Merry Christmas 2009!

What a year this has been. We are so grateful for the many good things that have happened and SUPER-grateful that the not-so-pleasant things of 2009 will soon be distant memories. How fortunate we are to have loving friends and family to lift us up during the hard times... and we can always be glad that we have only our own trials and not someone else's! No one got in a car accident or lost their job or went to the hospital, no organ transplants, no natural disasters or starvation so far. *Sigh.* Blessings! Here's a look back at some of the highlights:

January - We sadly said goodbye to our trusty dog, Ptolemy... Berlin had broken out in rashes after touching him and we knew once she started crawling and walking his size could be a danger to her so we made the tough decision to find him a new home. But on the happy end, Paul and I took our first trip away from Berlin... a weekend cruise to Mexico with his sister and brother-in-law. Such fun and such a happy homecoming! Laera stayed with friends and Berlin stayed with her Grandma Nickels, getting all kinds of spoiled by her 2 aunts.

February - Laera had her very first violin concert as part of her 5th Grade Orchestra. It was held at her future high school and we were so proud to see her sitting there playing along! Berlin discovered her toes and remained generally cute and cheerful.

March - A big month for Baby Berlin... first solid foods, first time touching snow, and started learned lots of signs from Signing Time DVD's. We kept so busy with her this month I can't remember anything the rest of us did!

April - Ew, tax month. Well there was Easter, with baskets of eggs and candy for the girls... and a looong road trip over Spring Break to Las Vegas and St. George for family visits. I had recently learned to crochet and so I whiled away the hours in the car by making hats... and more hats! Laera had a fun makeover day with a friend, learning about putting on makeup. Yikes, are we almost to that point already?!?

May - Paul's birthday, which we celebrated by taking Berlin to the rec center pool for the first time. Delightful! On Mother's Day we were blessed with the news of a new baby boy, Easton, for my brother and his lovely wife. Good aim, Kilee! We went camping over Memorial Day weekend on what turned out to be the coldest and rainiest day of the year, but we muddled through and set up our tent in the drizzle and barely survived the night by burning our socks for warmth. Just kidding, but it was COLD!

June - School's out, skies are blue... and lots of weeding in the yard. Sudden nostalgia for our concrete backyard in Las Vegas! I had a piano recital and as always was pleased and delighted by my wonderful students. Lots of trips to the library with Laera to feed her book appetite.

July - Big month... I left Paul at home alone for 2 weeks to teach at Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts in California. The 2 girls came with me (thanks to a wonderful babysitting Grandma) and we had a great time fitting 9 people in a 2 bedroom cabin. Great fun, hope to do it again in 2010! Paul flew to Las Vegas to meet us afterwards and we partied with the Powells et al at a family reunion in St. George. More fun, lots of friendships made and renewed.

August - Recovering from July! I had some wedding photography work and spent many hours on the computer, so it's all kind of a blur... Laera started 6th grade!

September - Labor Day was a trip to the zoo, Berlin's first time which was fun for all of us to see. Berlin also took her first steps this month, which signaled the end of an era of relative peace and low-stress for her parents and little dog, Cotton. Laera spent most of the month planning her birthday party (2 months away, ever to early) and reading the Twilight/New Moon books with our grudging approval. I think we also got her to read some realistic fiction books in there... somewhere...

October - Janisa's birthday and 10-year High School Reunion - a quick trip to Vegas for me and Berlin, and it was so fun to see her and Cousin Natalia really playing together for the first time. They're almost exactly 1 year apart so it's fun to watch them evaluate each other. The next weekend was Berlin's 1st Birthday, so we had a little party and watched her smear cake on her face. What a good girl! Then Fall Break and another road trip through Utah and Nevada to visit the family... lemme tell ya, you just can't spend too many hours in a car with a toddler! Right before Halloween we had a huge snowstorm, school was cancelled and we tried (unsuccessfully) to go sledding in 3 feet of snow. It mostly melted by Halloween, which came and went (along with too much candy).

November - Laera's birthday party was makeovers and a fashion show. She also finished up her Faith in God Award and graduated to Young Women. We're so proud! We had a nice time cooking Thanksgiving Dinner together, then found out we can't eat like we used to. Only 1 piece of pie? Come on!

December - We got light snow and a HUGE cold snap, with temperatures hovering between 5 and 25 degrees for several days. Brrr! Let's say that again... Brrrrr! Yep, we moved here on purpose and we still plan on staying, but it sure was something we're not used to. Christmas preparations cheered up the month, and some friends of ours are surprising us by accepting the missionary discussions and coming to church with us every week. Best Christmas present ever!

Other than that, things are plugging along... Laera is getting really good grades in school, and Paul continues to work for KeyBank. Janisa is still teaching piano and trying to drum up more wedding photography clients. Church callings in Sunday School, Choir, and Activities Committee keep us busy, along with shuttling Laera to and fro with her growing social life. We are looking forward to spending Christmas in Las Vegas this year, and will come back home energized and excited for 2010 to begin. Merry Christmas and much love to all!

Janisa, Paul, Laera, Berlin & Cotton