Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season spent with those you love! Obviously, we didn't get our yearly holiday card and letter out in time but we still wanted to share an update of what we were up to in 2016.
James turned three years old this year! He spent about half of the year dressed up as a construction worker until Christmas day when he got a fire chief jacket and helmet and made a career change. James' favorite things include climbing on his daddy, building with DUPLOS, and anything Paw Patrol or construction truck related. Brenden introduced him to some children's comics this year and they spend time every night before bed reading those together. James is officially potty trained, a task I was terrified of tackling but actually went very smoothly. We've entered the "threenager" stage and James is stubborn as ever! He is a very mischievous boy but also one of the sweetest little guys ever. He makes us laugh all the time and sometimes it's hard to remember what life was like before he was a part of it. We are so excited to see him continue to grow and learn, especially as he fills his new role as "big brother" this next year.
2016 started off a little slow for Brenden since he had finished all of his prerequisites for nursing school and we were just waiting to hear where he got in. He spent the first half of the year doing various jobs- working at his father's company in Houston, Galveston College, and the Port of Galveston. In last year's letter we mentioned Brenden was in the process of applying to nursing schools. He got into his top choice which is where he is now- the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. We didn't need to move which is a huge blessing since we are surrounded by so much family here. Brenden was selected for the Honors Program and is designated as a McGovern Scholar. This special program provides full-tuition and fees support. We are so grateful for this opportunity we've been given at UTMB. Brenden finished his first semester in December and will be done with his degree by the end of this year.
I spent the first half of this year nannying a sweet girl right around James' age. (Little did I know that would give me some preparation for what will soon be my future!) Then in May, I fulfilled a bucket list item and spent two and a half weeks in Europe! I left Brenden and James at home (which was really, really hard!) and accompanied my aunt on her trip to Europe to visit my cousin who had just finished a semester abroad in Italy. We traveled to Italy, Greece, and France. It was truly a dream come true. Later in the summer, I found out I was pregnant! With TWINS! This was a huge surprise and I was both terrified and excited as soon as I found out. This has been a less-than-smooth pregnancy so I am eagerly anticipating their safe arrival hopefully sometime in late February.
A few more noteworthy things that happened this year for our family:
- We were able to witness Megan (Brenden's youngest sister) and Aaron Call's wedding in the Houston Temple in June. We got to spend time with lots of family who came to Texas for the event. It was a beautiful occasion and we are grateful to have Aaron in our family.
- We traveled up to Utah with Brenden's mother, Kristen, to help move some of Megan and Aaron's furniture. James was a real trooper and handled the two-day drive like a champ. We loved being able to visit with family and friends and enjoy the Utah scenery.
- We had a fun visit from our dear friend Missy. We were able to take her around Galveston and also visited San Antonio and Austin with her. James loved getting to play with his Auntie Missy.
- Part of Missy's stay included a big family trip to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels! My parents rented a beautiful house in the Texas Hill Country so we could all stay together. It was such a fun trip! James still says his favorite place to go is Schlitterbahn.
- Reuben (my older brother) and his wife Sydney welcomed their first child, sweet Sofia Marie, into their family in August, a day before Brenden's birthday. She is so cute and sweet and we are all so happy she is a part of our family!
- Brenden and I were released from our callings as Nursery Leaders in our church which made for a very difficult transition for James. We are hoping moving into Primary this year as a Sunbeam will be an exciting change for him. Brenden serves as the Ward Chorister and 11 year-old Scoutmaster. I'm now serving as the first counselor in the Young Women's organization. We love the opportunities we have to serve in our church.
2016 has been full of fun and exciting things for our family and some other not-so-fun nor exciting things. Nevertheless, it has been a wonderful, blessed year for us. We are excited for the changes we have ahead of us this next year and grateful for those unchanging constants in our lives like our loving families and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We love you all and wish you a Happy New Year!
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