Christmas Card

Merry Christmas everyone! This is the best I can do this year, which is more than what we've done the last 2 years. Got the idea from a dear friend who thinks cards with letters are cheesy. Since "Cheese" is my favorite nickname, I'm going to make her proud and complete this "card" with a nice letter. I love to read them, so please keep mailing your cards and letters to us. And, maybe if we're not pregnant or moving, I'll get a real card/pic/letter in the mail next year!

2006, in a word ... incredible! We moved from Colorado, to Kansas, to Texas, and back to Colorado. Why? Scott was busy opening a few new markets with his business partner. He loves a challenge, and sees new opportunity as a big adventure. He led our family through a crazy and very unsure time, but his trust and whole-hearted belief that we were in the hands of God was unwavering. This was such a gift to our family, and provided stablity that I needed. I learned this year that he's a hard worker and expects himself to use his giftedness to serve God and others.

Rana is our social butterfly and a really bright kid. This past summer her Aunt Liz gave her reading books, and she is reading like a champ. She also tried gymnastics and swimming this year and excelled in both. She takes pride in doing things well. Another thing she does well is fashion. She loves to dress herself and style her hair. This pic is her latest do (click on the photo to enlarge). It is actually not bad compared to the 6 ponytails she made me put in her hair to go to the park this past summer. She got lots of compliments. Really, she did!

Owen is our quiet, but mischievious little guy. He's quite funny too! I have high hopes that he will be a great athlete. This past summer Rana played soccer. We couldn't get her in a game, but we couldn't keep Owen off the field. He even demanded that he wear her soccer jersey to bed at night. He also learned to fish, and got to practice his luck at Papa's pond the first half of the year. He loves it! Owen is definitely in his "terrific two's!"

Jace is our big blessing for 2006. He is such a happy baby, and loves to laugh at his big brother and sister. I think he will be a very decisive little fella. He seems to know what he wants and what he doesn't, and doesn't mind sharing it. He's a bit larger than Rana and Owen were, but still a big sweetie. When he was 6 weeks old, we moved back to Colorado, and at 6 months we moved him to our new house. He took it all like a champ, and gave us only one week of grief when his 4 teeth came in. Three kids is tough, but I wouldn't choose a day without him.

For me, this year started weird and ended great! I love our new house, and am asking God to keep us here for a very LONG time. We have 5 college buddies up here, which is unbelievably fun, and we've met some really great new friends since we've been back. It's hard to believe that this time last year I was packing all our belongings into storage and daily asking God what the next day would hold. It definitely was an adventure and even fun. However, I'm equally grateful for a little calm in the storm.

Can't wait to see what 2007 holds for our family and yours. Merry Christmas! We hope that your holiday and year is filled with Jesus.