He was feeling pretty ill early in the week, but felt good enough to get up and visit by the last couple of days. (Apparently I was the only one paying attention to the camera.)

It was great to visit! Not sure when we'll be back in town next, but Emily can hardly wait.

Press Release

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“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Mary Keener for her continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Mary Keener is one of the very best Ceremony Musicians within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

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About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.
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Around Town

I always keep a close eye on the kids (other than that day when we called the police because we couldn't find Emily when she was actually hiding in the basement), but finding this website earlier today gives me one more reason to be vigilant. Who knew there were 79 offenders within one mile of our house?

It's also delightful to learn that our area schools get a D+ rating. On a more positive note, I was pleased to see a C rating for earthquake risk. There's always a silver lining, right?

Christmas Morning

Both kids slept in on Christmas morning - until after 8am, if I recall. Emily woke us up before venturing out to the living room. We were expecting her to have a pretty dramatic reaction when seeing that Santa not only brought the baby mobile that she had asked for, but also a beautiful pink crib for her babies (not to mention the huge easel sitting next to the crib).

Not so. After about 15 or 20 minutes of looking through her stocking and at other gifts, I wound up asking her if she had noticed it. She went over to check it out, but there was definitely no squeal of delight. I think she might have been a bit overwhelmed, actually. This photo seems to confirm that suspicion.

Caleb, on the other hand, was excited about everything.


We pulled these eggs out of his stocking, and he was happy as could be. (Yes, that is a Chicago Bears pillow pet you see in the background behind him.)


One is a very curious age. This was taken right before he pulled one of the yellow stars right off the mobile. (It was easily fixed.)

After heading to church..


lighting the last advent candle...


a lunch of leftovers...


and a quick candy cane, it was off to Chicago (more pictures coming). I pledge to finish the Christmas wrap-up before February!

Ready for Morning

This is one of my favorite moments of the year. The house is quiet and clean, the presents are wrapped, the stockings are stuffed, Santa's cookies & hot cocoa are gone, the kids are asleep, and we take a quick photo to capture the calm before the chaos of the morning begins in just a few short hours. (When I looked closely at the picture just now, I noticed it was 2:05am.)

Last Christmas was wonderful because of Caleb's safe arrival, but it was so nice to be at home this Christmas Eve!