Christmas e-Letter 2009

The Young’s have gone GREEN!

Well, for the purposes of our Christmas Letter this year, the Young’s have gone GREEN! We hope you enjoy our e-letter!





SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

• Seraya’s starts FIRST grade and looses her FIRST TOOTH!
  
• Kaija starts preschool, gymnastics at the Little Gym, and becomes a SOCCER princess.
  
• Liam meets the Real BUZZ Lightyear, then dresses up like him for Halloween!
  
• Enoch snowboards and BREAKS his wrist then takes a BREAK whitewater rafting and camping with his brothers.
  
• Kerri attends a Ladies' Shooting class and BULLSEYE!

We’ve been busy this year, that’s right, B - U - S - Y! What have we been up to?
Enoch started out the year with a snowboarding trip and BROKE his wrist. Soft cast, then hard cast and several Dr visits later, he got it off just in time to enjoy the next season of outdoor activities. He took a BREAK and went whitewater rafting down the Wenatchee River with some buddies. Then met up with his brothers at Lake Williams for another BREAK...a week of camping/fishing. We appreciate all he does, boy, did he deserve that!

Kerri and a friend attended a Ladies' shooting class this year. She was really nervous a first then when it was time to FIRE she remembered that she has a pretty good eye! Watch out! Bullseye!

In April we just couldn’t resist, we took another trip to Disneyland! This time we went with our friends, the Weeks! What a magical place, it gets us every time! The girls dressed up like princesses and lived their own little fairytales as they met the real princesses they read about daily! Liam was star struck when he met “Ba-Dow!”, his way of saying “Lightning McQueen”. He also met Buzz Lightyear, his HERO.



Seraya had several FIRST’s this year. Her FIRST day of FIRST grade, her FIRST lost tooth and her FIRST time to get glasses. She loves reading and is a very detailed artist. She loves when mom comes to her school to teach art once a month!



Kaija started her first year of preschool this year. She loves doing gymnastics at The Little Gym and playing Soccer. She is a compassionate soul and loves to help whomever in the family is not feeling well. She has mastered writing her name and even adds an “artsy” curly swirl on her “j”.



Liam is a mover and a shaker. Leave him alone for a moment and he’s on top of the counter ready to jump off! He loves playing outside and wrestling with his dad. He has learned recently to tell on his sisters “Rar-rar” and “Ka-kak” as he calls them.

We enjoyed several camping trips this year. One of our favorites was a week at Steamboat Rock. Kerri’s brothers brought their boats and we played in the water and sand, played games, visited Coulee Dam and saw the laser show.

What a year! I wonder if it’s possible, but I hope we have an even BETTER, FUNNER, more MAGICAL one next year! Bring on 2010!

At the close of 2009

We hope this year has been good to you! We’ve heard the doom of the economy and hope that all our friends and loved ones are safe and secure. Please know we think of you often.

Please be our “FRIENDS”! Enoch and I are both on facebook, we love it as a way to stay in touch with many of you. So, please if you haven’t bit the facebook bullet yet, dig in...we’ll be your friends :)



Throughout the year and especially at this time of year we are thankful for the BABE born in Bethlehem so long ago. We are trying to teach our children to be giving, loving and forgiving as Jesus is. This year they each took a bag full of presents to the local foodbank for needy families. We’ve enjoyed listening to their prayers asking God to bless others, especially with jobs, food and PRESENTS! The other day, sweet Kaija said, “ Please bless the kids who get our toys that they will be fed…”

On that note, Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Love the Youngs!
Enoch, Kerri, Seraya (6), Kaija (4) and Liam (2)

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My Superhero, My Dad

There was a time in my life when my dad was a chainsaw wielding axeman with a beard of nails and fists of steel. He was my rock, my Paul Bunyan superhero. He could build a whole house, he could tell the most amazing stories and he could fix anything! He was the strongest man on earth and nothing could break him.

