Christmas Letter 2016

"I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Please bend down and listen as I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways." 

Psalm 17:6-7

Anniversaries: Our 2016 recap actually begins right before New Year's Eve with a party to celebrate Tiffanie's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It was a fun night of memories, photographs, and music from the 1960s. In January, we celebrated 9 years of marriage. 10 is right around the corner.

Birthday: At the end of February, Emery turned 4 years old. We took her and her friend, Mary Helen, to see Disney Live - a magic show with all the Disney characters. They enjoyed the show! 

Emery's likes: Emery received the movie Frozen on DVD for Christmas last year and has been over the moon for the movie, the soundtrack, and all her Elsa, Anna, and Olaf dolls, coloring books, stuffed animals, shirts, and other gear. Emery and Tiffanie can both sing the soundtrack word-for-word as we play it in the car all the time. She still loves to pretend and dress up. She loves calendars (unless you flip the page early!), details, rules (enforcing more than following, of course). She's also really great at sharing her treats and helping with chores (most of the time). 

Emery likes to go for walks/runs at the park and likes learning about nature. She made several visits to Hidden Pond Nature Center in Burke this year, learning about animals, plants, and insects. As a family, we also went exploring on trails in our neighborhood. 

Emery loves stories -- both the telling and being told -- and she likes hearing tales of when her parents were kids. Much like her daddy, she also likes making up creative stories and being silly. She has spent most of the fall trying to convince us her real name is Ariel (like the Little Mermaid).

School: This summer Emery began reading more confidently. She writes letters/words with increasing skill - a mix of upper and lowercase and her spacing is getting much better. At home, we also try to show her real-life applications with math. She had a few occasions where she decided to use her own money to purchase something, though she wanted to keep both the toy and the money. Don’t we all! 

Firsts this year: Emery got a haircut (which eliminated the curls, boo hoo!), started reading books by herself, went fishing in the Wyoming mountains, swam underwater, started sleeping in a twin bed, went to a wedding, went to the dentist, got her fingernails and toenails painted, learned to play checkers (learned how to lose gracefully at checkers), went bowling, and took a dance class (ballet and tap). (Recital video is posted here: https://vimeo.com/194178146)

Snow: We had only one snow storm early this year, but it was a big one: 22 inches! NOVA was closed for a total of 11 days (including weekends). It was almost too deep to sled, but we tried anyway. 

Marathon: Blake set a goal last year of getting in shape and running the DC Rock n' Roll marathon. He trained through the winter, and this March we went to DC to cheer him on! 

Wyoming: We visited the Johnsons in Wyoming this spring. The weather was perfect and we had a great trip. We went fishing in the Bighorn Mountains, to a bowling alley, and to an arcade; we also played in a tent, planted flowers, and painted. Emery loved Jo and Alan's dog, Jaxsyn (golden doodle) and her mom, Cadence (poodle). Blake got to go golfing with his dad and spent lots of time with his brother.

Buffalo run: In Wyoming, we joined the Johnson family at a 10k/5k event on the Durham Bison Ranch. Blake won the 10k (including a medal and a prize package of buffalo steaks), his dad ran the 5k, and Tiffanie & Emery walked/ran the 5k. Afterward, Emery got to feed horses and see herds of bison.

Trips: In August, Emery and Tiffanie toured DC landmarks with visiting friends, and we went to the National Zoo on the day after Thanksgiving.


Halloween: Emery wore three different costumes this year -- Strawberry Shortcake (from last year) at Ballet class, Mermaid at Trunk or Treat, and Doc McStuffins (from her dress-up clothes) for Trick-or-treating at home.

Work: Blake and Tiffanie continue to work at NOVA. Tiffanie's office moved back on campus from a temporary (three years!) location off campus. The new (old) building is both familiar and very updated - this time with a real office with a window. Blake recently got a promotion and is over a counseling/advising program on his campus. He teaches courses, advises students, and is on several college committees. 


Looking ahead: We're hoping for new things in 2017. We're looking forward to finishing some things and starting others. 

With much love, 
Blake, Tiffanie, and Emery