This year for Christmas I opted to post a blog in place of a Christmas card. Friends and family are in several different states and even different countries, and I seem to be better at keeping email addresses current as opposed to mailing addresses, hence the electronic sentiments!
This was our big project for 2005 & 2006. This picture was taken sometime around November of 2005. Please imagine, if you will, my very large husband hefting the wood for the second story and securing it into place ON HIS OWN (because the framers disappeared ---back across the border???) ! Our home didn't quite look like this when we returned from our Christmas vacation last year, there was a roof and the inside had been finished somewhat, but we had much much more to do. The next few weeks, which stretched into about two months, left Cassie tiling counter tops and bathrooms, laying the kitchen floor, cutting floor boards, unpacking from the move, painting walls, etc. etc. etc. Cassie had the easy part though. Once the house was "livable", Todd was outside preparing to pour foundation for the storage units that would be built behind us. This would have been nothing, we have done hard labor before, but very unfortunately for us, we were living as the Amish do: we had no septic, which didn't matter because we had no water, which didn't matter because we had no electricity. 
Needless to say, we were near tears and ecstatic with excitement the day CPS connected the wires that made us feel like real people again! From there everything fell into place and we couldn't be more happy to call this country "HOME."Although, not a glamorous home, our "facility" is a very functional office. By July 1st our storage units were open and ready for business. This has been a dream of Todd's for quite some time, so although it may sound dreadful, it was really a fun journey, and continues to be!
17 Days after we opened, Todd began dental school at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He loves the school and the high-ranked program. However, we run him a little ragged at home. The wife is demanding :), the kids are demanding, the church is demanding (he's on the high counsel), and the business is demanding. Despite it all, he is probably better than anyone I've ever met at handling the stress and enjoying the moments that really matter!(Can I just interject here that I am not that thrilled about the bullet bike.)
Addison turned 4 in May. He is such a delight. He started preschool in August and loves it! When I went to pick him up a few weeks ago his teacher discussed a "concern" with me. None of the children had run at recess that day. They were scared to because of the alligators that would eat them in the "swamp" (playground)--unless they were in the zone! Apparently he was pretty convincing because all those little 4-year-olds were scared to death to run. As you can imagine he has quite the imagination, and is so good at entertaining himself! He is such a great helper!!! His favorite things are: lip syncing to Life is a Highway (from Cars), snitching cookie dough after every added ingredient, playing with Alivia, and Family Home Evening. He is also our family's photographer. If you see him this holiday season, you'll have to ask him to do the Macerena for you--a must see. We love our Addison! What would we do without this little firecracker?!
Alivia is absolutely precious! The other day she was wearing a Sleeping Beauty dress around singing, "I love being a princess." She turned 2 in September and is a Dora fanatic. If I had it my way, we would do something about that, but Dora makes her squeal (literally) every time she is mentioned. She mourns when Addison has to go to school. She LOVES him and really misses him when he is gone. Her favorite things to do are: ANYTHING that her revered brother is doing, singing gibberish at the top of her lungs, motorcylce rides with her daddy, and drinking root beer. We are just in the finishing stages of potty-training this little one, and I am glad to say we are just about through. If you see Alivia during the holiday season, ask her for a hug--they can't be beat! We love Alivia. A more true or beautiful princess you never will meet!Cassie stays home and does the things that moms do: kissing owies, reading stories, and occasionally modifying behavior! :) Running the storage business doesn't keep her too busy, but pretty tied to home, hence, we don't get out much. She keeps herself busy fixing things, making things and scheming up something or another for church and a gamut of other things. She currently serves as the Primary 1st counselor and thinks, "Primary is where its at!"
We feel so blessed this Christmas season. Although we are far away from family, we have been blessed with wonderful friends and the wonderful knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We just want to share in closing one of our favorite Christmas thoughts by Ezra Taft Benson:
“Christ’s great gift to us was His life and sacrifice. Should that not then be our small gift to Him—our lives and sacrifices, not only now but in the future?... Yes men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.”
We love you all--and if you get a chance--leave your "comments." That would make this little blog all worth it!
