Christmas Card 2009

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Dear friends and family,

As we enjoy this wonderful time of year we think about you and wish you peace and joy as you celebrate Christmas. Once again, it is time to reflect on the events that have taken place throughout this past year as well as show gratitude for our many blessings.

2009 has been a year of many changes for our family! After living most of our married life in Michigan (7 out of 9 years), we moved across the country to Laramie, Wyoming. This was a very hard decision for us because we would miss our friends, home, neighborhood, church, and family. After much thought and prayer, we finalized our wonderful life in Michigan and headed west. We landed in Cheyenne and stayed with Cale’s parents for seven weeks until we made a decision on housing. Who knew that a small town in Wyoming would be so expensive! After touring every existing home and researching builders and land, we FINALLY broke ground in October. We plan to move in late February/early March. Until then, we are living “close-knit” as a family of five in an apartment.

Caleb took a position as Director of Education for Wyotech, an automotive and diesel technical trade school. Some days he misses the cushy work
schedule he had in Michigan, but enjoys the new challenges of managing over 75 employees, about 1200 students, and the reality that he lives in Wyoming...and probably will for a long time. He is a hard man to track down these days, but we love the drastically reduced travel schedule the new job provides! He somehow maintains his sense of humor, continues to keep things lighthearted, and keeps all of us laughing. He is looking forward to doing some sweat equity on the house and fixing cars in spare time.... that he hopes to get someday.

Suzette chooses to remain positive as she cares for three young children in a 600-square-foot apartment! Admittedly, she enjoys the simplicity of her life right now with fewer square feet to clean and manage. Shortly upon arriving to Laramie, she was blessed with the opportunity to dabble in her field again. She is now working as a Nutrition Counselor and Personal Trainer for the Laramie Recreation Center. She enjoys the flexibility of this job and gets the best of both worlds, but her favorite job of all time continues to be motherhood. In addition, she spends her time planning and designing our new home, which she can’t get enough of! She continues to enjoy fitness, organizing, blogging, thinking of ways to entertain children, and adult interaction.

Averie wants to write her own blurb: I am 5 years old I like peanut Butter & Honny it is so good I am a good artiist I think everybody in Shkcool Love’s me Love Averie. We would like to add that Averie is enjoying her new preschool. She tells us that her favorite days are her “long days” when she’s at school until 2:00 pm. She enjoyed her first soccer season in the fall and is looking forward to gymnastics this winter. She is outgrowing all of her pants because her legs are so long! Our favorite part of the day is when we peak into the kid’s room to listen to Averie reading stories to her younger brother. She is such a sweet big sister. Her favorite pastimes are writing songs and stories on the computer, reading, playing with friends and cousins, making crafts with a BIG MESS, and coloring.

Kempton turned three in September and transformed suddenly from toddler to kid. He was completely potty trained in less than one week, out of the blue decided that he didn’t need his beloved binkie, and decided one Sunday that he actually likes nursery! We, as his parents, came to the realization that he does best when he makes his own decisions. He rarely is persuaded or convinced...this should make things interesting when he’s a teenager! Kempton is such a caring and affectionate boy, he eats and sleeps like a teenager, and he is a whiz when it comes to anything mechanical. He is looking forward to his first soccer season this January!

We still treat Brenna like she is a baby and are in denial that she’ll be turning two in January! Rosie is still pint-sized, but her personality has exploded lately! She is determined to do everything herself and refuses to wear her coat in sub-zero weather. She gets into everything and her little legs refuse to walk, only run! She is very charming even when naughty, and her fairy-like face and dimples help her get away with all of her antics. She enjoys nursery in church mostly because her brother is there, whom she can’t help but torment! Brenna is such a sweet, sassy, and silly little girl. She loves her “babies” and plays mommy all day long. She loves to talk and we sometimes understand her.

Our main vacation this year was to San Antonio, Texas for a mini-reunion with Suzette’s family. We had so much fun at Sea World (where Averie went on rides Suzette was afraid of) and with grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins! We’ve also made some mini-trips to Utah and Colorado, just to keep things lively!

This has been a very eventful year for us with a lot to take in, but we realize more than ever the guiding hand of our Heavenly Father in our lives. We have a testimony that He answers our prayers and will often bless us with the desires of our hearts.

Merry Christmas with Love,

Caleb, Suzette, Averie, Kempton, and Brenna Perriton