I've never written a Christmas letter before, but since I love reading them from other people, I decided to give it a go this year. This year has been challenging at times, but even amongst the difficult things, God has been good, and we have experienced great joy. As we look back on 2011, these are some of the blessings that stick out to us...
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| Olivia Brooke born 2-5-11 |
Birth Day. Obviously, welcoming Olivia to our family tops the list. Her sweet disposition and joyful presence have been such a blessing to our family. Life with three kids is CRAZY, but this sweet girl is so worth it.
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| "New" Charlie about 3 weeks after going gluten free |
Celiac Disease. Crazy, I know. I wouldn't have ever thought that finding out that two of my kids have an auto-immune disease would be one of the top blessings of the year, but it absolutely is. It was not just a diagnosis, it was an answer. Finally knowing what had been making Charlie so sick was an answer to prayer, and watching his transformation has been amazing. He's gone from being a sickly, skinny little boy to a vibrant, energetic, wild kid! We love his energy and are so thankful to have the "real" Charlie back. Plus, we're all eating healthier as we learn to follow a gluten-free diet.
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| Walters Family trip to Chelan |
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| Gledhill Family trip to the Oregon Coast |
Family Time. We were so fortunate to spend time with both of our families on vacation this summer. We loved splashing in the pool in Chelan with Jeff's family and digging in the sand on the Oregon coast with mine. We love, love, love our families and are so thankful that our kids have such close relationships with their grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. The weeks spent with them were some of our very favorite of the year.
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| Seabrook trip in June with our "small" group |
Friendship. Looking back on the year, we can't help but be thankful for the amazing group of friends we are blessed to be a part of. Both in our church and in our neighborhood, we have somehow landed amongst the most amazing people. Together we celebrated births, mourned the loss of loved ones, prayed over lost jobs, rejoiced for new jobs, supported those fighting difficult health battles, and shared the challenges and joys of being parents to little ones. We're so thankful for all of the people who allow us to be a part of their lives.
School Daze. In September, we sent Grace off to her first day of Kindergarten and Charlie to his first day of preschool. It has been a big adjustment for our family. Olivia and I spend a lot of time in the car shuttling the older two to school, but it is definitely worth it. School has brought new friends (for the kids and for me!), new learning (I am astounded at what kindergartners learn!), and so much happiness for the kids. I miss having the kids home with me, but it is a new phase of life for us, and I'm learning to embrace it. 
Camping. This is definitely another surprise blessing this year. I am not a natural camper...far from it, in fact. But the night we spent camping at Lake Kachess with my sister and her family was most certainly a highlight to the year. Camping may just become our family's "thing", but I'm not committing yet. :)
Church. A look back at the blessings of the year wouldn't be complete without mention of our awesome church, The Downtown Church. The people there truly are like family and the teaching challenges and encourages us. Jeff and I get so much joy out of teaching the 3 and 4 year olds, and our two big kids LOVE going to church and learning about Jesus. Olivia, on the other hand, well, she doesn't love it...yet!
This is certainly not an exhaustive list...there have been many, many blessings this year, both big and small.
We have so much to be thankful for and much to look forward to in 2012!
