2009 Christmas Letter

As we approach this Holiday Season we thought we would share some of the moments that have defined 2009 in the Anderson home:
• In January we learned the definition of decision making as, Emalee, our oldest was baptized.
• May defined PANIC! We caught a glimpse of what the future has in store when raising a house full of girls. During the kindergarten field trip, Abby and Kamree had their eye on the same boy! Although the boy was willing to hold both girls hands and sit between them, the girls were not happy about it. The whole afternoon was spent in a tug of war between the two girls. We hope the boy’s arms weren’t pulled out of their sockets.
• We can now define pure joy and relief as Lorrin is FINALLY potty trained!
• We also are enjoying the definition of Shinny. Robb got a newer car after 10 years of saying, “Maybe this year it will die.” It has been a blessing that his Toyota has lasted so long, but at 260,000 miles, some rust, and only a few functioning systems left, we decided it was time to let it go!
• Starr learned the definition of dramatic as she experienced one of God’s “tender mercies” this summer. During an afternoon kindergarten pick up as she waited for the kids to pile in the car, Lorrin, who had not been wearing a seatbelt, began to fall out the front door. In an attempt to grab her, the car lurched forward, Lorrin went flying and to make a long dramatic story short she was badly scrapped and ended up with a broken arm. And, despite all the rumors from the hundreds of screaming 5 year olds, no one was run over! The “tender mercy” came when one week later Lorrin’s arm was healed. (Starr is convinced it was an answer to her prayer so that she wouldn’t have to explain the situation anymore when people asked about Lorrin’s beautiful sling!)
• We now know how to define the word BOY. Before this year we thought boyhood mainly entailed carving your name on a brand new dining room table or putting gum on someone’s chair right before they sat down. In only his first year of life Taitt has taught us to snuggle more, laugh more, and growl a little too. Indeed, he has survived his first year in a house full of girls! He has brought us more joy than we could have imagined.
• September defined adjustment! We learned that no matter how good you are at keeping a routine and schedule there are always opportunities to readjust! It was 6pm on a Thursday night that we found out we are expecting baby number 6! Ten minutes later we found out Robb would be called as the next Bishop of our ward! We have thrown all our schedules out the window ever since!
• We can now also define the word Pandemic. We spent the month of October rotating through the “swine flu” and “pink eye”! We are grateful that our symptoms of the H1N1 virus were mild.
As you can see it has been a full and eventful year at the Anderson house. It has also been a year with many blessings, some recognized and probably many we are still unaware of. We are grateful for the many moments that have reminded us of our priorities and what life is all about. In these small moments we have watched our children develop love for each other, us, and God. We have also found safety and joy in being together as a family.
We hope you have had many wonderful defining moments in 2009 and we wish you many more to come. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas Season!
Always, The Anderson Family