Christmas Letter 2007

Here's Jim's yearly installment on the blog. He's taken over the Christmas letter for four years now. It's a task I'm thrilled to hand over to his capable hands. He also does a great job. Thanks for chronicling another year for us, honey! Nothing like trying to fit 365 days onto an 8.5 x 11.

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Greetings!!!


Here I (Jim) am again, hoping to convey all that has happened in the past year within one concise and well-worded page. Mind you, I’m doing all this while trying not to type too loud, and/or cause my chair to squeak so that Hudson continues to sleep. We rarely have a quiet moment, but I suppose that one day we will look back and miss all the shrieks, laughter, questions, and commentary.
Grace is our resident philosopher and ringmaster. She takes in the world around her in amazing detail. She loves to watch movies, though often she gets afraid when the characters are in a tense situation. Grace is undoubtedly the leader of the crew. She rarely goes anywhere in the house by herself. Somehow she always gets one of them to follow. They go on magic futon rides to school, the park, and Grandma’s house. All the while, the dogs are in tow with baby blankets strung through their collars for leashes. (Don’t feel too bad for them, it’s by choice most of the time.)
Patience is our strong-willed servant. Last week Patie got a gift of $5.00 in the mail from her Great Grandma for her birthday present. We asked her what she wanted to do with it and right away she said “I want to take Daddy on a date to get Icees. Then I'm going to give it to people that don't have food!" She wanted to give the rest of her birthday money to the Salvation Army. It’s amazing to see what’s in the heart of a child …I think I’ve still got some things to learn. Patie is a hard one to say “no” to; her innocent, direct, and persistent approach gets me almost every time.
Lily‘s personality is still revealing itself. We believe that she is going to be an artist. She has an affinity for highlighters and crayons and we hope that one day soon she will begin to share her gift with the world (rather than coloring the inside of her mouth). Lily is sweet, and sure of what she wants- mainly to do exactly what her big sisters do. Most of the time this is good (she cleans up her own plate, cup and place mat after meals) and sometimes it’s not. Do you know how long it takes to walk through a grocery store at the pace of a meandering 18 month old? She is a sweetheart a lot of the time. If you see her, there’s a good chance she’ll raise her arms so that you can pick her up.
Hudson James is our newest addition. Yes, the balance of power is beginning to shift the other way. (I know how worried you were for me.) Hudson was born September 9th, and weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. He’s becoming proficient at smiling, cooing, tooting, and pooping. We’re hoping that sleeping follows shortly. If you’d like to see him smile, show up to baby-sit from approximately 6 to 8 am on any given day. Please don’t think we’re rude if we go back to bed.
Megan is doing well, though cognitive thought has been hindered by sleep deprivation in recent months. I am always amazed at how she handles it all. I’m typically ready to head back to work for a break on Monday, but she keeps the ship aright and the kids learning and growing. I usually settle for one of the three when I’m in charge. One of Megan’s more recent passions is blogging, so if you’d like to receive more regular updates from us please check out the website at the bottom of the page. She tries to post most every day.
I’m still designing trusses for Timber Roots, at least when I’m not taking one of my beautiful ladies on dates for hot chocolate, icees, movies, or Italian. I’ve got a rather coveted position, Not many men get to date four ladies at one time. I also continue to listen to a lot of sermons online, and have actually read a number of books this year. Not watching much TV frees up some time for other things.
I think that about takes care of this year. I’m sure before I know it I’ll be writing another one of these to you. Between now and then, we hope that you will celebrate the risen Christ with us each day, for without Him, we have no hope. “Today in the town of David a Savior has born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” There is no other. Merry Christmas!!!


Jim, Megan, Grace, Patience, Lily and Hudson