Merry Christmas!

It has been a long year. Not too many 'big news' things to share, but I will sum it all up - starting at the end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As a new thing - we sent out Christmas cards from the same address as last year. For the first time in 8 years of being married (we just had our 8 year anniversary on Nov. 30) we have been in the same house over a year. We are hoping to be here for next years Christmas card too! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merrill just found out that he will be taking a company command in March. It will be very good for his career. He should be ready too - since he spent a year as the Rear Detachment Commander (finished in July) and had plenty of practice with what to do in CRAZY situations. He ran the Nashville Marathon in April with his brother, sister, and brother-in-law; Sophie traveled with him. Merrill and his brother will be running the Louisville Marathon this coming year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He and I went on a Bahamas Cruise in August - my parents came to watch the kids for a week - and it was great! Just the 2 of us with no phones and no kids for a week. We ate when we wanted, took naps, went swimming. Did WHATEVER we wanted all week. I want to go back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The kids are doing good - Braxton will turn 6 in February and is in kindergarten. He is reading and writing well and loves his class. He is a social butterfly! Every morning when we drop him off there are lots of kids that say "Hi Braxton!" and are happy to see him. He LOVES Wii and Mario and Sonic. He almost always has on a Mario shirt for school and plays Mario/Sonic at school with his friends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merrick turned 4 in September. He is in pre-school at a local gymnastics place with his friend Ranen. They play at each others house at least 2 times a week and when they don't get to - there is lots of crying. He is weird as can be - doing all sorts of crazy moves on the trampoline and funny faces. "He keeps us entertained" is an understatement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sophie, who will turn 2 in February, is a little mommy. She has 2 babies that she must have when she goes to bed. And has them both tucked under her arm for the majority of the day with her free thumb in her mouth. For Christmas we are getting her a stroller so she can have free arms, but still take her babies with her everywhere. I think she will love it. She always is up for painting her toes with me and is amazingly still while I paint her nails! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you read past posts you can see what I have been up to. The kids keep my busy, and its good to have family just a phone call away. My brother Ren and his wife Jessica flew out right after the bad baby news - just in time for Thanksgiving - and we had a great time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``~~~~~~~~~~ Family is the most important thing to us, and we are grateful for the ability to keep in touch so easily! We hope everyone has a great Christmas and are thankful for this special time of year when we can be close to those we love and remember that Christ is the reason for it all! Merry Christmas!