It’s hard to believe that another year has flown by. So many things have happened in so many ways, so I’ll just jump right in and get started telling you about them.

The big, big news this year of course is Jacob. Our baby boy was born in April and what a joy he is. He’s been healthy right from the start and has grown like a weed ever since. We’re so grateful and we praise God for that. He is very active, alert, and interested in the world around him. He loves to interact with whoever he’s around. So much fun. And it was fun watching Callie as she learned about and got used to the idea that a baby was coming to our family. There were times I thought she had a pretty good understanding of what to expect and other times it appeared she didn’t have a clue. Then there were times we had to try to help her be patient in waiting and others times that she needed reassurance her that her world would not be turned upside down by a baby brother.

Yes, it was an adjustment for us all, but one that we were anticipating and looking so forward to. Brian and I consider it a privilege and an honor to be entrusted now with two precious little lives to care for and bring up. With a little planning and organization, we manage to do pretty much all of the activities we were doing before. The summer was fun with lots of outdoor time for all of us – the kids and I outdoors off and on throughout the day and then all four of us in the evenings, weekends, holidays, and during time off from work that Brian took. Family time is so precious and meaningful to us.

And Callie is quite the little person in her own right. She turned three in September. She’s very active and inquisitive and open to trying new games and activities. She loves playing outdoors (like the rest of us). Loves playing at the playground, loves swimming (yes, that has stayed with her), loves to ride bikes (behind Brian or I or on her own little tricycle). She’s very social; makes friends easily, of all ages. Loves to sing and dance. I think she has a natural sense of rhythm. (Of course, I’m not biased or anything.) Loves her books.

She loves her little brother. And he loves her. When she slows down long enough to talk to him it looks like he’s hanging on every word she says. It’s so cute to watch her “read” a book to him. He watches whatever she’s doing and I can tell that he’d love to be right out there with her, doing whatever she is. And she would like that, too. It will be fun to watch all of that unfold as time goes by.

Of course there were good times with extended family. Brian’s parents were thrilled to now have a grandson and a granddaughter. They came over to visit a number of times this year as we hoped they would. And we’re very glad they feel comfortable coming to stay with us. We want them to know their grandchildren and to be actively involved in their lives. I think grandparents have a unique way of influencing their grandchildren for good and Brian and I both want that to happen – a lot. This was the first year that we did not have Christmas at Brian’s parent’s home. We talked with them about this last year and asked if they would be OK with us having Christmas in our home so that our kids could begin to have that close tie to immediate family and Christmas traditions in our home. They were in agreement with that and so this year that is what happened. They came to our place instead of us going there. And it was a great time. We all adjusted well to it – including Beth who joined us a lot during the time her parents were with us. It was a very joyful time of celebration and sharing. Good memories were definitely made and closer bonds were formed.

We were slow getting started into the camping season this year. We now had to take little Jacob into account so it was getting close to the end of June before we tried our first family-of-four camping trip. Just one-nighters at first to get into the swing of it and see how things would go, but then we were up to the whole weekend by seasons end. Jacob is such a good baby. He seems to adapt to wherever we are and whatever we’re doing. Callie is the same way and we’re so grateful for that. I take that as a sign that they both feel secure in our family.

I try to keep us organized for camping trips. I keep lists of what we need to do to prepare and take and Brian keeps all the gear together and organized in containers as much as possible so that it doesn’t take too much of a monumental effort to pack up and head over there. Of course anyplace you go with a baby people are interested and offer to help and want to know all about him. But at the campground where people know us, it’s even more so – almost over the top. If we had lacked for anything at all, people would have been standing in line to offer all sorts of help. That is such a blessing.

We’re in the habit of working around the kids’ eating and sleeping schedules and as long as we do that things go pretty well when camping. We have times of fun and activity followed by times of rest and relaxation. It’s a pretty good way to be and we come home refreshed for having enjoyed our extended time outdoors in a place we love and living in a way that we find so beneficial. And being around especially kind, caring, friendly people is a big part of it, too.

During our camping trips, we managed to join up with some of the people I’ve written to you about before. Beth joined us a couple times. Julie and Jeff were there at the same time we were a couple times and that makes it especially fun. Jim and Ann and some of their family were there once when we were. And of the group that Julie and I tried to get to come back the previous summer, the only one of them that was actually there when we were was Angie. She was there once when we were and then she came back another time or two that we weren’t. It’s interesting to keep up with her. She’s very outspoken so you always know what’s on her mind. It would appear that some of her ideals have undergone some rethinking recently and she’s searching for what to do with that. We had some good conversation that weekend – she, Brian and I. It will be interesting to see where that goes. Oh, another interesting thing that she said was that she had always felt that when it came to nudism (social nudity) she could take it or leave it, but that lately she was thinking that maybe it was more important to her than she thought. I guess that’s why she came to the campground a little more this past summer than she had been for the last few summers. Also, her brother and his girlfriend were there at least one time during the summer, although that wasn’t a weekend that we were there. Sorry we missed them.

In addition to camping, we have a lot of other interactions with people in a lot of other settings – our neighborhood, church, etc. We’re getting to know more families around our own age with young children and that really seems to draw us together. We can relate so well and it gives us a chance to have our children socialize with others under our watchful eyes. It gives us opportunities to teach and to be examples.

