Rethinking the annual Christmas letter

I love Christmas cards...love choosing them, sending them, and especially love receiving them! We are all so busy these days and with family and friends spread all over the country, it's fun to reconnect at Christmas. For me, the Christmas card (or letter or picture) is priceless. I have personally been sending a Christmas letter with my card since 1995... although I just sent a poem one year, and skipped another year because I had pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome. Well, this year I skipped the letter again because 1.) I have a blog, 2.) therefore I didn't think there was much new to write about, and 3.) I was lazy! Well, a friend sent me an email after receiving my Christmas picture card saying, "How could you not send a Christmas newsletter! I look forward to it every year!" I quickly wrote back explaining that I had a blog and was just lazy and all, but honestly, it had me rethinking my decision to NOT write my annual Christmas letter. Then a few days ago I sat down to look over my 2008 calendar so that I could write down "Memories of the past year" in our Family Christmas book. After writing the highlights down, I was sad that I didn't send a Christmas letter...there was more to share than I had remembered. So I have decided to go ahead and write my 2008 Christmas letter....here. I hope you enjoy it! (And Mia, this is especially for you!)


Dear Friends and Family,
We pray you are healthy and happy this holiday season! We are all doing very well, and are thankful to God for His many blessings.

2008 was a wonderful year for us as we celebrated the arrival of our newest addition, Monroe James Gaddis. Roe was born on April 4, weighing in at 7 pounds,15 ounces, and stretching 20 inches long. He has been a happy baby since the moment he arrived. Now at almost 9 months old, he is one busy, busy boy. He loves to crawl, explore, and pull up on anything and everything. He is crazy about his big brothers and just smiles and laughs at all of their antics. (I think they will be three peas in a pod before I know it!) He is also very fond of Mommy, but only says 'da da' for now. What a blessing our Baby Roe is to us!

Drew and Grayson have been busy boys this year, and I am amazed at how much they have grown. They have certainly been terrific big brothers to Roe and for that John and I are extremely thankful. They took their first swim lessons this summer, had their first dentist visit, and are wearing big boy underwear! Woo hoo! They can also dress and undress themselves these days (except for the socks!) which is such a huge help to Mommy and Daddy. They started Kidz Praise (children's choir) in the fall and it was so fun to watch/hear their Thanksgiving performance. They still love sports, cars, and anything outdoors. They really like 'going and doing'...especially if it involves the zoo, a park, or playing with friends!

I have been busy this year learning how to be the mother of 3 boys. It is such a joy...and a privilege that I do not take lightly. Although I am temporarily not singing in the choir (since Roe's birth), I have been involved in MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and a mom's Bible Study. I have enjoyed meeting many new friends and have been encouraged in my role as a wife and mom. What a blessing to share this journey with other godly women striving to honor God through the ups and downs of life!

John is in his 9th year with East Texas Medical Center. In February, he took his RCEP (Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist) exam and passed with flying colors. This had been a professional goal of his for a while so we were very excited about such an accomplishment! He continues to play in our church orchestra, has enjoyed some hunting trips this year, but his favorite activity of all is hanging out with his 3 little boys! He is such a great daddy!

A few more things about our year include:

In March we learned that Grayson is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. This made me sad because we love nuts around here, but we have adjusted and made our home a nut-free zone.

John's brother and his wife (Nathan and Bethany) welcomed their second child, a daughter, Jovie Capri in March. She is just 8 days older than Roe!

In June, we were able to get away for a short vacation with my parents. A friend invited us to stay in their old farmhouse in a little town not too far from us. It was such a relaxing weekend and the kids had a great time playing outside all day every day! We hope to get to do it again next year!

In September we were able to go to Dallas for the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) Reunion at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. It was our first time to attend one of these reunions and it was so good to see some of the doctors and nurses that cared for Drew and Grayson.

In October we all went to Kentucky for John's cousin Alison's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we were so happy to get to celebrate with the family. We extended our stay so that we could have a mini reunion with John's immediate family. It was a blast!

This Christmas season has been full of excitement as well, as we have experienced it with the joy of two 'almost 4 year olds.' We have counted down the days of Christmas with advent calendars, baked gingerbread and sugar cookies for friends and ourselves, and have sung Christmas carols again and again!


May you all be blessed in the coming year.

Love,
John, Becky, and boys

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this belated Christmas letter. It has been fun for me to remember this past year again. Thank you for sharing it with me!