Merry Christmas!

What a year 2011 has been! It's been so fun and I've done poorly at recording more, but here's the recap in a nutshell:
Let's begin at the beginning: New Year's found us with a one week old baby daughter! Noelle Anne (Ellie) was born December 22 at 6 lb 15 oz, and came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, Christmas 2010 for me is a bit of a sleepy blur. We love having this beautiful girl in our family. She is a little Momma's girl and cuddle bug. She knows her name and "no no". She is beginning to learn some sign language to help us communicate. She is famous for her "gimpy" crawl (right foot, left knee) and she loves to climb (my first big-time climber). She climbs up on stools, stairs, and rocking chairs, etc. whenever she is given the chance. She is adored by her sisters (sometimes competitively). She loves rocking and having stories to read her, playing cars with Amanda, dancing with Katie (I love the baby tooshie dance!) and her pink penguin, Penny. Ellie is well-loved and our sweet Christmas baby who is growing up so quickly!The second big event of 2011 came in April. We officially ended our financial relationship with the universities, in the form of Brett's graduation from BYU Law School. It came with great joy, and mild (bordering on hysterical) trepidation, as Brett still remained unemployed. After applying all over the nation, he ended up 2 miles from home working for a small business law firm in downtown Provo! It's a relief to know we can start paying back those student loans with something! He has a lot of independence in setting his own work terms, which is nice. I'm enjoying the lack of homework, but it's been sad to give up the holiday breaks and the flexible hours (that was a two-edged sword). I'm so proud of Brett and all that he's accomplished. I'm also glad that his schooling is over! :)Third big event: Katie entered kindergarten in the fall. She thinks her teacher is grand, and so do her parents. She has already taken another jump toward reading and writing. She loves art and learning new songs. She has a great time making new friends. If she could, I think she'd love to go to school all day, every day! Katie mastered riding a two-wheel bike this year, as well as tying her own shoes. She loves dressing up and dancing, pretending to cook (we all know real cooking isn't as much fun!), and acting out stories with sisters, dolls, animals, etc. I can't believe I have a child in school, but she's great to face new challenges.Fourth big event: Amanda and Ellie took their first family vacation for their first time at Disneyland! We've waited for years to be able to get traveling again and it was a joy to see Amanda experience all that is Disneyland! She loved having many rides that she could go on (a few were still too big) and loved the characters and princesses. We plan to go again next year, and I think Ellie will enjoy it more and more too. (Yes, I know I still need to post the trip!)Amanda enjoyed becoming the big sister this year. She loves to read stories to Ellie every morning, and insists on pushing the stroller when we go out. Amanda loves to put together puzzles, play at the park, dance, sing, play with cars, and tag along her big sister. It's been hard to be left home when Katie goes to school each day, but once we're home she does enjoy being the biggest kid at home with no one to boss her around! Amanda has enjoyed more opportunities to play with friends her age. She is usually very cooperative and sharing with her friends and sisters. What a joy to have our Manda-Panda.

Wendy is one year older, and wiser too. I try each day to prioritize and remember that dirty floors will keep much longer than my babies will. But I still need reminders. I finally made a good contact with a community clinic in Provo (similar to the other clinics I've worked at), and so I've been able to pick up a couple of shifts closer to home. It's sublime to have an 8 minute commute instead of a 58 minute one! I still work about two shifts a month in Salt Lake as well. This year, I finally completed Amanda's birth cross-stitch sampler, and am working to design Ellie's. I still enjoy reading, paper crafts, traveling and more, and just keep trying to find little bits of time along the way to give to my interests.
We feel so blessed as we look back on an eventful year. We have been buoyed up and provided for at every turn. We know these are blessings from our Savior and we rejoice in celebrating his birth and life. We hope you and your family find joy as you also remember the Lord whose birth we celebrate, and whose life saves each of us.

Merry Christmas!

Brett, Wendy, Katie, Amanda and Ellie