It's Official...Our Christmas Letter

I'm reconsidering sending out Christmas letters again after receiving so many this year from friends and family. This picture would have been a good one to send with the letter.

Here is Travis asserting his decision to be in the picture, and yet, not part of the 'dogpile'. He has a loving and strong willed spirit, which keeps me active, exhausted, and filled with love all at the same time. Which you might not have imagined possible, but it is; and I wish everyone could experience it. This picture doesn't show, but his pants are 2 inches above his ankles because he's growing and is in denial. So am I. I'm holding on to every last memory this year at preschool while I watch him choose to be friends with the 'mean' kid and manage the girl crushes. He's doing so good at both.

Matthew is laughing hysterically as he spanks me. Once, for Mother's Day, Tom recorded an audio bite of Matthew's laughter, which is a fitting remedy for anything. Usually Matthew laughs at his own jokes and gets us laughing too, but sometimes, he laughs at gross boy things, which I usually allow because the laughter comes from the belly and is so infectious. Matthew doesn't have a serious bone in his body and is invariably in character at any given moment. At every given moment. My favorite character is a Jedi knight, probably because I get to be the princess.

Makayla is most likely turned away from the camera to encourage Travis to participate and maybe also to tell Matthew to stop spanking me. I'm enjoying that she is old and mature enough to babysit, and she is enjoying spending the money she makes. Saturdays you might find her playing soccer, shopping, socializing with friends, or traveling to Utah visiting her dad. She's learning to juggle family, school and soccer well, which is a skill required for someone who wants to be a mom or a hairdresser or both when she grows up.

Tom is steady. Here he is bearing the weight of the family without straining and with a handsome grin. Even though I'm balancing as much weight as I can, he still is steady under the pressure; more than just the weight in this photo too. Tom may be similar to the character in the fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. Tom is slow. And even though Tom is destined to win, he refuses to admit it's a race.

I believe it's always a race. Why not? It might just be fun; like this picture. It also might be fun to become a licensed massage therapist or a treasurer on the board of the preschool or a leader in primary or the soccer coach or creator of the next adventure. Because life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

We are back in California and are blessed to be around family and near the ocean again. I shouldn't have cropped out the word Family etched in the sand at the bottom of this picture. Because that is exactly what we are. From ours to yours...Happy Holidays!