Merry Christmas!

For those of you who just got my Christmas card in the mail, let me just say, "I'm sorry." I guess it didn't matter after all that I ordered them back in November. We had some major problems with printing out the letter so I finally just sent them off without it. For those of you (most of you) who were perfectly satisfied with the card only, you do not have to read on. For posterity's sake, I've included it here. Enjoy!

Dear Family and Friends, 

    This has definitely been our busiest year but it has also been our happiest.  Our lives are so full of all of the usual things that occupy time and space but our home is filled with so much joy in the simple moments of every day.   It’s the funny things that my children say, the quiet that falls when everyone is actually eating (and enjoying) a meal that I have prepared, the hugs when my husband comes through the door.  It’s the gleam in the kid’s eyes when they discover something new or understand a slight comment or joke between the adults.  It’s watching my kids talking and laughing and even quarreling with each other; watching their relationships form before my eyes, relationships that they will have all of their lives.  It’s when they outsmart me and know it.  It’s the calm that comes when everyone is in their beds. It’s watching everyone dancing in the kitchen.  It’s the smile that I can’t hold back when all of the kids are singing to the radio in the car.  It’s the craziness, anticipation, and excitement before a road trip.  It’s the spirit of peace and love that fills our home when we gather to read the scriptures.  It’s the astonishment at the sheer volume of Claire’s scream.  It’s the potty humor of a five year old boy, still funny in all its impropriety.  It’s the quick wit of Audrey, the sly manipulation of Rachel in all her creativity.  It’s watching brains develop, character form, and testimony felt.    It’s the exasperated glances between James and I and the ensuing laughter when things get chaotic and exhaustion sets in.  I have been blessed to live with a man who truly finds the humor in life.  To James, there is nothing more amusing than a terrible day.  These are the things that make all of the dishes, laundry, yard work, bills, messes, sickness, snotty noses, dirty diapers, and sleepless nights, worthwhile. 

     This year will always be remembered as the year that James sold Preventive and started his own business.  James has been working to build “Green Street,” a home energy efficiency company, and we have been working hard to support him.  Things are going really well and we are so happy with our decision.  It has been great to see James break off on his own and build a business from the ground up; something that he has always wanted to do.  I’m very proud of him.  We have been married 11 years this month and I am happy to say that things just keep getting better.

     I have really enjoyed this year.  Being a Mother of four has been especially challenging with James focusing on building his business but the challenges have brought about a lot of growth and I have been blessed for the experiences I have had.  Me and the kids spent two months in Utah with family over the summer and made some really great memories.  I got to see what life would be like without James as we were away and he was traveling back and forth to Austin.  I am very happy to have him home.  We really missed him.  This year will also remain in my memory as the year that I gained both a sister-in-law and a niece!  Two things that I have been waiting to have for a very long time! 

     Audrey is nine.  She remains sweet and sensitive and one of the most empathetic children I know.  She works so hard and is so responsible.  She keeps our family on our toes.  I can always trust that she will remember things that need doing and places we need to be.  She sets her own alarm and wakes up our whole family every day!  I don’t know what I would do without her!  I can always depend on her to have a good attitude and to be helpful.  She is an amazing little dancer and just performed in “The Nutcracker” for the second time. 

     Rachel always amazes me.  She is now seven and does things like writing her spelling words upside down and backwards.  She is always thinking “outside the box.”  She is very analytical and asks us lots of deep questions.  She never takes anything at face value, always weighing it out in her own mind.  She is a great artist and also enjoys dancing and taking piano lessons.  She and Adam have become great friends this year.  It is so fun to watch them interact.  I can thank her for getting him ready for school next year as she is always teaching him and coloring with him.  I never know what to expect from her.  I love to see her wheels turning.  She makes life a lot of fun.

    Adam is my little man.  He holds a special place as the only boy in our family.  I absolutely adore him.  He graduated from speech therapy this year and is completely caught up.  When he could hardly say a word at three years old I never thought I’d see the day.  He is now more ready for school than any of my kids have been.  He has a great love of learning and enjoys challenging his mind and doing puzzles and “homework” assignments.  He jumps right in with the girls when they are studying.  He has a great sense of humor and always keeps our family laughing.  He still has his own unique way of talking and it makes me laugh every day the way he can put a sentence together.  I am so happy to have him in our family.

     Claire is our caboose and she is not to be outdone!  She is the most spirited of the whole bunch.  She is sociable and delightful like Audrey, imaginative and spunky like Rachel, and wild and crazy with a big sense of humor like Adam.  She really is all of the other three rolled into one, spoiled rotten and with her own diva flair.  She can intimidate the rest of us like no one can.  We all adore her.  It will be fun to see her personality continue to come out.  I look forward to having one on one time with her next year while all the others are in school.  I have been so busy during her baby years that she deserves it!

     As always, this time of year makes me reflect on my testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and of my Father in Heaven.  We have relied on our faith in hard times and try to remember him always even in times of peace.  I feel greatly blessed to know of the reality of God and his love for us.  The other day I was driving by myself and my favorite song came on the radio . . .

“Oh Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Saviors Birth.  Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘till he appeared and the soul felt its worth . . . “

     In the middle of traffic I felt the spirit in my heart as I thought about the implications of a world in sin and error “pining.”  The definition of the word pining is to long for somebody or something, especially somebody or something unattainable or to become weak and lose vitality as a result of grief or longing. The word pining really hit me as I realized that is really what we are without Christ.  Knowing Him is to know the worth of our own Soul.  I am forever indebted.

We hope this letter finds you happy and well.  We wish you a Merry Christmas and the best for the New Year ahead! 

Love, The Carter Family