Here we are again, the end of another eventful year. It's hard to believe that in the trenches, time seems to stand still, but when you look back, it really flew by. 2014 cannot be put into a few short paragraphs. This year pushed and stretched us almost to the breaking point on many occasions. But we lived to tell the tail of the great and terrible 2014....but it has also been a GREAT year.
The year started off with a bang in January when Marty was laid off from his job in St. George. That was our first hint that this year was going to be an interesting one.
After a couple months of job searching like mad, Marty landed a job with a GREAT company. Unfortunately that job was in California.
The decision was made for me and the girls to stay in St. George to finish out the school year, wait for baby Brody to make his appearance and to sell the house while Marty moved to California to begin his job. We saw him on weekends when he was able to come home.
Being on my own with 4 kids and pregnant, and then having Brody and being on my own with 5 kids was kind of a joke. But we made it through and are stronger for it.
Eventually, the decision was made that we would move to California with Marty in September and our realtor would push much harder to sell the house. In November, the house was officially sold. It was very bittersweet. A rental house in California fell into our laps almost effortlessly. We knew it was where we were meant to be.
California has been quite a difficult adjustment at times. BUT we have met some of the most wonderful people we've ever known. Our ward has welcomed us in wholeheartedly, and for that we are beyond grateful. We have friendships that feel closer than any we've had in the places we've lived before, and we've only been here a few months. I cannot begin to express my gratitude that we were lead to this ward. We all feel so at home with them.
Now - without further ado - the traditional Christmas letter:
Marty (old) - Marty is loving his job as a Biomedical Technician. He is working for a great nationwide company with a lot of promise and opportunity. He pushes hard to get extra training to move up faster, and we are so grateful for his hard working nature. He still loves to play his guitar and sing
(Brody's FAVORITE pastime is listening to him) and would love to get back to writing...finding time is the hard part. He is also serving as the 1st Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency and Varsity Scout Coach in our ward. He stays very busy between his job and church callings, but is doing great work.
Camille (less old) - Camille is staying SUPER busy with 5 little people and a house to care for. She is the Enrichment Leader in the ward as well as the Ward Librarian
(or Primary Pianist...don't know where that stands right now honestly). She holds a lot of power with the key to the library. She is quite popular with people wanting copies and supplies. She loves feeding the missionaries and signs up to have either the Elders or Sisters about once a week.
(We have both assigned to our ward, so we rotate who we have over). We love having them in our home and being able to get to know them. Camille is still working part time as a transcriptionist
(finding time is also a problem) and sometimes enjoys the job...sometimes.
Brielle (9) - Brielle is in 4th grade and is doing wonderfully. The school they go to focuses on the arts. She is learning to play the guitar and is in a drama class which will put on a play later in the year. She is going to switch from guitar to piano though, as that is what she really wants to do. She has made friends easily and excels in academics. She was the winner of her class spelling B and will go to the school spelling B later this school year. She takes it seriously and has been studying her word list they sent home with her. She is a HUGE helper to her mother, who couldn't survive without her. She is great to hold Brody or play with little kids when needed and also without being asked. She is definitely our second mother around here.
Claire (7) - Claire is in 2nd grade, and also doing wonderfully. She is learning Spanish and to play the recorder this year in her school. Claire is lucky to have a teacher that pushes her. The teacher got special permission from the librarian to let Claire go to the library as much as she wants to return and check out books. She is constantly reading, and I am SO grateful she has a teacher willing to make these things happen for her. Claire is our sweet, free spirited girl. She is happy, silly, sweet, creative and energetic. She always keeps us laughing and we are beyond grateful for that. She is always writing incredibly creative stories for school and says some of the most hilarious things. She is a sibling favorite and quite frequently has Addison or Molly hanging on her, following her around or begging her to read them bed time stories. She is also the only one to get true big belly laughs out of Brody.
Addison (5) - Addison is in Transitional Kindergarten at the same school as the older girls. She goes every day in the afternoon and loves riding home on the bus with her sisters. She is also excelling in academics, but has kept her stubborn nature. I found out from her teacher that if she gets tired of working on something in class, she will just put it in her backpack and sit down. When her teacher asks where it is, she will tell her "I didn't want to do it now. I'll do it at home." The teacher has been sweet and patient in reminding Addison that she needs to finish her work to turn in for her to look at. As the teacher said, "She's a great girl! She knows what she wants and goes for it. If she gets bored, she has no issue letting us know." Just what a mom wants to hear. :) She is a girl that loves physical activity and is constantly jumping, spinning, running and doing all sorts of "gymnastics" around the house. She is full of life and passionate about everything she does.
Molly (3) - Molly is a lovey girl. She stays home with mom and Brody all day. She has a smile on her face 90% of the time and is a ray of sunshine everywhere she goes. She is not - however - a push over and holds her own with her older sisters. She has a little fight in that sweet personality and doesn't take no for an answer. She loves her baby brother "Roby"
(she can't say Brody) and sometimes loves him a little too much. She's obsessed with all things 'Frozen' and Minnie Mouse. She spends her days dancing, singing, yelling for more milk and playing with little dolls. She is a smart girl and is always busting out things we had no idea she knew...for instance how to count to 10, most colors and some letters in the alphabet. Thank goodness for PBS, right?
(I kid)
Brody (almost 6 months) - Brody is the best baby we could ever ask for. He is happy, sweet and content. He loves all the attention from his older sisters and takes it all in stride. He has the sweetest most joyful little face and flashes his great smile to everyone we see. He is happy to just sit and be served, therefore he isn't rolling, sitting up or doing much of anything. He is
capable of rolling over and scooting on his back a little...but why would he with 4 older sisters to do his bidding? Mommy's not complaining though! He has discovered that he can bounce his bouncy chair by kicking his legs and gets great joy in doing that for a long time. He's going to have leg muscles of steel...or flip himself out of the bouncy chair. One or the other.
2014 may have been a difficult year, but it was a year that helped us grow stronger as a family as well. While we wouldn't wish for trials, we are grateful for the lessons we learn from them.
We hope that this Christmas season is a great one for you all, and that you will remember the true reason we celebrate.
This video is one I put together (with some help) for our Relief Society Christmas party. While it is long, it is a good reminder of what Christmas is all about.
Merry Christmas!
