Dear Friends and Family,
After waiting as long as possible to write this year’s Christmas letter, I decided to wait a little longer and actually drag out our extremely fragile nativity set instead. So yeah, this will most likely be a New Year’s letter. Better than last year, though when we skipped the letter entirely. You can thank me later.
But anyway, back to the nativity set.
Knowing full well that Mary, Joseph, and crew would look more like action figures than religious ones, I was sure setting up the display would hold the boys’ interest for at least five minutes. Plus, I might even be able to slip in a little bit of the Christmas story (the Cliff’s Notes version, of course) while I was at it.I carefully unwrapped each piece and prepared to give a full rundown of the figurine’s significance when…
“Mom!” Tripp interrupted, swinging a camel by its neck. “Look at this camel. It’s ahhhh-some!”
“It’s not awesome, Tripp,” older brother Isaac shot back. “It’s breakable.”
Figuring a fight would soon follow, I already had my words ready. They’re both right. The story is awesome and the set is breakable. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to share my wisdom. Isaac and Tripp were too busy circling up the figurines for a game of Ring Around the Rosie.
I could try to paint a bit rosier picture of what life is like at our house, but why? Reality is so much better. Reality is noise 24/7, toothpaste smeared on the wall, forts fashioned out of bed sheets, and pleas for “one more kiss” before bed at night. That’s what life is really like for us, but just in case you really want the traditional Christmas letter, here goes:
Addison is in the fourth grade, which means she moved to the middle school and faced much anxiety about remembering her locker combination. She’s kept busy with softball, volleyball, and basketball, and piano lessons. Still, what we’re most proud of is her enormous love for animals. This summer she held numerous lemonade stands and spa days to raise money for the Lincoln Humane Society. While her marketing techniques were at times questionable (signs that read “lemonade 50 cents or free”) her dedication was admirable.
Isaac is 4 years old and started preschool this year. From boarding the bus to navigating the playground; making friends to successfully checking out a li-berry book, every day is a new adventure for Isaac. We were blown away at parent-teacher conferences this fall when his teacher said he just doesn’t talk very much at school. Say what? Even though he thoroughly enjoys preschool he also relishes what he has coined “stay-home days.”
And Tripp. How can I give you an accurate depiction of this 2 year old in four lines or less? He’s a ball of fire who sports pink cowboy boots, wields a foam sword, and requires a Tripp-to-English translation dictionary because he just gets so excited about whatever it is he has to say. Pottie training is a work in progress (more work than progress) and he’s making significant gains when it comes to counting (1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14).Not much has changed with Scott and I (still married, still working). But we both took on a “second job” when we purchased our acreage. We love the space, but really didn’t have a clue as to how much work really needed to be done. The house was almost finished when we bought it. We’ve spent the past year and a half working on various projects. Trust me, we’ve made great strides (but we’re still not quite done).
We did find time for a family vacation to Phoenix last summer to see Brock and his fiancé Virginia. This also included a side trip to the Grand Canyon. It was grand, but I wouldn’t suggest taking an active 2 year old or 4 year old – at least not without a tranquilizer (for mom). We look forward to making many more memories in 2012 and wish you all the best.
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