Last year we didn't get our Christmas cards out. We kept thinking we were going to hear about picking up Alex, so we kept waiting. By March, we decided to go ahead and print off our Christmas letter to send, but then our printer stopped working...
Well, enough excuses for last year. Now I have to excuse myself for not doing it right this year either. But for what it's worth, here's our online Christmas letter:
Starting with Alex:
We were blessed to have him join our family in April. Leigh and I spent 5 days in Taiwan picking him up while the girls spent Spring Break at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Life has sure changed having a toddler boy in the house. He is 20 months old and a bundle of energy. I read a story about Thomas Edison and all the trouble he got into as a small child because of his creative genius. I'm thinking Alex has the potential to become another Edison. He pushes a chair to the sink and climbs up into the sink to give him access to everything in the window. In the amount of time it takes me to brush one of his sister's hair for school, he can have poured someone's leftover hot chocolate all over the floor, gotten into the fridge and helped himself to a yogurt, removed all the pans from the cupboard, and redecorated the Christmas tree. He has a vocabulary of about 2 dozen words that can be understood in context, but his favorite way of getting what he wants is the old-fashioned scream method. His favorite activities are building with blocks, playing in water, and chasing. He has become quite a tease and will sneak up on his sisters, grab something from their hands and run in hopes of getting them to pursue him. He loves to give kisses, especially before naptime, and when anyone uses the word "goodbye."
Amy:
She just turned 5 in November. She loves going to Miss Tonya's preschool 2 days each week. After her first week of preschool, she was telling us about some of the new friends she had made: There was Finlay--"He's just a little guy," and Briley-- "She's big years old." We sent Amy to preschool with high hopes she would meet some new girls to play with, but 2003 must have been a big year for boys, because there's only one other girl in her class. I suppose it's just as well, because Amy is quite the tomboy. When all the little girls are here playing princess, Amy gets to be the brother or the superhero. Her favorite clothes are big T-shirts and holey jeans,and she has her own dressing style. Last week she wanted to wear just one sock to school, because "only this foot gets cold." She loves singing Christmas carols, though she has been known to invent her own words--one of her favorites being "Joy to the Moon." Amy likes to procrastinate getting ready for bed, putting her clothes and toys away, and doing any jobs, but she sometimes, she is way ahead of the game. For instance, she has her Halloween costumes planned for the next 3 years.
Laura:
Laura is 6 1/2 years old, and is attending 1st grade this year. She is really becoming a good reader, and is also doing great in math. Laura is the social butterfly of the family and is always happiest when playing with one of her many friends. She has gotten to the age where she doesn't like people to laugh at her, so I'd better not tell you about the funny things she does. She began taking piano lessons in June and is really excelling at it. Playing Christmas carols has really motivated her to practice. She is also a great helper around the house--loving to surprise us by cleaning things up without being asked--and she's a great help with Alex.
Callie:
Callie went through the stage where she hated being laughed at, but now she's funny on purpose. She has developed her dad's quick wit and subtle sense of humor. She just turned 13, and is in 7th grade at the junior high school. Her favorite subject is English, because she loves to read and to write, but she does very well in all her classes. Her poem and photograph for the PTA Reflections contest were selected as a winners for her school. She continues to wow us with her piano playing, though she'd rather work at the computer keyboard than the piano keyboard. This year, she has also taken up percussion in the 7th grade band and had her first concert in December. Callie has a very sensitive and caring nature. Because of this, she was nominated by her classmates to be on the school's "HOPE Squad." She has also served as Beehive class president at church for the past 10 months.
Leigh:
He's been very busy with his university assignments and his job as managing editor for a professional journal in his field. The latter is basically a service position (he receives a small honorarium once per year) that has sometimes required more than 20 hours per week over the past 3 years. The good news is that he's currently working on his final issue before he passes the job on to the next volunteer. He also has been working on a few fix-up projects around the house and yard, and still makes time to play with the children. He has made up about a dozen verses for "The Wheels on the Bus" that he sings to Alex almost daily (making up your own words to songs must run in the family).
Deborah:
When I'm not chasing Alex or running the girls all over town or trying (without much success at all) to keep up with the housework, I'm usually so worn out that I'm asleep. But when I can pry my eyes open long enough, I like to do digital scrapbooking and sew. I serve as the secretary in the children's organization at church, and I've been very involved with the PTA at Laura's elementary school. Over the summer, I was a 4-H leader for Callie and Laura and 8 other girls. I've always got something going on that makes a mess!
It's been an amazing year for our family. Sometimes I can't believe that it's been a whole year. Other times, I can't believe it's only been 12 short months since I wasn't sending out Christmas cards last year. We have been very blessed. I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and many reasons to rejoice in 2009.
