Merry Christmas from our little growing family! Our great friend Madi took our family photos and I’m in love with them, and it was easy to choose this one for our annual Christmas card. I send them out to friends and family, and I probably always will because I just think it’s so fun and festive and cute!

I have never sent a newsletter or family recap, but if I did – this would be what it said this year:

2016 was a… year. It had months, and weeks, and days. Some of them were good, some of them were bad, but all of them included Reese so they were pretty fun anyway. We enjoyed trips to Disneyland, Las Vegas, St. George, and our first nights apart with Ryan & D’s 5th Anniversary trip to Park City (Reese had a fun sleepover with her Mamaw & Bampa!). We found out in June that we were expecting another baby and couldn’t be more excited about it! Especially when we found out in August that it’s another baby girl! She is due February 18, which is just a week after Reese’s 2nd birthday. We’re still riding pretty high from the Cubs winning the World Series, and we finally finished the Harry Potter series on audiobook after 5 years of marriage (then immediately started The Hobbit. D owes Ryan after 7 books). We weathered several health difficulties, diagnoses, and some pregnancy complications which brought us to a new place in life. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other, and developed a strong family identity and culture.

Ryan

Worked for 3 different tech companies in Utah this year (startups are so fun! And stressful!). He is a big part of the Utah Ruby community, and has learned several new coding languages. His slowpitch softball team won the Provo Recreation Summer League Championship. He turned 30 and his health collapsed like an older generation iPhone when the new model is released. Thankfully he is doing much better and now we all drink diet soda. He continues to create his own delicious recipes, play guitar, and be an incredible dad in love with his baby girl.

D

Actually enjoyed not setting foot in a classroom at all in 2016. She doubled her freelance workload and her Netflix queue, both very successfully. The Harry Potter Book Club had it’s biggest and best year yet, and D is very proud to run it. Fortunately, other than some scary complications and being told to “chill out” and “rest” a lot (she doesn’t really do that), this pregnancy has been fun and easy. Although she is ready for February to come quickly! She set a New Year’s Resolution to read 3 books a month – which she did, and more! She still enjoys blogging, Diet Coke, fashion, makeup, throwing parties, but being a mom more than any project she’s ever tackled. She’s getting increasingly more nervous about how terrible she might be at having two, but the excitement usually wins out.

Reese

Turned one and finally got a bunch of hair and teeth! She learned to walk, and then immediately run. She spent all summer at splash pads, and was the best backseat companion on the many roadtrips we took as a family. She talks constantly and has learned all the important words: Yeah! Nope. Pees (please). Pop-pop (popcorn). Tie-toke (Diet Coke). Boo-beas (Beauty & the Beast). She loves Youtube, animals, the color ye-yo, Minnie Mouse, and being outside. Her transition to nursery was flawless, for which mom was very grateful. She turns two in February and will be promoted to the title of Big Sister.

While we are happy that 2016 is ending, we can’t help but feel extremely grateful for the lessons we learned this year. Our family is almost unrecognizable compared last December, but so many improvements have been made. We have been supported, buoyed up, and blessed by our friends, family, and most importantly our Father in Heaven and the Atonement of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. At this time of year we reflect on His grace with poignant gratitude, and we can see His hand in our lives when we look back at the happiest and most difficult times of 2016. It is with this hope and faith that we look forward to 2017 and the new life that it brings.

Merry Christmas, you guys. I hope it’s one for the books.