Lucy and Ellory recently.

Lucy and Ellory recently turned six! They were so excited to celebrate and we had a great time. We had a weekend celebrating with De Jongs, and a weekend where all the Schuts were able to come too. They really wanted to have a pool party, so we were able to do that when family was here too and also invite some friends! Lucy chose a sports theme (all sports, no one in particular), and Ellory chose puppies and kitties (had to be both). We had pizza and DQ ice cream cake and they loved it. For our family celebration, they pretty quickly agreed on Drop Zone together as their activity (even though we told them they could each choose one). They wanted Olive Garden, but unfortunately it had a long wait so we ended up at Fazoli's instead, which was okay because we could still make their dreams of “long noodles with white sauce” come true.

They are both doing so well in kindergarten this year! We decided to keep them in the same class and are so glad we did. It's been sweet to see them begin their school journey together. They have adjusted very well and both enjoy going and are happy when we pick them up- a big answer to prayer! We recently had conferences and their teacher gave great reports, both academically and socially- so thankful and proud! They are starting to learn to read and it's so fun to hear the process and how quickly they pick up new words. It's funny because Lucy loves to pick out books at the library and Ellory doesn't really, but Ellory probably looks at books in her free time more than Lucy does. The library is always a favorite place to go by all and I love that! They both like to practice writing words they know and math equations.

They both got to be in the church Christmas program and they sang well. Their Sunday School class played Silent Night with the bells- so sweet! We had a quieter Christmas than normal because we didn't get to go to Des Moines, but that's okay because we welcomed a new cousin! Grandma and Grandpa went to help, so that's why we didn't make it to Des Moines, but we had some fun days with the De Jongs and some fun family activities too. Brooks Allen Schornack was born on December 29, 2022 at 11:13am and 7 lbs 15 oz. We were going to meet him in January, but then couldn't because of sickness, but glad we were able to meet and hold him in February when they came for the birthday celebration. He's a sweetie! That makes seven cousins for Lucy and Ellory! They are both sweet older cousins and very gentle with the babies. At the end of January, we were able to go for a weekend to MOA as the girls' big Christmas gift. It was so much fun and thankful for special time together. We enjoyed Crayola Experience, Amazing Mirror Maze, lots of rides, Sea World, and swimming at the hotel.

The girls are looking forward to soccer and t-ball coming up! They got roller blades for Christmas and new bikes for their birthday and both of those have been a big hit. Lucy is wearing size 11 shoe and Ellory is wearing size 12; both are wearing S/6 clothes. They recently had their six year wellness check and grateful for healthy, growing girls. Lucy was 44 lbs (43%), Ellory was 46 lbs (58%), and both were 47” (77%). Lucy was a tiny bit taller, but not by much and the nurse just wrote it down the same. Ellory is super close to sleeping without a pull-up and has been doing great (mainly just struggles when sleeping not at home). Both have been sleeping through the night great! They both have lost two teeth! Lucy lost her bottom right on 12/24/22 and Ellory lost her bottom left on 1/1/23. Ellory hates losing her teeth but is relieved when it's over, and Lucy will tug on it in the bathroom by herself over and over again. We have had ten snow days this year and looking forward to spring!

Lucy is competitive and will definitely be an athlete. She has drive and is ready and eager to play every sport she can. She occasionally still takes a catnap- she plays hard and crashes hard. She is full of energy and likes to stay active. She enjoys hot wheels cars, playmobil sets, building toys, dolls and accessories, Barbies, coloring/crafts, shooting baskets, rollerblades/biking, hitting golf balls, and loves to help me in the kitchen.

Ellory is a deep thinker and thoughtful. She plays with the best of them but also likes a little calm down time in her bed too. She is pretty easy going but really hates when she can't find a specific piece to a toy set she's looking for. Ellory likes to draw/color, craft, read, ride bike, rollerblade, playmobil sets, Barbies, dolls and accessories, and animals. She talked about being a vet for a long time, but recently has been saying she wants to be a zookeeper.

Lucy and Ellory, having twins is such a great gift and we are so thankful for your lives! You bring joy and love to our family everyday and we are so thankful you are ours. We pray your hearts would grow up to love Jesus. We are so glad you are doing well in school and enjoying kindergarten. We love you so much and Jesus loves you the most!