Monday, December 24, 2018

Our 2018 Family Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

If you want the official year-end Christmas letter...here you go! ;)

The Kids 

Our kiddos are now 7-years-old and in 2nd grade. We joke that the hours of 3:30 pm to 8 pm are long (from school pick-up until bedtime) but the years are short. It does seem hard to believe 2018 is already drawing to a close.

Caleb had the best start to the school year ever! Usually, the fall is very difficult as he tries to adjust to a new routine and new expectations. This year, it went sooooo smoothly. I'm used to crying my way through September and October due to the stress of getting him settled, but this year, I didn't get a single call from the school about him. He adjusted so incredibly well! We've even noticed in the last few weeks, that he has started leaving his headphones at home as we've headed out the door for family activities. While he still wears them a lot at school, his teachers tell us that he has started taking them off occasionally. We are very proud of his progress!

Abby has had a much better year at school as well. Last year, we put a 504 in place to help her with anxiety. Between those accommodations, checking in with the school counselor, and her amazing teacher who she had in 1st grade and now again in 2nd grade, Abby has done quite well! She still gets nervous on occasion, but she is very grounded and secure for the most part. She has the best handwriting out of the kids and still lives a fairy tale life in her head.

Elijah has had the most difficult year out of the kids. He's naturally a sensitive kid, and picks up on a lot of what people are thinking and saying around him and then internalizes it. Unfortunately, this year has been a rough one for him, and we've had our work cut out for us as we've tried to help him protect his heart, manage anxiety and self-doubt, and rewire the negative self-talk that he has adopted about himself. We are definitely grateful to our school counselor who stepped in along with his teacher who noticed a marked change in his ability to function at school. His ups and downs come in waves, and Christmas seems to be extra hard on him, but we are confident he's going to be stronger on the other side.

Ellie is a feisty as ever, and her sense of justice seems to refine itself with each passing year. Watch out for this one, because she will most definitely end up making an impact on the world! This year, she has learned a lot about what makes a good friend, the importance of hanging out with people who make good choices, and that every decision has a consequence...whether that's good or bad. We're proud of the sweet girl that she is and her clear view of what's right and wrong. We just need to work on her delivery a bit. ;)

The Parents

Sean still works for Sprint (20 years!) in the IT department, and enjoys getting to work from home 2 days a week. This year has had it's challenges for him personally, but it's been amazing to watch him walk through situations with strength and choose to take the high road. I still teach people how to use essential oils and take toxins out of their homes with Young Living. I love working full-time from my couch, being available for my kids when they need me, and jetting off to Panera or Target when I need a brain break without having to check in with a boss. It's been the perfect job for me to have with our family and still be able to live in my passion.

As a couple, Sean and I started working out at the gym this past year. We began the year with a personal trainer and now follow an online workout plan. We've had a good number of pretty sore days, but we plan to continue on in 2019. We also took several trips to Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and an all-expense paid trip to Guayaquil, Ecuador with Young Living this year. Sean and I love getting to travel together and see the world!

We are grateful for a year of good life lessons for our kids, blessings of provision for us, and good health despite Sean trying to crap out on me on the airplane back from Ecuador (click here for that crazy story!). We are excited for 2019 and a fresh start in a fresh year.

With love,
Sean and Rebecca
Caleb, Abby, Elijah, and Ellie

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1 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas! I enjoyed reading about each member of your beautiful family and the year they have had. Ours are in second grade this year too. Have a wonderful 2018!
    : 0 )

    ReplyDelete

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