What can I say about Christmas 2007? We had a great time with Bryant's family. Amanda, Jeremy, and Elizabeth flew in from Utah. Josh, Melissa, Sophia, and Jack drove in from Bakersfield. We immensely enjoyed getting to see baby Jack and baby Elizabeth, as evidenced in our pictures.
Bryant and the other boys got to play two golf games. In the first one Bryant got hit in the wrist with a ball (by his dad.) It isn't broken and it was his wrist and not his face, so that is good news. The second time they went, he played the best golf game of his life, injured wrist and all. Go figure! The girls went to the movies and saw "Alvin and the Chipmunks." I thought it was incredibly lame, so I took a little nap. The girls loved it though, and say they can't wait to rent it.
On Christmas Eve morning Skyler pulled a tooth, so she was visited by the tooth fairy and Santa Claus all in one night! Score! Also on Christmas Eve, we got to visit with my parents vis-a-vis the internet. We had a wonderful hour long visit with them and I am so appreciative that they were able to be part of our Christmas this year. On Christmas morning, Bryant had to take me to the emergency room (for the second time in 4 months)! I was having symptoms that were consistent with either kidney stones or kidney infections. I (unwittingly) ruled out kidney infections because I assumed no infection could survive the massive amounts of antibiotics I was taking for my pneumonia. I was wrong, though, and after a cat scan it was determined that my symptoms were the result of severe kidney infections and, after a few days of antibiotics, I am feeling much better. I hated missing out on one minute of the girls' Christmas, but it made me really appreciate the sacrifices of the soldiers serving overseas, who don't get to see their families at all during the holidays. I really don't know how they do it.
Anyway, I am ready to get 2007 over with! It has been a rough year with my parents leaving on a mission, my grandmother getting breast cancer, my grandfather taking a couple of terrible falls, Bryant's business woes, my neck sprain, my vision problems, and my pneumonia, etc. I hate to be pessimistic and whiny though, because our family has so much to be thankful for- especially great medical insurance! We have each other, a nice house in which to live, two good reliable cars, two beautiful intelligent children, two good jobs, two supportive extended families, lots of good friends, and the list goes on and on. If nothing else, we are blessed to live here in America and live with all of the stability/benefits which that entails. Just look at what happened today in Pakistan.
Since I am counting my blessings, I have to brag here and say that I have pretty much for sure the best husband in the whole wide world. (Just a little ode to Bryant, if you will...) We have been together for over ten years now and I love him more and more each day. He is such a sweet man and a good caretaker, even though he does tease a little too much! My mother says that she is so grateful for Bryant because even though she is on the other side of the world right now, she knows that I am well taken care of if I ever get sick or hurt. He is so supportive. Every morning I go to work and leave before the girls are up. He gets them up, fed, dressed, and takes them to school and even manages to do a great ponytail! (I do have to pick out their clothes before I go to work, though, or else I get a good laugh when I see them in the afternoon when I pick them up from school.) Thank you Bryant! You really are the best. Thank you for all of the little things you do, like helping me with the housework, helping the girls with their homework, etc. The way you treat your family says a lot about your character. It reminds me of Luke 16:10: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much..." You make us so happy! Thank you for watching the girls while I went on vacation for Labor Day and thank you for taking me to Mexico!
Anyway, before I went off on a Bryant tangent, I was saying that we really are grateful for all of our blessings and we are excited to see what 2008 has in store for us! Bryant has his real estate license now and will be selling to investors here in the near future. Perhaps we will have a new addition to the Bryant Slade family. (This is not an announcement. I am not pregnant yet.) We are eagerly anticipating the birth of two nieces/nephews. We really wish both mothers would be a little more cooperative and find out the gender of their babies, but we know that is their decision to make, and not ours. At any rate, 2008 is sure to be a blessed year! Thank you for being in our lives and sharing 2007 with us! We love you and are grateful for our relationships with you. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
