Christmas Letter 2015

Word of the Father now in flesh appearing. O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

We are grateful for our family and friends who share life with us.

8 Years: We started the year with a celebration of 8 years of marriage on January 13. 

Emery: At the end of February, our sweet Emery Annabelle turned 3. Her birthday party was a very snowy day, and we had a small lunch with Gramma, Grandpa, Aunt Cindy, and Mallory. Emery had a blast!

Growing: This year, Emery's hair has grown noticeably, and there are loose curls in the back. She's also grown several inches taller and was about 38.33 inches in December. She is learning phonics and recognizes many sight words. Mrs. Diana works with her and her daycare buddy, Mary Helen (4 1/2), on phonics, blending sounds, and writing letters, and they're soaking it up! 

Firsts this year: Emery rode a pony at a Halloween festival, pedaled a tricycle, went to the beach in Oregon, saw Disney on Ice, and rode on a boat in Annapolis with Blake's family.

Johnson Visit: In April, Blake's family visited from Wyoming and we enjoyed time with them in Annapolis, at Frying Pan Farm, out for great meals, and at home playing. Emery loved sharing time with Avia Jo, Avi Alan, and Uncle Brandon, showing them her favorite playgrounds and the library, and putting on puppet shows in the living room.

Emergency: Toward the end of the Johnsons' visit in April, Tiffanie went to the ER in the middle of the night, needing an emergency appendectomy. She must have looked fantastic when the EMT asked if Blake was her son! It was her first trip in an ambulance. Our family took care of Emery and our home and made the recovery process a bit easier. 

Trip: Tiffanie traveled to Lake Michigan again this spring to visit college friends for a get-away weekend. She got to snuggle a 9-week old baby -- an important job for someone who'd just had surgery and wasn't allowed to lift more than 10lbs. (as if she needs an excuse to snuggle!)

Seattle/Oregon: Tiffanie's folks took us to Seattle and Oregon in June to visit her dad's family and friends. We got to see Leon's college roommate and family in Seattle, and one of Tiffanie's friends and her family. In Oregon, we saw Aunt Renee, Uncle Dan, Aunt Beth, Cousin DanLee, and Leon's cousins, Paula and Judy and some of their families, and his Aunt Tillie. Blake, Tiffanie, and Emery went to the Oregon coast for Emery's first trip to the beach. It was cold! 

Jobs/Grad School: We continue at our jobs at Northern Virginia Community College: Blake as an academic advisor for the past 4 years and Tiffanie as a research analyst for the past 7 years. This summer, Blake successfully defended the proposal portion of his dissertation and has officially moved on to data collection. He is interviewing students and collecting surveys, planning to begin data analysis this spring.  

Hard times: We've had a run with some medical issues this year. Blake's eyes have bothered him for the past 4 months, and he needed physical therapy for his leg. And Tiffanie went through the aforementioned appendectomy. This fall, we spent several months at the doctor failing to conceive another child. We're weary and worn from this emotional year. We're hoping and praying for the Joy of the Lord to be our strength as we walk through this and move forward.

Looking forward: In the next few weeks, we will celebrate Christmas with Tiffanie's brother and sister-in-law, Bryan and Sherry visiting, and also celebrate Tiffanie's folks' 50th wedding anniversary with a fun party with lots of long-time (can't call them "old") friends! 

Thank you for being with us and loving us and being our friends.

Love,
Blake, Tiffanie, and Emery 

"It is a time to celebrate... for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 


We also periodically post pictures and updates about Emery here: http://buzziboo.blogspot.com/