12.27.2013

Our 2013 Christmas Letter: from our home to yours

Dear Loved Ones, December 2013

Merry Christmas! We hope your 2013 has been a wonderful year....and if not very wonderful, at least you've endured, right? I'm sure you're all aware by now that I LOVE Christmas. To show my extra excitement this year I got out our Christmas decorations, lights and trees and put them all up the week before Thanksgiving. Gasp! I know it is frowned upon to put them up early, but since we'll be in Utah the second week of Christmas break I needed more time with my Christmas reminders. I read this wonderful little Christmas novel, “The 13 Days of Christmas.” Do you know what that 13th day of Christmas is? The day after Christmas. This is the day we can rededicate our lives to the Savior. The day we can begin living and sharing our love for Him for the next 365 days until Christmas comes again. Many people get caught up in the business and frivolity of the season. Some are good at remembering Christ is the center of Christmas, but the 13th day is the day we can start our new remembering of Christmas for the rest of our lives. I pray each one of you has felt the Spirit of Christmas and that you are enjoying this amazing time of year!

Elsie: is 11 but will be 12 in a few short weeks and is excited to graduate Primary and start her journey in the Young Women's program. This Fall she began Middle School and is in 6th grade. She loves it! She still LOVES soccer and wants to be a pro-soccer player/detective/Mom someday. Elsie is quite the jokester. She's always telling stories about “Bob” or “Blah blah blah blah.” Her friends tell her she's crazy and funny and she loves it. I have no idea where she gets her silly/out of control side from. She started learning the Alto Saxophone in band this year and still plays piano. Between her on the sax, Lorenzo on the trombone and Matt on the trumpet, we've got our own little band! Elsie is silly, crazy, awesome, amazing babysitter, loves to read and play outside, do magic, play soccer and bake. Our “Little One” is not so little anymore. But I love watching her grow into a beautiful Young Woman.

Lorenzo: is 13 and in 8th grade. He's an official teenager and loves that he's finally king of the school. He was so excited the Middle School finally had kids smaller than him.....even though those smaller kids are called 6th graders he admitted. He may not be tall, but he is fast on the soccer field and can fit into really small spaces. He's kind of proud of his ability to do so. Ren is still rocking his trombone (is that on oxymoron?) and started learning the baritone this year too. For some reason my Little Man is attracted to playing the biggest band instruments. Heaven help us if he chooses Tuba next! He's a fantastic musician and loves soccer too. Ren is kind, smart, tenderhearted, a pro in video game land, loves anything with wheels, and is an expert in all things Minecraft. I am completely okay that he is not girl crazy and behaving as a typical/rebellious teenager. He'll be 14 in March, fingers crossed he stays my sweet Lorenzo forever!

Matt: He's our Superhero. He somehow can slay the dragon every day at work, help the kids with homework, help his wife not be too crazy wife, fix us dinner when need be, (he makes a delicious Burger), make sure we're reading our scriptures every night, come to the kids extra-curricular activities, work overtime and Saturdays in the Spring AND put up with being a part of our crazy Morrow Land. He does all of this and rarely loses it....I mean never loses it. :) His reward for all his hard work as Super Dad/Husband was a cruise to Alaska! I of course accompanied him, didn't want him to be lonely. Yes, we had an amazing time celebrating our 5 year anniversary. The kids got to stay with both sets of Grandparents this summer. One week with Matt's parents and one week with my parents. Matt and I still long to be back on that cruise ship....some day, right? Matt is sweet, caring, responsible, a super hard worker, and was voted “Employee of the Year” at work! I'm so happy he's ours!!!! It's nice to know other people see how amazing and valuable he is too.

Alicia: I'm kicking it in Mom land. I get to care for 3 sweet extra kids while Ren and Els are in school. My 2 nephews and a friends little girl. I love that I can care for the little ones while my 2 big kids are gone all day long. It's a huge blessing and can be a challenge, but it makes me have to get up and get going every day. No matter what! For some reason 2 year olds can't make their own meals and change their own diapers, and apparently 4 years olds can't drive themselves to preschool either. Geez, so lazy. I'm doing a co-op preschool with some other Mom's and this Fall when I took my turn teaching I was gently reminded why I don't have 7 kids full time. I love reading, playing, napping (that's a hobby right?), riding bikes with the kids, singing in Christmas choir and movie nights. I am still obsessed with re-arranging furniture and if budget permitted I would also redecorate all the time as well. We love our new bright sunny home. We've been in it almost a year and half and every day I come home I'm extremely happy and grateful to live here. 
 
Congratulations on reading it this far! One of my friends and I were talking about Christmas letters and she explained how she hates the super longs ones.....uh, uh, I gently reminded her that mine are ALWAYS extremely long.....back track, back track, back track. If you too do not appreciate these long, tedious letters, I deeply apologize. I apparently have a love of writing and over-sharing. Lucky for you!!! Well, there you go! The happenings in Morrow Land! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hoping your 2013 was awesome and your 2014 will be even better.
Much Love,
Matt, Alicia, Lorenzo and Elsie
aka Morrow Land







 

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