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Monday, December 7, 2009

Christmas Letter

To save on paper and shopping, here is the Christmas letter you have all been hoping for in the mail....;-)

Dearest Friends and Family,
What a wonderful year this has been! We have been so blessed during this year of BIG changes and small miracles.

To start the year off with a bang, we moved to Jackson, TN in at the end of January. We packed up a home that we loved and said goodbye to dear friends and set out on a new adventure, and an adventure it has been!

For starters, our sweet baby girl Sarah was born in October. She is growing and eating, and sleeping like a champ! She was born full term which truly was a miracle for our family, and I learned a lot about patience once again! She already goes through more clothes than I remember the boys ever going through (she is a girl after all!) and she has all of us wrapped around her little finger. She has dark hair that we hope stays dark, has a smile that takes up her whole face, and loves to be pampered! She can flare her little toe out away from her other toes, loves to be swaddled, and is just now warming up to bath time. She brought such happiness with her when she came that has been infectious, and we just love our little lady bug to pieces!

Jarom has also been growing like a weed! He is just the electricity of our family. He keeps us all moving and lights us all up with his smile and charm, and when that little guy gets going, you'd better watch out! Our munchkin loves to sing "Popcorn Popping" over and over, and is really good at the motions. He loves to dance, especially to the closing credits of pretty much any movie. And he LOVES his brother and sister. He loves to say Sarah's name, and is just giddy when Dallin comes home from school. He is awesome at being a big brother already, and is very mindful of Sarah's needs. He tries to make sure she has a blanket over her face (to make sure she is warm) or shakes her car seat just as she gets to sleep (to make sure she isn't dead) or pats her head with sticky fingers (all girls need a little product in their hair every now and then!) or sits right by her side during diaper changes and tells her how gross it is (guilting her into potty training?) He is just so attentive to her needs! He has struggled a lot with his allergies and eczema this year, and we have tried almost everything which works for a week or so and then we are back to square one. He is very patient with the itching and pain, and still manages to be just a happy little guy.

Dallin has grown up right before my eyes this year. When we got to TN, his Kindergarten teacher wasn't sure she was going to be able to graduate him on to 1st grade because the education he had gotten in Utah was seriously lacking. He was just so far behind, but that didn't stop my Dallin from working hard and catching right up. He likes 1st grade, and his favorite parts of school are either P.E., lunch, music, (because of his "beautiful" music teacher) or art. He has become quite the Batman enthusiast, and every picture he has drawn for the last 3 months has been about Batman. He lives for the Lego Batman XBox game which has given us good leverage to "encourage" obedience. He is a rockin' big brother, as Jarom likes to pretty much shadow his every move, and he allows it for the most part. Dallin has really missed his friends from St. George and will randomly ask to move back there, but that is usually when he is mad at Jarom. Otherwise, he has been perfectly happy to have Jarom has his little buddy. He is awesome at his chores which include cleaning his own bathroom, bedroom and the toy room. He also clears the table every night, and has FINALLY learned to tie his own shoelaces. He can make his own bowl of cereal in the mornings, and will even get Jarom a bowl. If I could just teach him how to make dinner......maybe in 2010!

Ben took a promotion with Redbox as a Regional Operations Supervisor, hence the move to Tennessee. He really loves his job, and is really good at it too! He is able to work from home, which is great (most of the time!) He has already served in the Sunday School Presidency and is currently serving in the Elder's Quorum Presidency in our church and has loved serving in that capacity, and has been involved in some missionary work also. He is a fantastic father, and loves dishing out "um-num-shebas" as often as he can. For those of you who aren't literate in the "Indiana Jones" lingo, an "um-num-sheba" is basically when Ben pretends to take your heart out with his bare hand. Sounds gruesome, I know, but it really turns into a tickle-fest. The only problem with that is that my boys aren't afraid of them anymore, and actually TRY to get them. Ben is the best dad to wrestle with, because it is virtually impossible to hurt him!

I struggled with the move here because of the pregnancy. I started thinking that maybe it was Tennessee that made me sick, but it turns out, it was just Baby! It was a rough spring and fall, but we all survived! I did my best this year to explore our little corner of TN and plan to expand that exploration throughout TN. It has been fun to have our own house, and I have loved having color on the walls again. I am currently planning out my next house project. I was called to serve in the Primary of our church, and have loved making friends there. We really have made some good friends here, which has definitely minimized our home sickness.

We are having our very first down home Christmas this year. Ben and I have always gone to family's houses for Christmas, and we are excited to be on our own this year. (we still love you, family!) I have been feeling very warm and fuzzy here in our own home, with the Christmas tree, the lights, and our fireplace. What better feeling in the world is there than to feel that way? That is all we can ask for, really is to have that feeling of peace in our hearts for this holiday, and the best way to have that peace is to come unto Christ. When we do that, we can have that feeling all year long.

We hope the best for you and your family in 2010! Please keep in touch,

Merry Christmas!
Love, The Shoffs

6 comments:

heidikins said...

It was so nice to read up on the whole fam.

Merry Christmas!

xox

Robert and Sandy Kidd said...

Loved your Christmas Card/Letter! The Family picture is just wonderful. I hope that is the picture that you are sending me. I just love it. Merry Christmas to you!

Robert and Sandy Kidd said...

Loved your Christmas Card/Letter! The Family picture is just wonderful. I hope that is the picture that you are sending me. I just love it. Merry Christmas to you!

calmrapids said...

Beautiful letter. Merry Christmas to you, too!

roberta said...

Merry Christmas. Thanks for your Christms card and family picture. Love it. Miss you and hope that you have a great Christmas.

Emily and Jake Shoff said...

I am so glad that I scrolled down my family list and clicked on you, otherwise I would have missed this Christmas letter! We just got the pic in the mail and OH your kids are getting so big! I can't believe it. I am a bit jealous about your down home Christmas for I think that is when the best memories are made. ! Merry Christmas and WE LOVE YOU!!!
BTW, Sarah looks like you with Ben's face shape. :) Still have the touch.... ;)

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