Christmas Letter 2008

This letter was sent via snail mail and is reprinted here for everyone. Want something like this in the mail next year? Email me.

As many of you may know by now, we have set a tradition in our Christmas letters. For the past 5 years we have either announced the arrival of a baby or the announcement of a baby to come. Why break tradition this year?? It's true - this Headley family of five will become six by next June. The girls are very excited, and Ben is, well, maybe when the baby comes, he'll understand and be excited too! We will find out just after the New Year what we will be expecting (we like the 'surprise' to happen earlier).

Aside from our baby news there have been many recent changes in our lives. As many of you already know, we recently moved from Boulder back to the bay area in California. Our employer, Google, initiated the move, and Joel now manages a new team, which is exciting. We're very happy to come back home, closer to family and old friends. The girls love living around all their cousins and grandparents. And Laura's parents are ecstatic to have grandchildren live somewhere near them.

Also, we're very sad to have left Boulder. We lived in the greatest neighborhood out there - Heatherwood, with a wonderful community, school, and Church group that we truly miss. We left behind new, life-long friends and are trying to find excuses to go back out and visit. If you're interested in moving to a great place, our house is on the market.

Benjamin has changed so much over the past year. He's gone from baby to toddler and is doing his best to keep up with his sisters. He babbles, saying some words clearly. If you listen closely, he'll spew out a full sentence: he gets intonation and tempo, but needs to work on pronunciation. If you've been following our blog, he has had lots of colds, and they have prevented him from normal weight gain. We've gone through a lot of tests, which don't show any abnormal or serious conditions - that's a good thing - we're sure he'll be fine in the long-run. It's fun to have a boy around the house. Very different already from having girls. He's much more physical - likes to climb everything, but he'll also settle down to cuddle. He frequently laughs, a deep guttural laugh, that brightens our whole house.

Collette has been a busy 3 year old. She started preschool in September and is desperate to get back into a preschool here in California. She bugs her Mom about it just about every day. She became quite the tricycle rider in Colorado (like her mom). She's also our household clown. She keeps us entertained with her singing or stories. And she has the unique talent of playing all the characters of an imaginary game with dolls, figurines, or stuffed animals.

Abigail is our big helper. She will be starting kindergarten now that we are in California (differences in age cut-offs allow this in CA, not CO). She is ready and excited. We've had a tough time getting all of our paperwork in order since many of our things are packed away in storage, but, hopefully, she'll begin prior to the holiday break. She has grown so much in the last year and will soon become the master artist she aspires to. Well, if there were a master coloring book artist, she would take the cake right now!

Laura is busy. And tired. Busy and tired. That says most of it. She has three little kids at home with her all day right now and she is busy making one more. She had found a really nice routine in Boulder of preschool runs, gym workouts, and date nights with Joel. Since moving here, it's the opposite routine. But Laura's happy to live around sisters again (in-laws that is) and living in state that has a Chevy's and Fenton's ice cream.

If you'd like to keep up with us, please check visit our blog. We update it regularly, and there's a copy of this letter with links to specific posts, in case you want to read more about the tidbits we've included here. We are thankful for the many blessings in our lives at the moment and try to reflect on those often in this difficult time for many. We are grateful for our family and of course for the birth of our Savior especially this time of year. We hope the best for you and your family.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
Laura, Joel, Abigail, Collette, & Benjamin