Christmas Cards

So Michael's making fun of the way I keep track of all of my Christmas Card addresses. He says I'm archaic. Well I'll show him archaic. I'm going to go ahead and post my newsletter on here for those of you that didn't make the cut and aren't getting a card. Although I can't imagine possibly sending out any more.

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a busy year for our household. We left our home in Salem earlier this year and moved to the big city (well, Sellwood, which is technically in Portland but feels more like a little town in the middle of the big city). We fell in love with the area and are now in the process of buying a 1922-built house in the neighborhood. We're excited to have a place with 5 bedrooms, 2 full baths, an unfinished basement, yard, and detached two-car garage. It's unheard of around here and, at the price we're getting, it falls just shy of a miracle.

Michael is still working in Portland. Being close to the office, he now rides his bike or takes the bus every day. In fact, he even traded his dream car for a brand new commuter bike. He still does photography work on the side, and he has started coaching a co-worker for long distance running.

Meg is loving living in the city and has joined a few city league volleyball teams and plays whenever she can get away. Despite missing her friends in Salem, she's adjusted well. She also loves having a well-rested husband at the end of the day.

Aaron is in 2nd grade now, he loves reading (and he says he has read probably about 10,000 pages so far this year) and is doing very well in school. He enjoys going on walking field trips around the neighborhood because they are fun and it means less time that he has to spend sitting at his desk.

Eddie is in kindergarten and, despite a rocky start, he's making good progress. We've learned that Eddie's full of greatness and is a very spirited (if not spiritual) child. So far this year he's claimed to not believe in God just so he could play on Sunday and yet when asked if he wants to be a missionary he said, “No I want to be a prophet.” He even went so far as to create and sing his own version of “Follow the Prophet” (a popular children's song at church). He is constantly keeping us on our toes with his antics.

Ian is a fun loving toddler with an infectious giggle who likes to fly high while playing airplane with mom. He also enjoys feeding his mother snacks like pretzel sticks while she types on the computer. He loves his big brothers and likes to tackle, chase and wrestle with them.

We hope you are all having a great holiday season and have a great New Year.

Love,

Michael, Meg and the Boys