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To one, to all, Merry Christmas. We hope this letter finds you well, with hot chocolate in your belly and fuzzy slippers on your feet. As for us, we can’t wait for Christmas to enjoy each other’s company and relax at home. We will sorely miss being away from family, this being the first year in our married life to do so. But Santa will visit us here in Chapel Hill just as he would out west, and we’ll celebrate as a small family the best season of the year.

This year has treated us well. Of most significance, we three became four. Our son, Luke, is now six months old and is as lively as ever. He rolls, sits up and falls over, tries to steal food while we’re eating and laughs as his older sister mauls him. More than once, we have said to ourselves, “so this is what a boy is like” as Luke squirms, wiggles and grunts for attention. We love him. Most of all, Allie loves him—so much so that she constantly kisses, hugs and suffocates him. She has nicknamed him “Jeh-Jeh,” which came from thin air. The rest of us call him Buster and Pokey, which also came from thin air. It seems that he is just so lovable that he needs three nicknames to accommodate our affection for him.

Allie, age 3, took some serious steps toward growing up this year. She got rid of the pacifier, moved to a big girl bed, started pre-school and dance lessons, and very stubbornly mastered potty training. She has developed a healthy imagination and often tells stories that include princesses, horses, frogs, unicorns and Jesus—usually with some combination of those characters. When Luke was born, we were worried that she would reject the idea of another child absorbing much of mommy’s attention—but Allie responded amazingly well by loving and nurturing her baby brother. She brags often that she is a big sister. Seriously, we hate that she is growing up, but we sure enjoy these milestones in her life and she seems to generally take them in stride.

Kerrie spends most of her day chasing the two kids mentioned above. She, like most mothers, lives much of her life through the eyes and hands of her children. Being a mother is Kerrie’s greatest joy and struggle. Such is life. At nights, when the kids have finally left her some time for herself, she enjoys a good movie, surfing family blogs and watching the Office. And she continues to moonlight as an amateur photographer. Kerrie has made some great friends here in North Carolina and enjoys play-dates with them while the kids run wild.

Jake is plodding along through school…still. He completed his coursework towards his doctorate and is now working on a dissertation. We’re more than halfway done here at UNC and hope to get a job out West when graduation finally approaches. Jake works most of the day, but spends plenty of time playing. He is certainly the most spoiled member of the family. What he wants, he gets and the rest of us oblige because his tantrums are the biggest of all. Jake has had some fun opportunities to travel this year for accounting conferences—he went to Memphis in March, Provo in October and will be visiting New Orleans and Orlando in the next couple months. Someday, he’ll have a real job.

Life has been mostly good for us. Of course, we’ve had our angry, pouty, selfish, sleepy, gassy, rolley-poley, schleppy moments, but we remember the good things. And that’s what counts. We want you to know that you are one of those good things that we remember. We miss you and love you.

Merry Christmas,
Jake, Kerrie, Allie and Luke