Recap 2011

Hello Friends and Family!

Wow, 2011 has almost come and gone already. I debated and debated...and debated, on how we should send our letter this year and finally came to the conclusion that although I do enjoy getting cards in the mail and would hate to deprive others from that pleasure, it's plain and simply easier (and cheaper) to put together an electronic version of our Christmas card this year, and I would rather do that than nothing at all! So to reach as many people as possible I am sending this through email and also posting it on our family blog where you can read and look at our fun picture to your heart's content. PS- incase any of you were wondering, putting these silly faces together was MUCH easier than trying to get us all posed for a nice picture to send to you all. I hope you find as much enjoyment in it as I do, as this is far closer to our natural personalities around here than a nice, smiling, perfectly well behaved picture would be.

This year has been busy to say the least, but I would like to know who looks back at the previous year and DOESN'T think that. :-) Odell, our little cherub, has continued to grow and sprout and learn new things every day. She is currently 16 months old and still not walking! Not really interested in it. My parents tell me that I was close to 18 months old before I started walking, and I used to scoff and think that they just don't remember, but I don't think that anymore. She communicates to us in a variety of grunts and clicking noises and hand signs and unfortunately we understand her, so her verbal vocabulary consists of "Heh-whoa" (Hello)"Momma," "Dadda", "Gawah" (Grandma) and "Gaba" (Grandpa), although Linus swears that she can say his name verbatim. She also makes a loud growling sound to imitate anyone who has belched in the near vicinity (very lady like). She loves to give Momma hugs, loves to get tickled, gets mauled by her siblings on a daily basis and puts up with it, is VERY jealous of her parent's laps and gets very upset when Chloe or Linus grab one before she can get there, loves bananas, cheese, oatmeal, and milk, and is as close to walking as you can get without actually doing it. We love her to pieces and are so glad to have her fun-loving, curious, and sweet spirit in our home.

Linus is a busy body. And very loud. Typical three year old boy, yes? He starts his days off much earlier than his parents, plays nicely with his toys and yells through the house until everyone is awake. He bugs his older sister to no end, but is also her best friend. They keep asking me if they are going to marry each other someday and if that wasn't so weird I would think it was cute. He's still working his way through the melting-down-over-anything-that-doesn't-go-my-way phase of life, but he's come miles from where he was a year ago and his mother and father are grateful for that. He is very helpful to his mother around the house, and as most three year old boys are, sometimes a little too helpful. He loves macaroni and cheese, oranges, and fruit snacks. He loves to be the "bad guy". "Oh MOM, this shirt is SO COOL, I look like a bad guy!!!", "Mom! Can you put this belt on me? Then I'll look like a bad guy!" "Mom, look, this underwear has SPIDERMAN on it, I'll be a really really BAD GUY!" He's very particular about clothing, things have to go on the right way, socks have to be in just the right spot, he must have his shoes on him at all times, he tries to sneak his favorite shirts out of the dirty laundry so he can wear them every day. He also loves to sing the alphabet song, even when Chloe stops him to correct him when he sings it wrong. He knows all his shapes and colors and recognizes some letters and numbers too. Other than that, he's a ball of fun and energy, keeps us on our toes, and makes us laugh every day.

Chloe is five and boy does she know it. Everything is about how old and mature she is, what things she knows she can do now that she's five, what things she believes she has privilege over her siblings because she is five...and while she does act leaps and bounds more mature than her younger brother, I'm not sure I'm ready for her to know that yet. :-) She is very helpful around the house. She loves helping Mommy do anything, from cooking to cleaning to folding laundry to making her bed, she'll do whatever I ask her to and some days that's what makes the difference between a good day and a bad day for me. I am doing preschool with her myself this year and that is some of my most cherished time with her. She learns things very quickly when I spend time with her on it and I'm confident that we'll have given her a good head start when she starts Kindergarten next year. She loves pink and purple, loves to color and write her name and any other words she knows how to spell in her coloring books over and over, loves her princess and baby dolls, loves Odell like she was her own, loves to play the damsel in distress when the boys I watch during the week come over, and is generally a happy, smart, five year old girl.

Craig is busy plugging his way through...well everything! Last spring, due to a combination of circumstances, we made the decision to have me stay home this year, which meant that Craig would take on a fully-loaded schedule split between work and full-time school to get him done as soon as possible. We thought his schedule was just about maxed out, and then our church boundaries split and Craig was assigned to be the new Young Men's President in our ward. Despite it all, he is thriving and successfully pulled off straight A's this semester. I have to brag about him because I am proud of him and consider myself lucky to be married to such an attractive, hard working, and brilliant man. But mostly attractive. He's still playing in line hockey once a week and finds a good release in that and is looking forward to graduating in the Spring of 2013, a mere 2 semesters of classes and an internship away, in recreation management.

I am thoroughly enjoying my new position as a stay at home mom! I never thought it would be easy, and it's not, but our schedule is balanced and things feel right. It's great. I've also been working on my photography and selling crocheted items of joy on my etsy shop here and there, which fully fulfills my high-need creative outlet. I recently performed as the alto soloist in our church's performance of Part 1 of the Messiah. I haven't sung like that for a while and it felt good to get back into it, if only for one performance- it was filled with the spirit of Christ and I was grateful that I chose to participate in it.

This Christmas, we hope you have time to ponder the meaning of this holiday; the birth of Christ. In our home we strive each year to add something else to our "traditions" that help reinforce teaching this to our children, and as our children grow, it's a pleasure to see them grow their own testimonies of their Savior. It's a great time to be with family and friends, it's a great time to get and to give, but it is also a great time to reflect on how we can do better and how we can use the tender story of a baby boy that was born to a virgin mother to come closer to Christ.

Merry Christmas from the Ellingsons!