Christmas Letter 2010

One new baby, a stomach flu bug, two birthdays, Christmas, and packing for a 9 hour car ride are just some of the reason your Christmas card is so late in reaching you! Thanks to the latest technology I am writing this letter as we drive to Tennessee to spend the week after Christmas with the Higgins side of the family.
2010 has been a year of blessing and much less travel than last year! Instead, We had lots of visits from different family members, which was a nice change of pace.
Our first full winter in Missouri was cold and since I was struggling with pregnancy sickness, we laid low, but did receive a wonderful visit from dear friends in February. I still taught swim lessons at the Y, but stopped guarding since I was pregnant. The girls started developing great imaginations and enjoyed playing more and more with each other, as well as, our mornings playing at the Y child-watch. In May, the girls and i took a trip to see my parents and youngest sister before she left for a DTS in Scotland. We actually were there during the Great Flood, but thankfully my parents home didn't have any damage. The summer was in a word, hot. Hot in normal standards, but for a pregnant woman...brutal. We did some traveling to Columbia and then a trip to Colorado to surprise my sister and dad for Fathers Day, as he was visiting there that weekend. Fourth of July was spent with Family in Iowa to continue our two year tradition. For the most part we stayed put as we waited for the due date to come closer. Payge and Haydee enjoyed lots of time at the pools throughout the city, as well as their first official group swim lessons, which they loved. We joined up with a mom's group at our church and met for lots of Tuesday play groups. Since preschool was also out for some of their friends we were able to have a lot more play-dates. Spencer worked really hard through all the humidity and heat, but still likes his job and we are grateful to have one during these times! After keeping a busy pace, our third baby was born on August 20th. Myles Alan, a boy, much to our surprise and joy. We had lots of visitors and spent the next few months settling into life with three!
These days Payge, who just turned 4, is full of questions and lots of 'why's?'. She is insightful, goofy, loving, and full of life. Haydee, 2 going on 20, is just as curious, if not more so, and I call here my 'button pusher', always testing, touching things around her. She still loves to cuddle, climb, laugh, play with her baby dolls and dress up. Both girls enjoy any kind of puzzle, reading books, dancing, shows, and cooking with mommy. Mostly, they love their brother who, for the most part, puts up with it. Myles, now 4 months, is growing so quickly and has two teeth all the way in- ouch! He is very strong and I am now trying to keep up with his curiosity and beginning movements. He doesn't sleep as well after sickness & a Thanksgiving trip, but sleep is highly overrated, right?
Like I mentioned Spencer is still working hard and is looking forward to the slower, winter schedule. He is an incredible daddy and the girls adore his willingness to come home and play outside or get down on the floor to work on puzzles. We have joined a small, weekly Bible Study and are making some great couple relationships. Our church is still a far drive, but we really love it and look forward to going every week. I am still doing insurance billing from home and this July added Spencer's brother, who is a Chiropractor, as one of my 'clients'. This keeps me really busy in my 'down time'. Mostly these days, I spend my days doing something that involves feeding someone or cleaning up after feeding someone. At least I enjoy cooking! We've already started pre-K work with the girls, but this next year we are going to start exploring schooling options, in effort to keep up with their desire for learning.
Well, if you made it to the end you either are bored or really love us. Thanks for reading! Hope that 2011 brings each of you more joy than this last year and hope for the years to come.
All our love,
Spencer, Amy, Payge, Haydee, and Myles

The making of a good Christmas Card

Regardless of modern technology to keep us up-to-the-minute on each others lives, I still feel compelled to send out a Christmas card to everyone we have an address. Well, not everyone, I did cut down the list this year due to ever increasing prices of everything. Anyway, none of these pictures made it on the card this year, but I thought this was a great representation of the process of trying to get a good picture of two tired parents,a 3 year old,a 2 year old,and a 3 month old. I had grand ideas of what it should look like and so did Spencer, of course they were just a bit different. After the typical frustration of such a venture we were happy with the result and no marriage or child was harmed in the making of this picture.



By the way, I didn't post anything about Thanksgiving because I don't think we took many pictures. Well, I didn't. We all got sick, sick, sick. No puking this year, praise the Lord, (seriously I think I win the award for person who dreads and hates puking the most) just ear infections and general, long lasting flu symptoms. I even lost a pound- now that is a miracle, especially during Thanksgiving.
We went to Iowa and drove in two separate vehicles in order to pick up the dinning room table my father-in-law made. It is truly a work of art and will highlight it on the blog soon. After two days there and one morning of Wicks family photos we drove to Des Moines for the annual Carlson family reunion (my m-i-l's fam). One night in a hotel room with all five of us and 4 of us sick was enough to have us check out early and head back home. It wasn't the popular choice, but after no sleep the night before I was so grateful we did. We have sense recovered and I did attempt to make another Thanksgiving meal for us,just so I could enjoy it this time and the leftovers; of course!

Recent quotes

I wish I had been better about doing this before, but lately both girls have been saying some of the cutest things. Some might not be as interesting if you don't know the whole story, but this is more for my sake.
"Merry Crikmas!" - Payge
"This is actually pretty good!" - Payge
"Paygey"- Haydee
"We need to give our old puzzles away now" - Haydee
"My daddy is the best daddy, he is precious to me." Payge
"I'm not picking his toes, mommy!" Payge