Dec. 23: Thanks so much to everyone who gave me feedback on this year’s photo for my holiday cards. I was pretty happy with split-screen result. Life is just too chaotic to depict it as serene:)
What follows is my 2008 Christmas card letter. Merry Christmas to all!
Christmas 2008
I hope this note finds you well both in health and in
heart. Having two little kids fills our
days to the brim!
Andrew, our darling, thoughtful, inquisitive three-year-old has
jumped right in to our Christmas traditions.
He can’t wait to open his advent calendar each morning, and he loves to
help me bake Christmas cookies – especially when he gets to lick the bowl. Andrew has been going to preschool two
mornings each week, and he frolics about with anticipation. He’s such a neat kid! Animals continue to be his favorite topic,
and he’s developing an encyclopedic knowledge of the world’s creatures.
Sylvia is 10-months-old this December. Our baby girl’s first Christmas! She has lit up our lives like a Roman
candle, and my heart is held captive by her impish, toothy grin. Sylvia abounds in energy and determination. She is already starting to walk by pushing
around chairs, and she loves to climb.
Just the other day, she said her first non-babbling word…“uuhhp!” It’s a lot of work to keep up with her
beloved older brother, but she’s up for the challenge. Andrew recently suggested that we rename
Sylvie “Sugar” because she’s “tho thweet!”
Bryan and I mostly chase and tend to the children, but when
he’s not doing that, Bryan is a
software engineer at the biotech company OpGen.
He’s taken quite an interest in chess and enjoys quiet evenings playing
on chess.com online. If you’re ever
looking for a chess partner, I’m sure he’d be game!
I am approaching the one-year anniversary of being a full-time
mom. It’s been great! I enjoy spending so much time with my kiddos,
and while there certainly are challenging times, I’ve been really happy. It makes a big difference to have friends who
are also at home! I feel very lucky.
Our families are doing well.
This January, Bryan’s
parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary! Bryan’s
dad gives speeches all around Texas
(and increasingly elsewhere), so they’re well-seasoned travelers. Ben and Melanie have recently moved to a new
place in Dallas, and we have really
enjoyed getting to see them several times this summer and fall.
My family is moving forward and doing fun things…despite the
lack of our sweet Mommy to guide and comfort us all. Michael got a new job at Lands End, and he and
Lisa have wedding plans for October of ’09. Maretta and Kyle got married last
May, and they have a sweet little nest together in St.
Paul. Joe is a
junior at Bowdoin, and in January he’ll be traveling to Sri
Lanka for the semester. Oh, how I wish I could join him! Dad has been busy, busy, busy with his
political work, and we see him pretty regularly: Andrew loves having lunch with
his grandpa.
I report on our family’s activities in my blog:
dotzourfamily.com. It’s an easy way to
keep in touch!
Amidst this frantically-paced time of year, I hope you find
time to settle into a soft chair with a warm drink and perhaps a cozy cat to
take a moment to reflect, appreciate, and dream. Best wishes for 2009.
~Althea
This post made me smile! It makes school and the dentist look like a lot of fun!