Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas everyone! We give our best holiday wishes from Blacksburg, Va, where the springs are fresh and welcoming, the summers are warm and green, the fall is vibrant and colorful, and the winters are cool and kissed with white! We absolutely love it here and have enjoyed many family adventures over the past year. We welcomed Annabelle Ivy into our family in July! What a treat she is! We also took a big trip driving out west this summer to visit family and friends. We covered 6000 miles in our trusty minivan and drove through 20 states (too bad gas was $4.50 a gallon then)! We've enjoyed frequent temple trips with friends and cousins to Raleigh and DC, and spent Thanksgiving week in Florida with our friends. We continue to find adventures around here together and we really love doing stuff as a family.

Annabelle is 5 1/2 months and is the newest addition to our family! Annabelle was born on July 2 this year and has been such a treasure since the day she was born! We dote on her all the time and just can't get over how quickly she is going through her baby stages! She is already sitting up on her own and grabbing at everything. She is so patient with her older siblings and loves to watch them play. She is so happy and smiling all the time (well, i guess on the rare tired or hungry occasion she cries a little), and is truly a joy to have in our family!

James is 3 and has managed to skip his "terrible two" stage. He's always got a song in his head, but mostly goes around the house humming "Su-Per-Man!" while wearing some sort of a cape. He continues to make us laugh everyday and gives the best kisses! He absolutely loves swords, hooks, pirates, good guys, bad guys, and of course, SUPERHEROS! He is just so happy with life and reminds us to appreciate the little things.

Lucy is 4 and has become quite the little mom for baby Annabelle. She loves to dress-up like a princess, and one of her favorite games is pretend: "Mom, lets pretend you're the mom and I'm the kid," (one of the easier games for me to play)! She took gymnastics for the first time this fall and absolutely loved it! She likes attending Joy School with 3 of her friends (and James too when its at our house) and has become quite the ring leader for the group at times!

Caleb is 6 and loves to read, play Legos, ride his bike, build forts, and take charge in whatever adventure he has in mind for his younger siblings. Caleb loves being in the first grade. He has been participating in an after school German Club and has been excited to share with us all the new words and culture that he is learning. He has also done 2 seasons of soccer this year and is really enjoying being with friends and getting the exercise.

Melanie is busy being at home with the kids. I absolutely love this stage in my life and fear that it is passing too quickly! In my rare quiet moments when I actually have a little energy left, I love to read, do journaling for the kids or our blog, go for a good run, or play the piano. I took my second annual girls trip to Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC with my sisters and friend. It was so wonderful! Working with the Young Women in our ward keeps me very busy. There's always meetings or activities to go to, but it is very rewarding and I really love spending time with the youth.

Bryce has been working toward his PhD since he graduated with his masters in May of last year. He finished the last of his courses this semester and will take the next year and a half to complete his dissertation, teach, and work on publications. He has really enjoyed teaching his first 2 courses this year and looks forward to continue teaching next semester. In Bryce's spare time, he likes to listen to a good book, play games or sports, or watch movies. Working with the High Priest group is an interesting challenge for him and has really been a positive influence on the group’s camaraderie. Bryce loves to spend time with the kids, and is so willing to help out whenever he can.

Best wishes for an awesome 2009!

Love,

The Jorgensen Family