Bartlett Family Christmast Letter 2008:
I love mornings like these. It is 8am on a Saturday and my family still slumbers. I came down stairs to get a drink of water but I was drawn in by the beauty of the sun streaming through the kitchen windows and the wind wipping at the trees. The leaves are tumbling in every direction and I can tell that if I ventured out side it would chill me to the bone. So here I sit at my bright bay windows in blissful solitude, nursing my Orange Delight herbal tea, listening to Christmas music and loving that it is one of those perfect winter mornings in Washington.
It has been two years since our last Christmas letter and so much has happened in those 24 little months. Caden isn’t a cherubic baby anymore, he is still a little angle, but he does it in a growing boy sort of way. At 5 years and two weeks he started all day Kindergarten. It was a tough decision for us, but after two years of preschool and consulting with his pre-K teacher, he was excitedly buying school supplies with the rest of his friends last fall. His teacher is wonderful. His name is Mr. Mike, which seems to Caden to be as important a nugget of information as his own name. The other day when he was introduced to a number of strangers he said, “hi, my name is Caden. I am in kindergarten and my teacher’s name is Mr. Mike”...enough said. It has been a big transition for him. He loves being home but he also loves school. He is learning so much. It floors me that two months ago he sat quietly as we read to him and now he is reading and telling us when he spots “A/B” patterns in the world around him. His reading and memorization skills dazzle us. He has some hardships too that break my heart a little. I used to carefully control every detail of his environment, now he spends 6 hours a day picking up phrases that get him scolded at home and fending for himself in an environment that doesn’t always understand how amazingly good and wonderful he is. He is adored by all his class mates at church and at school. He is still a big snuggle bug and tells us how much he loves us. Being in his presence reminds us that such goodness and gentleness resides here on this earth. He is delighted by Christmas this year. He is enthralled by the magic and sweetness of the season. When he saw our house all lit up he said, “this is the best Christmas ever!!” When we got our first flurries of snow, again, “this is the best Christmas ever!!” When he came down stairs one morning to find all the presents wrapped and under our beautiful tree he said, you guessed it, “this is the best Christmas ever!!” His wonderment has made Jon and I feel the spirit of the season more than we ever have in our adult lives.
Ella is all confidence and self reliance. She started preschool this year and on her first day (as I nervously hovered in the hall way expecting some tears as I left) she stalked into the class room and excitedly declared, “mom, look at all my friends!” That is the world to her, just a big place full of strangers she has yet to turn into friends. Her self reliance shows up in everything she does. From dressing, to cooking, to bathing; we hear from her constantly, “I do it myself”. I can tell that she is going to be our little mommy, my right hand lady. Already I can ask her to do simple tasks and she accomplishes them with such pride and eagerness to be useful that my heart swells. Coupled with all that strength is a lot of softness. She is quick with hugs and kisses and “I love you”. She is so grateful for all the small things. Yesterday, I was making her a cup of cocoa and she hugged the can of whipped cream and said, “creamy, I love creamy. Mommy, you making me cocoa with creamy. You so nice.” She speaks very well for her age so we hear the funniest things from her mouth. She will logic out a situation and come up solutions that seem iron clad to her 2 ½ year old brain. We have seen the biggest messes from this little girl. Like the morning I slept in and came down stairs to find her stirring a pot with an entire jar of sugar, half a bag of rice, and two smashed bananas in it. She turned around beaming and said, “I making breakfast”. Thank heavens she hasn’t learned how to turn on the stove. I have to believe that she has a purpose behind all of her messes but there are days I am sure her object is to cap off the terrible two’s with a capital “T”. In the end I think that she is just incredibly curious and inventive. The world is this big wonderful place to her and she wants to participate in every facet of it. She is energy, love, joy, sweetness, and strength all rolled into this beautiful little package.
Jon and I have had our share of heartbreak over the last 24 months. We have had two miscarriages, lost my father, his mother, my grandmother and his, and buried two uncles still in their prime. It has been devastating watching helplessly as our world keeps being thrown into turmoil. I have to say that at times we just felt confused and upset with the Lord, not understanding His will and desires for us, but there were other times of intense clarity and acceptance. We look at our family with renewed reverence. They are a sacred gift. We are so blessed to have each other and there really isn’t anything else in this world that deserves to take precedence over the importance of our family unit. We try to honor the moments of peace and happiness with our full attention because the last 24 months have taught us that they may not last. We have also learned how much strength we find in our extended family and circle of friends. We have wonderful people in our lives who lift us up, provide us with joy and laughter, and make the journey through this part of our lives rich and full.
Along the bumps and bruises of these last years there have been great adventures and lots of fun. Jon and I went to Mexico with two other couples to celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary where we indulged in snorkeling, parasailing, zip lining, lovely dinners out, and the highlight was spending and afternoon petting and feeding monkeys. We went to Vegas several times where we basically enjoyed swimming, ordering room service, and catching a variety of shows. We took a family trip to Utah at the beginning of the year to visit some friends and smaller trips to the ocean and the tri-cities. Jon is managing the Walmart pharmacy in our area but is finding retail pharmacy unfulfilling. He has several alternative plans in the works that he will put into action this spring. Jon loves spending his evenings helping the kids with their homework, wrestling with them, teaching them in every moment he can, and generally being the best dad. His favorite past time and theirs is to snuggle up with a pile of books. In particular he loves watching Caden grow as a reader. It is wonderful to see him come downstairs swelling with pride after bedtime stories over the new word Caden has learned to read. He remains their favorite playmate and friend. He has also started playing soccer again, a hobby he was truly delighted to rediscover. I have enjoyed developing as a photographer this last year. I was able to go to a convention in Nashville this last summer and am planning on attending another this winter. I am doing photo shoots nearly every week in preparation of launching my “Moments Photography” web site after the first of the year. It gives me a creative outlet that is all my own, something I think all moms and wives crave. I have been serving as the primary president for the last year and a half and enjoy the challenge of that calling. I am learning to multitask like never before. Recently I started wading into the world of blogging. So if you want to peek into the Bartlett family’s little life moments you are welcomed to view our blog at www.jonandshamabartlett.blogspot.com . If you have a family web site let me know. It has been such a great way to keep in contact with our family and friends.
My home no longer slumbers and breakfast demands are being made. I want to say again how much we love all of you. How you enrich our lives and although we have been negligent on keeping in good contact with many of you, we adore you, we think of you, and cherish our relationships with you. May you delight in this holiday season as only a five year old does.
Happy Holidays!
The Bartletts: Jon, Shama, Caden, and Ella.
PS: I would be remiss not to mention the newest addition to our family, our dog Smidgen. He is the only competition for Jon’s role as favorite play mate to our children. Although I want to curse at him on the days he escapes our yard and revels in sweet freedom, he really is a good little dog and has been a wonderful first pet for our family
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