Merry Christmas! This year has been a roller coaster for us. It started out with the privilege of caring for my Aunt Carolyn who was very ill. Emerson and I spent 3 days a week with her for a total of 5 months. At the time it felt like so much time out of our busy lives but now it feels like it wasn't enough. She passed away in May. I miss her terribly and think about her everyday. She was a beautiful person and I consider her to be my second mom. So the first half of the year was really spent with her.
The second half of the year has been settling into a new home. We had been feeling that a move was in our future for probably the last 2 years. The crime in the area we were living in was rising and I wasn't happy with the school district we were in. We wanted to do some upgrading to the the house before we put the house on the market, as the market is not great for selling right now in Calgary. We thought it might help make our house stand out from others. In January Dean's jeep was stolen right off our driveway. We knew then that that was our clear indication that we needed to make a move. So we worked like mad horses to paint and get the house ready to sell. Dean's mom came for a visit and we put her to work painting and changing light fixtures. The house never looked better - I kept thinking: "why didn't we do this sooner, so we could enjoy it more!" Well the house went up on a Thursday afternoon and by Friday evening it was sold. We had just under a month to find another house and so by the following Monday we had found our new home. Definitely feel that God's hand is in our lives. We now live 25 minutes east of Calgary in a 'hamlet' called Langdon. It has 1.5 schools. A post office, a doctors office, a dental office a couple restaurants and a bakery. We are really enjoying it here. Dean loves the piece and quiet and I love the sense of safety and community out here. Emerson loves the back yard. Most of the house lots are built on 1/4 acre lots - so lots of yard. The previous owners left their wooden play set in the backyard, which is great fun for him. On the first evening we arrived as we were sitting at the table eating our pizza Emerson pointed out the window and said: "Can I play at the park?" :) The house needed and still needs a little TLC. Dean's summer was busy building new front steps and doing minor repairs around the house. I built and planted a small flower garden in the front, which was so fun - we'll see if they all come back next year :)
Dean is now a scout leader for the 12-13 year old boys. Scouts Canada is the program the boys follow at their weekly meetings. He is enjoying the activities and is looking forward to some summer camps. Dean has a bit of 'cleaning up' to do but always has entertaining stories to share when he comes home from the activites. He has pulled out the smoker BBQ quite a few times this summer. One of our favorites was a 'bacon bomb' he made this summer - just what it sounds like... bacon, pork and sausage. Delicious!
Emerson turned 3 in November. We had a space themed party for him and invited a few of his little friends over. Someone asked him the other day how old he was. He replied: "I'm 3. I just had a birthday!" The person then asked: "What was your favorite present that you got?" Emerson thought for a second and replied: "I had all my friends there... there was Sophie and Caleb.... and Brenna and Clayton... and Christopher too." He is a social butterfly - loves nothing more than to play with friends. He is excited to start school. We thought we would start him in January but with the new baby coming and still trying to iron out the potty training I think we'll wait until September. He loves playing with the other children at church and we are sure to have frequent play dates with his friends - hopefully that will stave him off until September :) He is a very smart little boy. Loves counting and singing the ABC songs. Dad has been teaching him a nice repertoire of jokes. His favorite one to tell is "Why'd the chicken cross the road?"
I of course have been busy growing a baby. I am very happy to be pregnant again and the baby appears to be growing well. I'm excited to have a little baby around again. I miss the gentle cuddles a baby brings. Those opportunities are fleeting with Emerson these days - usually only when he gets hurt or isn't feeling well. I am able to keep my hours at work part-time, working only 2-3 evenings (or weekend days) per week. I really like the people I work with and feel grateful for the convenience of the job. I'm looking forward to mat-leave though - it will be nice to have evenings with Dean at home and return to relaxing Saturday mornings.
Anyway, Merry Christmas! The scripture I have been thinking a lot about this year is Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." We hope you feel peace and are able to offer (and receive) some good will this Christmas season!
Love From,
The Doll Family.
1 comment:
Hey great post! Now you need some Valentines family pictures!
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