Christmas Letter 2009

For regular blog readers, the letter below might be a bit redundant, but I'm going to share it anyway!

Dear Family and Friends—

It’s that time of year again—time to account for the months we’ve spent since the last letter we sent out, to show that we’ve moved forward and done something noteworthy with the talents and resources we’ve been given, to mention the blessings that have graced our lives.

March brought change into our lives as The Hub started work with a county social work agency, working with children and teens with mental illnesses. It’s not his dream job, but does allow him to earn hours towards his professional counseling license. As of last week, The Hub has approximately 2100 of his 3000 hours earned. At this rate, he should have his full license by the end of next summer, an event we both look forward to, as it means greater career opportunities for him.

With his job came the ability to live on our own and so we moved to an acceptable apartment in Euless, Texas. The ward is a mix of cultures, with a heavy dose of Tongans, and has been a pleasure to live in. The Hub started as a Sunday School teacher to the 12-14 year olds, but soon found himself called as second counselor in the Elders Quorum. I would have had a calling earlier, but in April I came down with a serious case of morning sickness. When I recovered myself, I received the calling of Relief Society pianist. It’s not my favorite calling, as I tend to experience performance anxiety, but the chorister and I have worked it out and we’re in a comfortable place.

The Eldest has made fantastic progress with her homeschooling. During the beginning of the year she continued her interest in Greek myths, combining with some Norse myths. After I got sick, we moved to reading from the Magic Tree House series. That is, The Eldest is doing the reading on her own, quickly and happily. She’s also making progress with her math and art skills. She still loves the color blue, butterflies, fairies, and the movie Atlantis, among other things. She has a persistent quality about her that pushes her to move forward in her reading, but also gets her in trouble at times. She’s a bright light in our lives.

Little Miss Bubbly caused us the most anxiety this year, but she makes up for it with her humor and exuberance. In June she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Living with diabetes was difficult at first, but it’s become a normal part of our lives, and Miss Bubbly’s gotten as used to receiving insulin shots as The Hub and I have gotten used to giving them. She’s doing very well now and is learning to read, to tell her right shoe from her left, and improving her art skills as long as I let her exercise them. We still have yet to come to an understanding on the walls not being her personal canvas. She still loves the color yellow, but claims to like blue and all the other colors of the rainbow. She also loves playing board games and dancing and singing to us whenever the mood strikes. She is a wonderful part of the heart of our family.

The Boy decided to join our family two weeks earlier than predicted, and was my smallest baby as a result, weighing in at only 7 pounds 12 ounces. (Both girls were over 9 pounds.)Through a ferocious bout of eating, he has caught up to his sisters and as of last week weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces. The Boy is a mellow baby except for when he’s getting a diaper change, a bath, or not getting fed fast enough. He takes the multiple kisses he receives from his adoring family very well, and sometimes he consents to sleep at night. He has The Hub’s coloring—reddish blond hair—and a face very similar to Miss Bubbly’s infant face. It will be interesting to see how he develops. We love him greatly.

So there’s our account, our blessings, our progress. We know that all of it comes from our loving Heavenly Father and we’re grateful to Him—even for the trials. This Christmas season brings a wonderful Spirit and we pray that it will touch your lives as we celebrate the birth of the Savior.

With all our love,

The C-------s