Yet this out-sized superman was the same one who would put me in his lap and let me "drive" his pickup truck down the dusty road to our house. His heart was not so strong that it wouldn't break when, as a young boy, I sobbed my eyes out as he left for a Scout meeting without me. I watched him drive away, perched in our upstairs window only to see him return a few minutes later. As I quickly dried my tears and ran to him and asked what he had forgotten, my world was instantly repaired when he said so simply, "You!".

As I grew, I challenged his authority, but never did I forget that this was the man who could thump me if he needed to, but never did. As I worked by his side each summer, striving to be as fast and strong as he was, I began to understand the lengths a man should go to keep his family fed and safe.

It was his folksy, practical fireside wisdom that has sustained me in difficult moments and guided this boy through the labyrinth of life. His love of nature and the outdoors was distilled and refined and passed down a generation, so that the awe of a well-formed creation would not be lost.

Suddenly, I find myself with a little chrysalis, a tiny man-in-the-making, who looks to his dad like I did so long ago, with wondering eyes, awestruck by his dad's sheer awesomeness. I wonder how to measure up to those who have left their legacy before me. How will I wield my axe and use my super strength and laser vision? I can but hope to pass on a little of what came to me by way of the generations of supermen before me: my great-grandfather the pioneer, my grandfather the orchardist, the rough (but tender) chainsaw man who is MY DAD.

Here's hoping all fathers can live up to their potential.

I love you, Dad!

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Kaija, Our Little Live Wire

Sunday afternoons are some of the most peaceful times around the Young house. After lunch, EVERYONE takes a nap. It's just accepted that it will be quiet. Sometimes, we get a few minutes, and on those special days, we get a couple hours.

Well, we may need to learn to enjoy those longer naps days a little less, it seems. My little Kaija, after having such a good sleep during the midday, does not appear to be ready for sleep when bedtime rolls around.

I had to work, and so after putting the children to bed, spent the evening toiling away on my laptop, while Kerri spent her evening sewing upstairs (she's so crafty). I kept hearing my Kaija talking her mama's ear off, and it was obvious she would not be ready for bed anytime soon. I could hear her yammering about her brother and sister and about the things she likes.

She really should have been in bed, but as the middle child, she so often gets a short shrift when it comes to time with her parents. So we are somewhat indulgent in the rare moments when she stays up to talk. Finally, around midnight, Kerri decides to go to bed. She sent our little princess off to the sack, or so she thought.

I suddenly hear the pitter-patter of little feet. Soon, up bobs the smiling face of my three-year old girl. She asks what I'm doing. "Working.", I say. She notices my empty glass of water and asks, "Did you drink all your water?" and then "Can I get you some more?" I am amused at her serving nature, and respond in the affirmative. I nearly rolled off my chair laughing when she calls from the kitchen "Do you want big ice cubes or little ones?" (Referring to our crushed ice option on the refridgerator). What service!

I determined that she had probably been sent to bed by her mother, saw my light on and came down, so this was her way of having a reason to stay awake, but it was oh so hilarious to see her notice a need and take care of her dear old dad. What a sweet little angel.

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Christmas Letter 2008

Season’s Greeting one and all!

As a special holiday treat we’re giving you a glimpse at the NUMBERS in our lives! If you spent the past 12 months with the Young Crew it would look something like this:

1 Family, 3 Kids, One 4 bedroom House with lots o’ LOVE!

2190 diaper changes! Thank you, Liam! And, thank you, Kaija for mastering potty training this year! What a big girl, we are so proud of you! We are waiting for this number to hit ZERO in the future. If you already know what that feels like then good for you, we’ll let you know when we can use a spare hand!

1095 meals for a family of 5 (5475 meals if you want to get technical), you can only imagine how many dishes this produces. And, with at least 365 dishwasher loads, we grow more and more thankful for this lovely machine each day!

