Dear Family,
I have been intending to write a family letter for at least the last 6 months. But you know what they say about intentions. Most of my intent has been to keep from writing the letter that I’m writing now – the one where we make some big announcement and it seems like that’s the only time I write a letter. Sorry for that, and here’s the announcement: We are moving to Omaha at the end of the year. Which is really the end of the month – but who’s counting? Some of you may remember that Taylor grew up in Omaha and that her father and brother (and his family) live there now. We are excited to be close to them. But, we are sad to be far from Mom, Dad and Emma. We have so enjoyed being close to them and being able to visit for holidays and long weekends and whatever other excuse we may be able to come up with. When they moved out here, Mom was sure no one would come visit them. Ever. Well, we did, and then 6 months later we moved in with them. 6 months after that we found a place we could actually afford and moved there. Now, a little over a year later, we have found that we can’t afford it here, we can’t afford the traffic and we really don’t like the stress of living in the NY metro area. We do however love the landscape, the history, being able to visit NYC and my parents. We have discovered that no matter how much I love landscaping, I don’t love the amount of time it takes me away from our family. So it’s time for a change. I’ll be joining the ranks of financial planning, working in the same office as Taylor’s father. It feels like a good fit for us and we’ve long talked about getting back to the Midwest.
I’ve thought a lot about the move to New England and hoped it wasn’t a wasted effort, or a misunderstood prompting, or an action taken without proper consideration and prayer and direction from the Lord. In thinking those thoughts, I’m reminded of the many benefits and blessings we’ve found here. We have met and served with wonderful members of the church who will remain lifelong friends. Our little Paisley joined our family in an experience that one can only hope is once-in-a-lifetime. We’ve been able to share birthdays and summer days and temple trips and holidays with Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Emma. We were able to serve members and non-members after Superstorm Sandy as ‘Mormon Helping Hands’. And, truthfully, had we not moved here, we probably would not be moving to Omaha. Again I recognize the Lord’s hand in so many details of our lives. I often am surprised that one cannot be compelled to believe in Him by simply paying attention to the day-to-day happenings that just can’t be coincidental.
Our little brood keeps growing (just in stature, not quantity right now). Dallin has almost finished his first semester of Kindergarten. He seems to really love it and rides the bus with pride to and from each day. Taylor did follow the bus to school the first day, but found out that so did every other parent on the route. He tells us about all the new friends he has met and all their ethnically diverse names. It’s fun to hear his view on the world. He’s a big helper around the house, has mastered a lot of math and reading and is learning the rewards of following the rules. They have a reward system at school that he has really responded to and we’ve instituted a similar system at home. He has already earned a date with Dad, a pack of gum and a play date with a friend at our house. He is a good boy and wants to do the right thing.
Addie is also learning to read and write and has begun sounding things out. She hasn’t learned all the letters and the sounds they make yet, so it’s about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. She loves her preschool class almost as much as Mom loves the 4 hours a week of only having 1 child in the house. She is in a little bit of a diva phase right now, but we remember this age with Dallin so we know it will pass. She’s every bit of a girl that you could imagine and loves princesses, necklaces, painting her nails, putting on lip gloss and wearing dresses. She and Dallin are pals and play together pretty well. They play Rapunzel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-man and just about every other cartoon and Disney movie around. We’ve found new love for the old cartoons we watched as kids and their clean, simple messages.
Paisley is our newest little walker. She toddles all around and is learning to climb up on things. She loves climbing and sliding down the stairs, which is a heavily supervised activity, despite a few tumbles. She is very laid back and has a smile for everyone. She has figured out how to yell just loud enough to get our attention if one of her siblings is doing something she’s not too happy with. She also has lots to say and we think she’s the cutest little one-year-old around.
Taylor is my rock, as always. I can’t imagine life any other way than it is now. She is a good, good woman to let me drag our little family around the country, trying to find the best spot to grow our roots. She works hard to make sure the kids know that we love them, that they are clothed and fed and make it to school. I think she has a harder job than me most days. She has been a fantastic YW president for the second time around. The girls love her and so does the ward leadership. She will be missed in that organization.
If you made it all the way through this letter, thanks for reading it. I know it’s a lot and I could write a shorter letter if I would do it more often. Is this an appropriate place for apologizing to my mother for not measuring up to the cause she has to champion every month? Sorry Mom. Life is good for us. It really is. We are surrounded by great people, know that we have welcoming arms nearly everywhere across this great land of ours and have a blessed knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s plan for us. No matter what else happens, we know where we are headed. There is great comfort and security in that. We love you all!
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Austin, Taylor, Dallin, Addie and Paisley.
No comments:
Post a Comment