Christmas Letter

December 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Once again, this past year has flown by! Everyone warned us that your kids grow up so fast, but you don't believe it until you live it!

We've had a great year, with only one trip to the ER. (With these two active boys, we consider that a successful year!) Jonathan cut his hand on some sheet metal back in March while crawling outside at the farm. He had 14 stitches put in and was a great patient. But I'll be very happy if we never have that experience again! During the healing process, Jonathan learned to walk and then run before the stitches were taken out, and he hasn't stopped since! His main goal is to keep up with Andrew and pretend he's 4 instead of almost 2. Jonathan has finally started to talk a little. He's been slow to speak, but he understands everything!

Andrew started preschool three mornings a week at our church and he loves it. His teacher is great, and he is always excited to go to school. They had a Christmas program earlier this month and the kids sang the cutest songs. I think this was the only day Andrew did NOT like preschool. He's not a fan of being in front of crowds and stood stiff as a statue for the whole program. We didn't know he could hold that still, but he was very brave! We hope he always has such a love of school and learning!

Both boys are into playing with cars of all shapes and sizes, but especially the Disney Cars. So, it's never quiet around here with all the traffic in the house! And they both love crafts, especially when glue and markers are involved! They are starting to play together, but they usually require some sort of referee!

Keith continues to work at MKEC, and likes his job. Every day is something new and once a week, he drives to Blackwell, OK, where he is the City Engineer. The company is feeling the downturn, but continues to be a great place to work. It is blessing to work for a company run by strong Christian men.

I stay busy keeping up with the boys and volunteering at the church. I joined a little Mom's Day Out co-op with a couple of friends this fall. Each Friday, two moms get a kid-free morning, while the other two moms watch the kids. We have all boys and one sweet girl that joins us when she gets out of kindergarten at noon. It's a little loud, but the moms watching the kids usually have time for coffee and a good chat!

This summer we flew to New Hampshire and met the rest of the Ayotte gang for a week-long vacation. We ate, relaxed, played games, shopped a little, and of course watched the cousins play together. The boys and I also travelled to Oklahoma to visit the Petersons. We didn't get much sleep, but we had a lot of fun! And we are getting ready to travel to Boston to celebrate a late Christmas!

You can check our blog to see pictures of all of our latest adventures: http://ayottefamily.blogspot.com/

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas season and a Blessed New Year as we celebrate the birth of the King and the Light that He brings!

Love,
Tanya, Keith, Andrew and Jonathan