Dear family and friends –

Merry Christmas from Michigan! We are still here in the mitten state – and still loving it! Brian is working hard on his doctorate degree and is on course to graduate fall of 2010! We will probably be here until summer or fall of 2011. It is going by quickly and we are so blessed to have a wonderful ward full of great friends. We really enjoy Michigan – it’s a beautiful place to live. In the summer we love to visit all the different lakes and parks that are close by and it is absolutely gorgeous here in the fall! And the winters aren’t as bad as most people think they are! We will be sad to leave here when the time comes, but we really hope to be closer to our families someday. Brian is almost finished up with all of his classes and then will be focusing on his dissertation. Somehow he’s been able to balance attending school, teaching classes, fulfilling his church callings, and still being a great husband and father. We are lucky to have him. I love being at home with the kids and am still serving as the Young Women’s president in our ward – both of which give me plenty to do! We feel very blessed for all that we have.

Sophie is in the first grade. She likes school – once we get her there! She is growing up quickly and is a joy to have in our home. She loves to be the big sister and to craft or create anything. She especially loves to draw and write stories and songs. She is the only member of our church in her school class, and comes home with lots of questions for us! She has a tender heart and hates thinking that she is in trouble at all. I get to help in her class once a week and it is so fun to see her interact with all of her classmates. She is a sweet girl and we can’t believe how much she is growing up.

Nora is content to be home with me and is not looking forward to kindergarten yet – because she does not want to get any shots! She is full of imagination and loves to play and pretend. She also loves to craft and do pre-school activities with me at home. She reminds me every day that we need to do her pre-school work. She is a sensitive girl who needs lots of loves from all of us to remind her that life as the middle child is still good! She is a sweetheart and so fun to have by my side all day long!

Miles is just such fun. He makes us laugh every day and is such a happy little guy. He loves anything with wheels and can often be found at his train table or lining his cars up in a row. He has a great laugh and a smile that can melt your heart – which often gets him out of quite a bit of trouble. He loves watching football and basketball with his dad and can hardly stand to be away from Brian when Brian is home. Every time Brian gets home from school Miles greets him like it’s been a year or more since he’s seen him last! Miles brings a lot of joy into our home.

Again this year we feel blessed beyond measure, and we are looking forward to the adventures we will have in the coming year!

More than anything this season we feel so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are grateful for the knowledge we have that our family can be together forever because of Him. We know that He lives! That he was born in a stable in Bethlehem and that He later suffered and died for each of us, paying the price for our sins so we could return back to Him. May your Christmas be filled with His spirit and love.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Brian, Lexie, Sophie, Nora & Miles