Thank you for visiting our annual Christmas blog!
As we approach the end of the year, it's always a good time to look back. As we reflect on 2010, we are blessed with a lot of great memories.
Life with an 18 month-old is a very different experience than it was with a 6 month-old! Back when we rang in the new year last January, Henry was a chubby little cutie who was generally content to sit and watch the world around him. Today, he is a running, climbing, giggling bundle of energy! He really keeps us on our toes, but it sure is a lot of fun (and darn good exercise) chasing after him.
Henry is quite the little chatterbox, and he seems to learn a new word every day. One of his favorite pastimes is pointing at things and saying what they are. "Ball!" "Truck!" "Football!" "Puppy!" "Basketball!" "Car!" (Yeah, he's definitely a boy...)
While we didn't take any major trips this year, we got to create some great memories with gatherings and getaways around the Northwest.
In April, for Steve's birthday, we spent a couple days at Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge.
Henry's birthday in June was a big milestone. We celebrated with friends and family with a Hawaiian themed backyard barbecue. Henry had no trouble tearing into his cake - he made a glorious mess of it. It was a great feeling to know that we had made it a whole entire year as parents!
On Father's Day, we travelled up to Seattle with Bob, Melanie, Jeff, Marie, Luke and Ian for a Mariner's Game. The little guys had a hard time sitting still, but it was fun anyway.
In July, we went up to Olympia to check out Lakefair with the Traftons. Jennee and Jessica had fun reliving the summers of their youth, and sharing the experience with the kids.
Also in July, we did our annual "camping trip" at the coast with friends (the Scotts, the Chapmans, and the Snyder). We did some hiking, a lot of eating, played on the beach, and relaxed on the big wrap-around deck. We love indoor camping!
In August, Jessica organized a Building Champions team for the Portland to Coast walking relay. Her team of 12 ladies walked a collective total of 127 miles from Portland to Seaside. It was a big challenge, and a crazy long night with very little sleep, but it was an amazing experience.
Labor Day weekend, we got to go out to Bella Beach for the annual Sadler family weekend getaway. It was fun to see the three cousins playing together! Our house was a short walk to the beach, so we got to spend a lot of time playing in the sand. We also spent a day at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
In October, we had the opportunity to spend the week in Seaside. It was a relaxing time for the three of us to connect and play together as a family. We had some great weather, and Henry loved playing in the sand and helping Daddy fly a kite.
Halloween was a lot of fun - Henry was a garden gnome and went trick-or-treating for the first time. He had no trouble figuring out the routine of knocking on doors, and even yelled "Boo!" a few times. Amazingly enough, he left his costume on the whole time.
For Thanksgiving, we spent the day in Wilsonville with the Traffas family. Then on Friday, we went to Eugene to watch the Ducks defeat Arizona (GO DUCKS!!). It has to be said that this was a REALLY fun football season, and we look forward to watching the National Championship game!
Christmas is right around the corner, and we are already enjoying the season. We cut down a beautiful tree at a nearby lot, which Henry refers to with excitement as "Big Tree."
On the work front, Jessica continues to work at Building Champions in a part time role as "Communications Coordinator," which involves managing blogs, the newsletter, and social media, and allows her to work partly from home.
Steve moved from the Keller Williams Realty office downtown to the Bridgeport Village office in March. It is much closer to home, and he is happy with the switch. It has been a challenging market, but he is staying positive and busy working with home buyers, sellers, and investors.
Our families are doing well, and we have loved having both sets of grandparents able to frequently spend time with Henry. But the year hasn't been without its challenges. Jessica's mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. Fortunately, they caught it early, and she was recently given a clean report by her oncologist and even enjoyed a trip to Italy this fall. God is so good!
We have been thinking a lot lately about what is really important, and we are looking forward to a peaceful holiday season spent with family and friends. Well, as peaceful as anything can be with a toddler in the house....
We wish you a lot of joy this Christmas, and the best kind of prosperity in 2011.
-Steve, Jessica, and Henry-
PS - Maeby has been very good this year, and will be getting some nice tuna in her stocking. She is patient with Henry and lets him chase her around - he even tries to hug her - and she has not scratched him once. Good kitty!
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