We’ve grown closer to a number of our neighbors. We seem to be in a low-turnover neighborhood and we like that. It’s nice to see so many people that we know on our street and it’s very nice to be known by them as well. I’ve become very close with some of the other women up and down the street – both those that work and those that stay at home. It’s a bond of friendship and support whether we’re near the same age or not. We know each other’s kids. And we call on a couple of the girls in the neighborhood to babysit for us. It really feels like a close-knit community.

Another friendship that I really put some effort into this past year was with an old friend that I grew up with and went to school with up until I had to change schools in high school. We had run into each other several years ago and gotten reacquainted. But it seemed no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t seem to keep a close friendship going. She and her husband live in a different part of the area than we do and we found that when our kids came along, we just couldn’t seem to get together with them, although I had the sense that it wasn’t just that. But I decided one day that I was going to reach out and continue to do the reaching until we either established and kept a close friendship or I knew for sure that she just didn’t want that. What I found was that she really did want to connect with us, but her husband is not very outgoing and wasn’t all that interested. So she and I came to the understanding that she and I would stay close and not try to involve the four of us, since that effort was what seemed to be keeping us apart. And now, I’m so glad that I did. She had some real needs for friendship, someone she could reach out to for some camaraderie, support and encouragement and while we don’t get together very often, we do talk a lot. She’s able to share a lot of her joys and her concerns with me and I can be a sounding board for her and give her a little feedback. Of course, it works both ways and even though we’re both adults, it still feels a lot like it did back when we were such close friends as kids. We could tell each other anything then and we still can and do today.

This reminds me to tell you that I’m still involved in the women’s outreach ministry at church that I’ve been a part of for the last couple of years. My friend that I just told you about is like so many of the women that we reach out to in that group to offer friendship and support. That is such a need in our society today. It seems like it’s so easy for people to become isolated and feel so alone in the world. That is so damaging and hurtful to a person. We need each other. We need relationship. We need togetherness. And I don’t think it’s just a woman thing. I think men need it too, but just aren’t as likely to either recognize it or admit it. My heart goes out to all who are in that situation.

Speaking of our church involvement, I’ve told you about the home study groups that we have hosted in our home in the past. It’s been a while since we’ve done anything like that, but late in the year we were approached by the pastor of family and care at our church asking us if we would consider hosting a home group for the couples coming out of the pre-marital classes and just married. He suggested that it would be good if they could get to know first-hand a married couple that was just a few years ahead of them in their marriage. Rather than a topical study that met for six or eight weeks and then ended, this would be ongoing. He would be leading and we would host and co-lead as we felt comfortable. At first we weren’t sure we wanted to give up an evening of our family time each week on a continual basis, but as we thought and prayed about it and talked it over, we came to realize that this was something really important and that maybe we could make a positive difference for young married couples just getting started. So many marriages fail and so many people are unhappy in their marriages that it breaks my heart to think about it. If there is anything we can do to set a good example or say that would help or encourage, we should do it. We have already begun hosting this group as I write this and we’re getting to know some nice people. We’re looking forward to more of this.

Let’s see…I mentioned friends; I mentioned Julie and Jeff, but I didn’t say much about them. We as couples remain very, very close and get together often – mostly them coming to our place since Jacob is so little. And Julie and I talk nearly every day and both feel something important is missing if we don’t. Sometimes in the evening if we haven’t talked yet, I’ll get a text from her saying, “I need my ‘sunny’ fix call me.” She knows I need to work around the kids in the evening but that I’ll call her when I can. Beth comes to see us often and Callie and Jacob both love their auntie Beth. She’s really good with them. She seems to want to stay settled here in our area. There was a time when we thought she might move back home, but that seems to have passed. We don’t want to hold her back, but we really enjoy her near us. She’s still single. Every so often she starts dating someone and we think, hey, I wonder if they’re getting serious, but not so far. We’re not trying to “marry her off” or anything – we just want her to be happy. One of these days she’ll meet the right guy. She’s going out with someone new lately, so who knows the ways and wiles of young love.

As you can tell from my writing, my family is so important to me. I love my role as Callie’s and Jacob’s mommy. And I love my role as Brian’s wife. I have no problem reconciling my unique personhood to these roles. It doesn’t stifle me in any way. I believe it completes me. I haven’t said much about Brian. Fact is, I can’t say enough about him. It’s such a privilege and honor to be married to him and spend the rest of our lives together. He not only goes out every day to provide for his family, he comes home and takes an active role with us, too. He plays with the kids, looks for teachable moments, and is willing to do whatever it takes to care for them. There are some good bonds being formed there that will definitely make a huge difference in their lives. They love their daddy so much. And I’m so lucky to be in a marriage and family with this man as the head. I love and respect him so much. It makes the time we get to spend just the two of us later in the evenings after we’ve put the kids to bed so very special. And while we love being with our kids, we’re kind of looking forward to Jacob getting a little bit older so that we can bring in a sitter or talk auntie Beth in to watching the kids now and then while we go out on a date ourselves. Oh the ways and wiles of young love! Ha!

We wish you all a happy and blessed year 2011.