Merry Christmas!

Ben and I have decided this year to postpone Christmas. Cards. There's enough stress around the holidays already, and Ben has a lot of end-of-year commitments with his church assignment as well. We have a couple of projects around the house that are in progress, and we decided that cards are something we can table for now. If you normally receive a card from us, you still will, but not until January or February. So without further ado, I present our Christmas card:

What an exciting year this has been for our family, full of changes and joy. (Don’t we say that every year?) While there have been no major life changes these past twelve months, we have thoroughly enjoyed watching Julie grow and develop, and seeing all the changes that she experiences on a daily basis.

Julie is an incredibly independent little girl. She loves to explore. She gets very excited anytime we put a coat or shoes on her, as she knows she’s in for a new adventure. Her favorite toys are balls and cell phones. She’s not a picky eater, but loves to use a fork and spoon like “the big kids.” Her vocabulary is developing slowly, but she is able to communicate with us in other effective ways, and she understands just about everything that we say to her. She is a mini-clone of Janelle at that age. All in all, we think we’ll keep her.

Benjamin has had a busy year with Scouting. The highlight of his year was the week he spent on the French River in Canada with some of his boys. The scenery was awe-inspiring, the experience singular, and the food – well okay, not the greatest. Later into the Fall, his troop cooked a full Thanksgiving meal outdoors, using Dutch ovens and a homemade oven (they used 2x4s and aluminum flashing to build it). They smoked the turkey inside with coals, and Benjamin has never eaten a tastier turkey.

Janelle has spent a lot of time with her camera this year. She has always enjoyed photography, and has decided it is a talent she would like to develop. She spent all year getting to know her digital camera, and carrying it with her everywhere she went, snapping pictures when it struck her fancy. Unfortunately, her camera broke in August, and though we are borrowing an extra from a family member in the meantime, she looks forward to having her own camera again. We’re saving up to buy a fancy one next year, and with some study and technical training, Janelle hopes to start a small photography business in the next two years. Janelle has also started working with the young women at church, and though the program in our area is small, she enjoys the opportunity to spend time with them.

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and happiness throughout the new year. If you would like to read our blog, and keep up with us more frequently (and see lots of pictures), please email Janelle at ladynutter@roadrunner.com.