12523 miles on 1 new mini-van, PEARL, as we call her. 1 tear-filled good bye to the Lexus SUV Kerri loved. This new, smooth ride is loaded with goodies and can comfortably seat 7. Equipped with 1 Navigation system (a must-have for Kerri’s real estate business), 1 DVD player and 4 wireless headsets!

2284 dollars spent for 8 days with MICKEY! Our first trip to Walt Disneyland was the last bit of April and early May. We have decided it REALLY IS the “Happiest Place on Earth”! We loved everything about it, including meeting the princesses, riding Dumbo and the tea cups, seeing the parades and just riding rides until we wore ourselves out! We were especially grateful for our “limo on wheels” our tandem double stroller that we figured out how to get 3 wiped-out kids on.

1 boy with 6 teeth turning 1! Liam had the BIG first birthday this year! We just can’t keep up with this tornado! He climbs everything, pushes barstools to get on counter tops and everything. Of course his adventures come with a price, he falls and trips and that doesn’t stop him. We joke that he needs to wear a helmet! Look what a BOY did to us!

2190 miles to Utah round trip to visit family and friends. We had to break in the mini-van somehow. Can you say ROAD-TRIP? July was a beautiful month for it. Enoch and I geared ourselves up for this event and prepared for the worst but we were pleasantly surprised with how well the kids did. Gotta love those troopers. We LOVED seeing family and several of Kerri’s friends from college and Estonia.

1 loop on the 2 wheeled handcart trekking around the field at Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch in Utah where Grandma and Grandpa Young were serving and leading Pioneer Treks. We saw at least 7 species of birds and 273 prairie dogs.

4 camping trips in our pop-up tent trailer. One of our favorites was to Sequim where were visited Olympic Game Farm , an open air park housing bears, elk, buffalo, etc. 1 enormous buffalo tongue to the van window and that was plenty for us. The kids will never forget it either!

65 days of Kindergarten. 1 BIG, yellow bus took Seraya off to school for her first day of kindergarten! She is loving school and doing very well. Her teacher claims “Seraya has a flair for the dramatic” and we couldn’t agree with her more! Her teacher said she is also very friendly and helpful to her classmates…we are so proud!

10 years of Marital BLISS for Enoch and Kerri! We celebrated with 3 nights in VEGAS! We had fun seeing, “Mamma Mia” live, and riding the roller coaster on top of New York, New York in the blazing 105 degree heat, and of course, drifting in the lazy river at our hotel pool.

8.5 hours in the van got us to Hood River, Oregon for Thanksgiving. Hello traffic, it should have taken 3.5! We were thankful to get there after all and had a fabulous time with family.

One 6 foot snowman was made on the first day of snow. The kids were up at the crack of dawn yelling that they wanted to play in the snow! I think we were done with the snowman and all the snowballs anyone could handle by 10 am. Then it was hot chocolate by the fire and mama’s home-made French toast on the griddle. Ahhhhhh, what says Happy Holidays better than that?

From our home to yours: wishes for a Merry Christmas and 365 days of fun in 2009!

Love,
The Youngs
Enoch, Kerri, Seraya (5), Kaija (3) and Liam (17 mo)

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TWO chocolates will make you FLAT!

Seraya was so excited about school today because it was an "early release day" and for the am kindergartners it meant actually staying an hour longer, packing lunch, and coming home on the bus with all the big kids. Seraya was thrilled to take her lunch to school so we carefully packed all of her favorite things in her lunchbox this morning (half a sandwich, grapes and mini-cheese its). Before she put it in her backpack I managed to sneak two tiny chocolates in there thinking that would put a smile on her face when she opened her lunchbox at school.

She has been home for a while so I just asked her, "Seraya, did you find something special in your lunch box?" She gave me a monster grin and said, "TWO CHOCOLATES! ...did you put those in there?" I told her I did and she said, "Well, the boy next to me at lunch said 'if you eat TWO chocolates you'll get FLAT!' …but, I ate them anyway” Seraya said putting one arm in front of her and one arm in back, “…and see... I didn't get FLAT!"

