Christmas 2014

I'm not sure how it happened, but it's already the end of the year again! This year seemed to go by especially quickly. It may have had something to do with the sleepless haze of having a new baby. Here is what we've been up to this year:

The House

The amount of improvement our house has seen this year makes it almost unrecognizable (in a good way). We moved out briefly while the old growth hardwood floors were refinished, the living room ceiling was vaulted, the sheet rock was finished and everything was painted. What was once a small, stained, and dark area is suddenly bigger and filled with natural light. We left some of the original structural beams that run across the house and they add a nice rustic touch. Additionally, the wasted space that used to be a strange hallway in the back of the house was remodeled into a carpeted office, a mud room, and an area that will be the second bathroom.

Exterior changes include landscaping the back yard, having the house painted (by Joseph's most excellent family!), and installing a porch railing and new gutters. One of the nice things about starting with a fixer-upper is that this house just keeps getting cuter and more comfortable the longer we live here. :)

Our Family

Matthew at 10 months old

Obviously the most notable thing that happened to our family this year was welcoming our own Matthew Timothy on January 22. With the exception of a couple of teething episodes, Matthew has been the happiest, most easy-going and cheerful baby I've ever met. He just loves being around his family (including the dog, whom he seeks out whenever she's inside). He doesn't say much, maybe because his two energetic siblings make so much noise already, but he loves laughing, interacting, cuddling, playing games, and trying to keep up with his brother and sister. He's crawling and starting to stand up by himself and walk while holding on to people's hands. He also stands and scoots along while holding on to chairs, tables, etc. and is finally starting to enjoy a variety of solid foods.

Liam- practicing looking cool

I read somewhere that the definition of a boy is "noise with dirt on it." And that describes Liam pretty well. He's an outrageous ball of fire with a big heart who is deeply loyal to his family. Liam lives out loud- quite literally. Almost everything he does or says is at about 200 decibels. He's initially shy of people, but when he gets to know you there's almost nothing he won't do with you, including singing, having dance parties, and telling jokes. (He has a very Cespedes sense of humor.) He loves playing with his sister, roughhousing, and having books read to him.

Diana loves picking and smelling flowers.

Diana is sprouting up like a weed and becoming smarter, more talkative, and more inquisitive every day. She is constantly asking questions because she has an unquenchable desire to learn about the world. Her favorite book is her Illustrated Encyclopedia. She loves poring through it and asking me to explain everything. She is an excellent "Vice Mother" who I can count on to check on "the boys" and keep them in line. She is especially gentle and caring to Matthew. One of the more interesting changes is that her blonde hair is beginning to darken and (I fancy) take on more of a reddish tint. I think anyone who met Diana would not be surprised if she turned out to be a redhead. ;)

Joseph's company, Active911, continues to grow, hire new employees, and expand to new regions around the world, praise God! In addition, he and his brother and a friend in the industry started a new trucking company called Mammoth Transport. Alyrica Internet is also doing well and continues to grow. When he's not running a business, working on our house, or spending time with us, he's been putting in a lot of hours training to get his instrument rating so that he can fly in weather that limits the ability of a pilot to see the ground (a pretty useful thing to have in Oregon).

Adventures

This year our adventures have largely centered around flying. Joseph and his brother Kevin bought an airplane- a little Cessna 172- which Joseph has been flying every chance he gets. It only has four seats, but we've still managed to pack our family of five in for a few flights- up to Salem for dinner at the airport, on an unplanned weekend trip to Tacoma, Washington, and to Hood River for my mom's wedding. If you received one of our Christmas cards, it's the airplane behind us in our pictures. If you didn't for some reason (maybe my still-recovering-from-pregnancy memory failed me, or you didn't give me your address...but it was probably your fault somehow), here's the picture, taken by Joseph's photographic genius sister Miriam.

We also traveled to Oahu this year as a family to visit Joseph's Sullivan relatives and enjoy some tropical beaches. The kids loved meeting their great grandmother. Matthew enjoyed eating as much sand as he could fit in his mouth. We all enjoyed visiting with lots of amazing family and friends like Nichole's former swim coach.

Because we love traveling, we try to go on one big family adventure every few years. This year we went to New Zealand! We went primarily to visit our friends the Fallons who live in Australia. Joseph and Shawn Fallon have known each other for years and the Fallons have two boys the same ages as Diana and Liam. We all met in New Zealand and spent two weeks having a blast. Joseph's sister Ruth came with us to enjoy the adventure and graciously help out with traveling with kids. (We couldn't have done it without her.) We were able to meet Joseph's Grandpa and Grandma Richards in Auckland and from there we went waaaaay up to the Bay of Islands around Opito Bay where we rented a bach (beach house) for a week. The scenery was dreamlike. Beach access was right down the road, and we had access to a dinghy to go fishing and diving. While Joseph and Shawn were out diving for lobster, we watched from the house as a pod of orcas swam through the bay not too far from them.

Paradise in Opito Bay- the view from our back porch.

Before leaving the Bay of Islands, Joseph, Shawn, and Ruth fulfilled a lifelong dream and went skydiving. They all loved it. I don't think I've ever seen so many big smiles afterward. Our second week we intended to spend in Waihi because of the wonderful things we heard about the area, but after arriving at the log cabin we'd booked, we discovered there was no cell service (necessary for Joseph to stay in touch with his businesses) and the sleeping arrangements weren't ideal. Unfortunately, we weren't able to book another place to stay in the area on such short notice, so we headed to the only available bach that night up the Coromandel peninsula across from a little town called Whitianga. A storm blew in, so the weather wasn't as nice as the first week, but we still managed to get in some kayaking, beach exploration, and fishing. While the wind was howling we all sat inside by the wood-burning stove. The kids ran around and everyone enjoyed themselves. We had a lovely two weeks and got back in mid-December. While it was an exciting trip, we are already enjoying being home and preparing for a normal wintery Christmas.

We are amazingly and graciously blessed in our lives, and so thankful for all of our friends and family. Especially the two of you who took the time to follow the link to this newsletter from our Christmas cards. (Don't tell the others, but you're our favorite!) We hope you have a merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

The perfect place for a family photo- Ambury Park outside of Auckland, New Zealand!