2011
Dear Family and Friends,
What another year of blessings we have had! The Lord is Good!
Mara is two and has QUITE a personality. She is very strong willed and very independent. She exercises her independence by regularly dressing herself. She has come up with some very interesting ensembles. She enjoys being the big girl at her sitter's house. All the other kids are smaller than her, and she plays the little mama. She loves to imagine and pretend and act like a grown up. This summer she got to be a flower girl in my brother Travis's wedding, and she thoroughly enjoyed the princess dress that my mom found for her.
Walter started his first year of preschool at Zion this year. He goes all day for five days a week. He has class in the morning, then daycare in the afternoon. He LOVES playing all day with his friends. He simply adores his teacher, and he enjoys coming home each day to show us his projects. I love that he is at school with me and I can stop in to see him once in a while. Walt celebrated his fourth birthday this year with a Ninja Turtles cake. He is very active and loves playing anything rowdy. He also does better when the game or activity is social. He's not much for playing on his own. Walter was the ring bearer in Travis and Carrie's wedding, and stole a lot of hearts with in his little tuxedo. What a ham!
Josh continues to work as a Branch Assistant Manager for Valley Bank and Trust. He continues to sing in the choir and wins the hearts of the church ladies regularly as he is often chosen to do solos. Oh, how those women can swoon! ;0) He was a team captain for the Relay for Life this year. Unfortunately their event was cancelled due to a nasty storm that came through during the walk; tornado sirens and all! We were able to join his whole family in Michigan this past summer for his dad's retirement, and we are now blessed to have his parents and sister here for Christmas this year. It's the first Christmas with family for several years. What a blessing!
Josh continues to work as a Branch Assistant Manager for Valley Bank and Trust. He continues to sing in the choir and wins the hearts of the church ladies regularly as he is often chosen to do solos. Oh, how those women can swoon! ;0) He was a team captain for the Relay for Life this year. Unfortunately their event was cancelled due to a nasty storm that came through during the walk; tornado sirens and all! We were able to join his whole family in Michigan this past summer for his dad's retirement, and we are now blessed to have his parents and sister here for Christmas this year. It's the first Christmas with family for several years. What a blessing!
I faced a new challenge in August. Immediately after returning from my brother's wedding, I began teaching a new grade-fifth. After six years of teaching middle school Literature and English, I moved to a self contained fifth grade classroom. I am loving both the change and the challenge. It keeps me very busy. I haven't spent this many hours on planning since we moved to Colorado. I LOVE the age of my students. I love having complete control over my schedule. I am also enjoying teaching some subjects I haven't seen for a while. The hardest part is managing my time as a teacher and a mommy. I am thankful for all of the technology we are blessed with both at home and at Zion. I can no longer imagine being a teacher without the instant Internet access.
We are very blessed, and we are thankful that YOU are in our lives. We hope to see you soon in the upcoming year. Let us know if you will be in the Colorado area. Our doors are always open for guests!
We wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and many blessings in the New Year!
Love,
Josh, Kara, Walter & Mara
