2011 Annual Christmas Letter

Greetings to all my friends and family!
I do not know which annual letter this is for us...I can't remember when we started a letter...maybe the year we got married or maybe it was after E-Pie was born.  It seems like yesterday that I wrote the last one. So much growing is happening here in our home.

My little man turned 3 this June and we had a big celebration to kick it all off. But this birthday was different from any that we have had before. In lieu of gifts for C-Bear this year, he asked his friends to make a donation to help provide relief for the victims of the tornado disasters in Alabama. I was really surprised that C-Bear was willing to forgo presents for himself so that he could help others, but I am one proud mama! (more about the party.)

We took a little drive up to Maine in July to visit brother-in-law and his family. We stayed almost 2 weeks which included traveling time. It was so much fun to spend time with them. The kids had such a blast playing with their cousins. It was like no time had passed from the time they saw them last. They just picked up where they left off. I love the closeness that they share even though we live 18 hours away. We definitely feel blessed to have family we LOVE to spend time with. And it doesn't hurt that my sister-in-law is an AWESOME photographer! She definitely has an eye for taking great pictures. (More about Maine.)

We traveled to Minnesota in August to celebrate K's grandmother turning 100! It was really nice visiting with family, and I am glad the kids got to meet their Great-Grandmother. We got to see the Mainers again and E-pie got to celebrate her 5th birthday (yes, I know she is growing up way too fast) with her cousins at the Mall of America. (More about Minnesota)

The summer of travels ended with a family trip that included my side of the family in Destin, Florida during a hurricane storm. I wanted to start an annual family trip with large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and parents. We decided to rent a house for Labor Day weekend. It was a good thing that the house was beautiful and comfortable because we spent most of the weekend sequestered inside due to the inclement weather. I am not going to let this discourage me from planning another one next year. It was kind of nice to be stuck together and begin and end our day together.

We adopted a new member into our family this summer. Spanky came to us from friends at church. God must have heard my many pleas to get the perfect dog for our family because he is certainly that.

I got to take a fun girls' trip (sans family) out to California to visit a close friend before she had her first baby. It was so much fun to travel around and see sights, eat yummy food,  and just hang out with my girlfriends. (More about my trip.) Well, from this trip spurred a desire to run a 5K race (which is a little more than 3 miles for those who don't do metric). Running with a friend definitely makes running more bearable. Although,  I think I am allergic to running, because I sneeze uncontrollably after most runs. Regardless, I am happy to report that I can mark running a 3K off my list of things to do in life even if it took me 38 minutes.

We celebrated our 9th anniversary this year! I cannot believe I have been married to the man of my dreams for 9 years!!! God certainly knew what he was doing when he put us together. I truly feel blessed and honored to have K as my husband, best friend, and better half.

Homeschooling continues to be going well. I cannot say how blessed I am to have this opportunity to teach my own children. I never thought I had enough patience to be doing this but God has given me many opportunities to practice this skill. E-Pie and C-Bear amaze me in their capacity to learn. We have lots of fun when we get together with other homeschooling friends. Most of all, I love being able to spend time with my children in an unhurried way. C-Bear and E-Pie both tried T-ball this summer and both enjoyed it but I think E-Pie still prefers her dancing. She started taking ballet at Perimeter Church this year and has enjoyed it so far. E-Pie has also started taking piano lessons from our neighbor and is doing very well. C-Bear is trying out soccer and has enjoyed it.

This year has been another blessed one for our family. I am thankful everyday for all that God has provided for us. Our small group from church has been a big part of our lives this year as we spend time growing closer to God, delving deeper into His words, and serving others. It is such a joy to know each day how much He loves each one of us. We wish that your year has been a joyful one and we pray that the new year will bring you the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the peace of His love.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!

~H