Christmas Letter 2014

Dear friends & family,

Merry Christmas! We hope this letter finds you in happy hearts and good spirits this holiday season. I am continuing my tradition with our Christmas letter posted on my blog instead of mailing one out, mostly for my personal stress levels and ease of use. If you have been following my blog all year you will probably know exactly what we have been up to and what we've been doing, but I like to have everything in one place just for myself! 

Our biggest news this year has been the arrival of our beautiful twin girls, Anna Rose & Brynn Elizabeth. They were born on September 10th at 3:12 & 3:13 p.m. weighing 6 lbs 6 oz and 5 lbs 8 oz. We are over the moon in love with them and still can't believe what an incredible turn our life has taken. 

I am amazed at how we will never learn the Lord's mysterious ways. I think of when Scott and I were first married and how we had so many visions of what our life would be- that was our plan A. Get married, move into our home, have steady jobs, start a family...we had hopes that everything would just be so perfect. Then we had our lovely Trace and when we lost him we were on plan B-a very hard road of grief and sadness. We felt like our hearts would never heal and wondered if this was our plan for the rest of our lives. Well, the day the ultrasound tech at our routine prenatal appointment told us there were two heartbeats on the screen, our lives took another turn and we are now on the very wonderful and happy plan C. 

The girls are such a blessing to us and I don't think I will ever be over the shock having twins. They are good babies with sweet dispositions and happy smiles. They are healthy and growing fast. We think they are the best thing to ever happen to our family! 

Brynn. 

Anna. 

Being pregnant with twins took up the majority of our year, especially with finding out the good news in early February. Carrying a twin pregnancy to 37 weeks will top the list as one of the hardest things I've done in my life! Of course it is not just physically hard, but emotionally hard as well with each day bringing its own worries and concerns. I consider it a huge blessing that I was able to have the summer and beginning of the school year off to rest before the girls arrived in September! 

On the work front, Scott celebrated his 10th year working for Glenn Waterhouse State Farm Agency. Wow! Time flies! He continues to be challenged daily and finds joy in protecting families with their insurance needs. I survived my first year as a 5th-8th grade middle school band director and everything that comes with it. I was proud of myself for tackling all the extra duties the job demands and really enjoyed getting to know and working with my awesome students. 

On the family front, we were happy to welcome my brother Sam's wife, Nikki, into our family after they got married in February. It was a beautiful day and we had lots of fun celebrating. We sadly said goodbye to my aunt Karen who passed away from her battle with cancer in May. Her funeral was a good chance to reflect on her life and also connect with extended family members. We are very excited to welcome my brother John and his wife Meredith's new baby girl who is supposed to arrive any day now- a Christmas baby! It will be fun to have our girls so close in age and watch them all grow up. 

(I distinctly remember my sister wishing last year that we would have a baby at Christmas next year and now she has her wish...times three!) 

As for family trips, we managed to squeeze in a short trip over a long weekend in April to Walt Disney World to see my sister who was there studying with the Disney College Program. It was great to see her and also try and pack as much Disney magic as we could in just two days. It was the perfect time to go as I still had enough energy to keep up with all the walking that touring the parks demands. Our next Disney trip is tentatively planned for 2018 when the girls will be four for a Disney cruise. We are not sure how we will tide ourselves over until then but I'm sure our adventures as trying to navigate as a family of five will be enough to keep us on our toes! 

We didn't get a chance to pursue many of our hobbies this year, but we did enjoy following the Iowa State basketball team especially as the Cyclones took a trip to Sweet 16 in the NCAA basketball tournament in April.  Scott spent the football season being as dedicated a fan as any with the football team only winning two games (but one over Iowa-yeah!). I managed to play all nine weeks of the Boone Municipal Band summer concert series with my pregnant belly and was thankful for the mild summer weather that allowed it. 

We are looking forward to spending Christmas at home, then traveling to Muscatine for the New Year. After break I will return to school full time and we will begin navigating our lives with two working parents and three small children. I am thankful every day for a healthy family, secure employment, and a warm roof over our heads. 

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:10-12