Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well-A hiatus is a bit of an understatement. I have started a post-probably about 20 times in the last several months-and it just doesn't get finished! So,

Happy Halloween

Happy Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

And everything else that I have failed to recognize!

I recently stumbled across our VERY FIRST Christmas letter and realized that we haven't written one since our first year of marriage....ummm that's embarrassing! So here we go with our Christmas Letter February milestone update.

Our little baby girl is hardly a baby any more. Does time fly faster with the more kids you have or something? I feel like every time I turn around she is doing something new and it blows me away!

She is 9 months now, she crawls, pulls herself up and scoots along the couch and stands independently in the middle of the floor. I 100% believe that she has been motivated to be mobile because of her older siblings that are CONSTANTLY loving on her. 

She has 4 teeth, 2 bottom teeth and 2 snaggle eye teeth. I have never seen that before, but she is still the cutest vampire baby ever! She brought us so much joy in a year that was filled with some overwhelming difficulties!

She is the happiest little thing and we have been SO grateful for her irreplaceable addition to our family.

Our 'Number 2' was pretty displaced this last year. Between mom at school and doc appointments for pregnancy, dad in school and working, Indie and all of her doctor visits, tests and surgeries and the birth of his little sister-he spent lots of time with babysitters and we endured his 'Terrible Two's' with some additional....learning opportunities. He pretty much didn't sleep through the night the whole year but with the magic of the newest member of our family-'Hoot the sleeping Owl' and a bunk bed, we have seen HUGE improvement and are excited to have a couple more hours of sleep at night!

He LOVES football, and any and all sports, he has amazing dance moves-and I mean it-for a 2 and a half year old he's got the beat and is extremely flexible!! haha. He also talks really well and I love the things that he says as he learns and notices new things. The other day he took my face in his hands and was looking deep into my eyes, he then very sweetly said,  'Mommy, You have snowflakes in your eyes'-I don't know entirely what it meant but it was the most romantic thing a boy has ever told me. 

Today we were dancing together and I was chasing him backwards, bouncing towards him and he stuck his hand out and said, with his adorable little lisp 'Stop mommy, you are hurting my feelings'. I hope that he tells all girls with bouncing bottoms that they are hurting his feelings. It totally cracked me up!

He has started the new year off right by potty training himself. It's been a miracle and we are SO glad to be out of diapers! He LITERALLY took his diaper off and went potty himself one night and has been going strong ever since. He of course had some accidents here and there, but I MEAN here and there! It's been great. No sticker charts or m&m's for this kid, just a strong dislike for sitting in his own excrement! Yahoo!!!

Indie's 2015 was pretty rough but she is my hero. She doesn't pretend to enjoy the tests or needles or doctor visits, but she is smiling as soon as it is over and back to her old self in no time. We had SO MANY tests last year. She is on medications that we are hoping have an end in sight, but no news yet. The NIH (a research hospital) wants to do some new tests on her and Kyle as they share a genetic defect they think might be connected to the infections ability to persist. She is not a sickly child at all. It is amazing to see how well she responds to everything and we count our blessings that our lifestyle has not had to change drastically! She is in preschool and enjoys it, most of the time. Her speech has improved dramatically and she is very spirited. It has been fun explaining things to her and hear her spout off completely logical explanations to other people. She is SO friendly and has no problem talking to anyone! She also believes that she can speak Spanish and Thai, like some of her closest friends. I hope that she continues to appreciate other cultures and getting to know others. Those opportunities have been a huge blessing in my personal life!

                                           

      Kyle is a hard-working-hottie as usual. His first year as an MPA graduate has brought some unknown challenges and many blessings. He has learned so much as a rural community consultant and found a renewed passion for serving others. We found out this year that he has the same genetic issues that Indie has and will be tested by the NIH as well. Since Indie's immune system issues are genetic, we will be watching our other children closely to see what the future brings. Kyle brings a calmness to the madness and we feel like it is a blessing that he is able to go with Indie and do the same tests as her (She finds comfort in seeing she is not the only one). 

Hopefully, with Kyle's help as well, they will be able to find something out that will help others in the future as well as understand and figure out some things that can help Indie. He really is a champion and we couldn't have made it out of this year without him! 

As for me, Kyle continues to support and encourage me to get my degree. He promised my dad before we were married that he'd make sure that I graduated with my degree and he is upholding his promise! I continue to take 1 or 2 classes each term at BYU and I am FINALLY considered a Junior. Hallelujah! I'm starting to feel like the old fogie on campus, my study group consists of all 18-19 year olds-but ce la vie! I'm glad to be progressing, and as funny as it sounds, it is a break for me to go to school and think about other things. My in-laws and friends have been indispensable as they've helped watch the kids so that I can pursue this passion of mine. Besides that, I have let so many trivial little things go this year and have enjoyed being a stay at home mother on a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. It took me 3 babies to get passed the difficulties of parenthood and legitimately enjoy every moment.  I genuinely appreciate all the time we have together, I LOVE watching my kids get older and learn new things. Being a parent is the most exhausting and exhilarating thing I've ever done.

   

SO that was a very condensed version, but that was our year. We are excited to see what waits in store for us this coming year. Much love to everyone.