Oh my gosh, the things kids say!

By the way, that chump was probably trying to get her to give him one of the chocolates - TWO will make you FLAT, but ONE won't! Ha! That's my girl, never mind what the chum next door says, eat the chocolate anyways! And, I'm THRILLED that she doesn't even associate the word FAT with her body. In our house that's the real F-word!

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That big yellow bus took my baby away...to school!

This morning was a special day for my little Seraya, she has been looking forward to this for YEARS it seems. Her first day of Kindergarten! For me, the first day I've let my baby go somewhere without me (or someone I know). I feel so vulnerable knowing that someone else is caring for her now, someone else is also teaching her. I only hope that there will be a loving teacher or helper there the first time she raises her hand and doesn't get picked, or when she doesn't get to be the "line leader", or when she drops her sandwich, or can't find her class, or and of the many things running through my head right now.

It's silly to feel this way, I know. Seraya is feeling free as a bird! She carefully picked out her outfit last night and laid it out on the floor in her room, underwear, shoes, socks and all. We talked about doing this since she has am kindergarten and she did such a great job remembering. I'm really proud of her! Enoch gave her a little blessing at prayer time last night and I said a little prayer with her today before the left. She gave me the biggest hug and told me I'm the best mommy in the world. I made her one of her favorite things for breakfast, an egg, which she gobbled up. She brushed her teeth and got her backpack on and we were off!

Enoch and I piled the kids in the van and went to the bus stop. I was a little nervous for her when I saw the other "big kids" that would be riding the bus. One of the older girls asked who Seraya's teacher is and she said she's the best. Whew!

So, the bus driver, Ms. Jones, checked in each of the kindergartners as they got on the bus. Seraya was so anxious that she was one of the first ones on and she took a seat right on the front row just behind the bus driver. She looked out the window with a HUGE BYE-BYE grin and waved and blew kisses to her dad and I. I went back to the van as the bus pulled away and teared up. I tried to think about how excited she was to have the freedom she's been craving, but I' can't help but be sad that my baby is growing up. I am so proud of her. She knew nothing of the stealth action Enoch and I had planned to see her get OFF the bus as well.

Yesterday at orientation, the teacher said that we were welcome to come to school to see our child get off the bus and take pictures. Enoch jumped out of his skin at the thought! He loves taking pictures of momentous occasions such as this. So, after the bus pulled away we went across the street to the school and Enoch got some video of Seraya getting off the bus. "What's he doing here?" Enoch heard Seraya say in a giggle to a friend. We saw her line up by her teacher who was holding a dolphin sign high on a stick. From the looks of it she was already chatting it up with the girl in line next to her!

We watched her follow her teacher in line to her classroom and then Enoch and I walked back to the van with two children in tow instead of three and it felt so strange. Life just changed for us and now we have a daughter in school. We were choked up at the thought of it. I'm excited for all that she will learn and discover! When we pulled back into the driveway at our house Enoch jumped out to get in his car to drive to work and Kaija piped up, "I really miss Seraya".

Now I just have to remember to be at the bus stop at 12:05 to pick her up!

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Who is that Handsome BOY?!?!

We took in a cute shaggy boy to KidsCuts and we took home a handsome young man! Today Liam got his first haircut. He sat on a Pooh/Tigger toy and that entertained him for about one minute. Then he noticed himself in the mirror and that entertained him for one more minute. The rest of the time he went through two lollipops and whatever other type of distraction mom and dad could come up with to divert his attention and get him to be still. The gal cutting his hair was a complete moron and took forever. While she was nice and agreeable enough I don't think she spoke a lick of English because she didn't cut the hair the way we explained. Thank goodness there was another stylist on hand who came by with the clippers to even things out and blend the haircut to save the day in the end. What a handsome little boy!

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