To Our Beloved Friends and Family,
It is 4:00 am Christmas Morning. Wendy is nestled, all tucked in her bed and only recently has our little Addelynn Marie gone back to sleep. Undoubtedly having sugar plums dancing in your head is a little too much for a 9-month-old child. We have a tradition on Christmas Eve where we open up one present each. In this case, the presents were Christmas pajamas from Mrs. Claus. Once Addie was bundled is her slightly oversized nighttime wear and received the last of her bottle, Wendy put her in the crib for the night. That was at 7:00 pm. Wendy and I to follow a short while later.
I cry light tears of joy when I consider how blessed Wendy and I are to have our first little child. It was snowing as we first drove Addie home from Mountain View Hospital and the roads were threatening. A night still doesn’t pass without my fatherly paranoia leading me to check on my sleeping little girl. In only a few short hours, she will be enjoying her first Christmas and attempting to eat wrapping paper. We have fallen into parenthood like any other parents and have almost made it through a whole year. Addie is growing way too fast and Wendy keeps having to buy new outfits to put her in... at least that is her excuse for buying more clothes!
Each year is filled with change. Wendy’s Uncle Dave passed away in January, Addie had two new cousins born this year, we had our first of many outings with Addie including a day at Lagoon, I played on my first ever losing softball team, Wendy retired from her career in Elementary Education, one of my favorite cousins left home for college, my dad acquired a Contra Bass Saxophone, I finished Statistics and Calculus with an “A” on every test, Wendy switched from the Relief Society Presidency to the Primary Presidency, Addie was sealed and blessed to be a part of our family forever, Wendy's brother Nathan just got married, and Wendy made it through the recovery period of three surgeries and hopes to never see a doctor again.
Our family feels a like more like a family with our growing little girl around. Addie is full of spunk and keeps us on our toes. Everyone says that she is becoming like us with our facial expressions and little quirks. She thinks she is pretty funny too and likes to tease us or play chase around the house. She is more than a little bit spoiled by Mommy and Daddy as well as by everyone around us. Even the bank teller has to spend a few extra minutes and Wendy usually goes inside so Addie can say hello. We have to plan an extra 10 minutes anywhere we go to allow for people to come up and say hello to her. It's a lot of fun to have such a cute baby!
We send a thought from President Gordon B. Hinckley of the LDS church who passed on as well in January 2008:
“Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend. It is magnificent and beautiful. It is peace. It is the peace which comforts, which sustains, which blesses all who accept it.”1
May your Christmas day be merry and bright as I know ours will be and always know that you are in our thoughts and hearts.
Love,
Aaron, Wendy & Addelynn