Happy Holidays

Christmas music is playing again in the Andelin home. Clark has started making fires in our wood burning stove. The trees are bare and snow and rain have begun falling. Bare feet are now covered with socks and shoes. Winter is here and Christmas is coming!

In our home Lu Lu can be heard saying everyday "Santa is coming to town." We love our little Lu Lu. She continues to bless our lives with her playful, affectionate personality. This past year was a big year for our Olivia. With the promise of dance school on the horizon, she was finally potty trained. No stickers or candy would suffice for this little one, only a leotard and dance shoes. She did it! She did it! She did it! And if there are any doubters she will be happy to show you! The other highlight for her was turning three. It was a big deal for all of us and we had so much fun celebrating with her and her friends, her first "REAL" birthday party.

Isaac is our "Little Buddy." With his legs now fully under him he is cruising everywhere and getting into all sorts of mischief. He is all boy. He loves cars, anything with moving parts, and is obsessed with building fires with his daddy. He will put anything and everything into his mouth and does not like being bossed around by his sissy. His laugh is infectious and we look forward to watching him grow and develop even more in the coming year.

Clark continues to work hard. His commitment and dedication to medicine and his patients brings him a lot of joy and satisfaction. Training is brutal but he is doing what he loves and we know there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel. We are grateful he is working and is able to provide for us in such a difficult economy. When he is not working or sleeping you will always find him home with us, playing with us, snuggling all of us, and taking care of us.

As for me, staying home with the children continues to be a blessing for all of us. I love waking up with them, playing with them, teaching them, and taking care of them. They are also my little teachers as I learn to listen to them and strive to meet their needs. Something fun - I just finished a children's DVD with a good friend of mine, Allison Shwalb. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. We look forward to giving it out to friends and family over the next year.

Beyond the normal hum of our lives, we said good-bye to Clark's grandmother this year. She was the great matriarch of the Andelin family. Her death punctuated for all of us the true purpose of life and was a wonderful reminder of God's great Plan of Salvation and the happiness that can be ours in this life and the next. She was such a good woman. We miss her presence greatly but continue to feel her influence in our lives.

To our friends and family everywhere, we love you and miss you. Happy Holidays!