2006 Christmas Letter

Here are some of the highlights from 2006.

Well, I'll start with 2005. In December, we found out we were expecting. In April, we found out it was a GIRL!! Talk about a miracle! First grandaughter on both sides - 6 boys! Also in April, our church sent us to Disney Land in California. Here's a picture:

OK, I couldn't stop with one picture. We had a blast, as you can see! Ian was even brave enough to ride Big Thunder Mountain with his dad, and Sylas worked up the nerve (by the last day) to ride the Dumbo Elephants. :)

Here is a pic of Ian's 4th birthday - also in April.

In June, we put our condo on the market for sale by owner. 3 open houses, 1 failed offer, and 3 months later, we finally got professional help. It was pretty trying keeping the house clean with 2 rowdy boys, and me being fairly huge by then. Plus, we were nervous about the timing of the move, the closer it got to my due date. But, God had it all under control. He sold our house 2 weeks before the baby was due. More on that later.

The 2nd week in June, Grandma (Christy's mom) came out for a week to babysit the boys while Brent & I went to Boulder, CO for the annual Acts 29 retreat. What a great week we all had - the boys got to do all their favorite things, and Brent & I had a restful time of recharging!


Here are some pictures of Sylas's party in July. He, unfortunately got sick and we had to reschedule his party for 2 weeks after his birthday, so many of his friends couldn't make it. We still had a great time, though.

A "GI-Joe" theme, in case you were wondering.

In mid-July, Brent's parents came out for 10 days. Brent's mom was a guest panelist for a discussion forum that concluded a women's class that Christy co-taught at our church. Her wisdom was an outstanding addition to the panel!! We had a great time with them, especially since they had never been to visit us when it was SUNNY!

In August, we took a family hike (yes, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant!) up to Bridal Veil Falls near Steven's Pass. It was a crazy hike - 4 miles round trip, but some pretty steep terrain for a pregnant woman, and a 3 & 4-year old. The boys were troopers, and we saw some pretty amazing scenery.

So, an offer was made on our house 2 weeks before the baby was born. We found a new place a week before she was born, then the big day came for Alexandra's arrival - August 30. She was a scheduled C-section, so we had it on the calendar. She came screaming into the world at 7:17 am, weighing 8 lbs (my smallest baby), and 20.5 inches long.

What a great baby she is! She learned early-on to sleep through anything, and she has been an absolute joy. Brent's mom came the first week in September to help out, and she was a life-saver!

We moved on September 25 into a bigger house - we needed a bedroom for poor Alexandra. It seems like a mansion compared to the 1,000 square feet we had before. We are so thankful for God's provision for our needs. I now have a walk-in closet, master bathroom with 2 sinks and a huge tub, and a real laundry ROOM. Plus, we have a 2-car garage, which we have converted into a playroom for the boys. No more tripping over toys in the living room. (at least that's the goal)

For Thanksgiving, we went up to Leavenworth with a group of close friends and family. We rented a lodge , and it snowed the whole time we were there. What great memories!

Christy's parents came the week between Christmas and New Years. We actually got to keep them at our house this year, since we had the extra space. The boys had a great time with Grandma and Pops, and they got to meet Alexandra for the first time.

They babysat for us the night of our anniversary - December 28 was 10 YEARS! Brent arranged for a girl in our church who flies small planes to take us to Friday Harbor in the San Juans for dinner. It was amazing - the weather was flawless, which was a gift from God in Seattle. We saw the sunset on the way out over the mountains, and flew around Seattle twice on our way back. Kudos to my wonderful husband for planning such a romantic date!

Well, there you go. Our year in review. All I can say after reflecting is that God is good.