Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, to each of our friends and loved ones!  This year has been another tremendous gift to us, and we are grateful beyond expression for all that we have been given.  We love and miss each and every one of you, and hope that this joyous season has found you well.
January and February, for many reasons, were times of tremendous growth for our family.  They were difficult months, as we grew and changed, but it is always incredible to look back and realize that the hardest times are indeed some of the most blessed.  The experience, growth, and change that can occur because of those times are some of the greatest blessings of our lives, and I would never change or trade them for anything.  What we have become through each of our trying periods is something we count as our most tremendous blessings of all, and hopefully, we will never be the same again.

Our little one turned ONE in February, and with that sweet birthday came many reminders of truly how merciful the Lord has been to our family.
 
Also in February, Libby joined our family!  We love her dearly and can’t imagine a better, sweeter person.  We are blessed to have her!  In March, we met her, and the girls are in LOVE.

 
April and May brought spring showers…er, snows, and with them, much springtime change…not only in the beautiful world around us, but also in our hearts.  The spring was a marvelous time for us as we began changes and outreaches in our lives that have richly blessed us.
 
April meant a joyous wedding and a lovely time watching my beautiful little sister, Chantile, enjoy wedded bliss with Tyson, who I love very much for taking such loving care of my sister. 
 
In May, our third daughter turned a very big THREE, and has loved every minute of her advancing years.  She makes us laugh and brings us joy each and every day. :)
 
May also brought us a SIX-year old, and with it, a renewed gratitude for this sweet girl, who is the best oldest sister in the world!

June meant that Matt and I had been married for seven glorious years!  These have been the most joyful, happy years of our lives, and we cannot wait for an eternity more.  Matt is my best friend, and truly my beloved companion.  One of my choicest and dearest blessings is his Love and companionship. 

 
 

We have enjoyed visiting many times with our Ipson family, now that we are closer!  June also meant a visit from Dad, Mom, and Mark, as they made their way across the country!  We hadn’t seen them in so long.  It was so wonderful to see them again.  We also got to meet other wonderful family that we had never met before.  We miss all of our family so much.
 
 
 
 
Summer brought swimming, camping, and a little rest from school.   The girls LOVED swimming lessons, and our oldest took to the water like a little fish (must be related to Grandma R!). 
MommYoga.com
MommYoga has done very well this year, and summer marked a new stage for us.   We began weekly podcasts in July, and that has been very fun for us.  A new DVD came out this summer as well, and has been very successful.
September was busy!  School started off with a bang and a field trip, and we’ve had a busy year.  The girls are doing really well, and I am grateful every day for the blessing that it is to homeschool them.  I love my time with them, and we have such a good time together.
September was also a wonderful month for us, as I completed my first Run for Congo Women.  The experience was life-changing, and I will never be the same for it.  It was a difficult thing to do, as I was pregnant and still in the throes of morning sickness, but once again, the difficulty made it all to more a blessing to me, and to us as a family.  We were able to gather the most donations for the Denver run, and nothing could have made me more grateful!  Thank you so much again to all of you who supported us so much.
This year has been one of continuing change, and the coming of autumn meant more changes in our lives and hearts, some of the most wonderful of all.  Through tender mercies, and great miracles, I am able to have another baby.  We are expecting our fifth girl
We are so grateful for another sweet little woman coming to our home.  Her sisters can hardly wait to greet her!  It has been a challenging pregnancy, which has blessed us all the more, because the challenges always seem to highlight just how blessed we truly are!
November brought a FIVE-year-old!  With this marvelous coming-of-age has come a sense of responsibility and sweetness that has been very sweet to watch.  We are so grateful for her and we love her so very much.
(photo by Devin Reams)

(photo by Brad Crooks)

(photo by Alex King)
Through all of the change, however, one thing that has remained constant (gratefully!!) is Matt’s job.  He is loving his job as a web developer at Crowd Favorite in downtown Denver.  It’s a great company, with great opportunities, and we are so happy he is there! Matt keeps incredibly busy, going to school full-time on the side.  We are so proud of him, and are so grateful for such a kind, loving daddy.
November also brought a big move to a home that we love.  We have found so much peace and gladness here, and are truly grateful to be here.  More than the beauty or the quiet of the home is this…the knowledge that we are where we are supposed to be.  What a peaceful feeling that is.
December has been busy with many great activities and plans for the future. :)  Most of all, it has been a time to reflect on the tremendous blessings that we have been given.  We are abundantly blessed, and are grateful for it each day.
We pray for a peaceful Christmas season and a happy New Year for each of you.  May your days be merry and bright!  Ours certainly have been.

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