Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings to you this holiday season! We hope you're staying warm, and enjoying lots of good food and time with family and friends.

Our lives have been full and wonderful this year. On February 1^st, Elaina Halcyon Blakey was born at home weighing 7 lbs, 14 oz, and measuring 20 ½ inches long. Chloë adjusted amazingly well to her role as big sister, and is very loving and kind. Sometimes we have to remind her not to smother Elaina with hugs and kisses.

Elaina has grown and changed tremendously in the last 10 months. She is stubborn and affectionate, loud and silly, and just the right amount of chubby. She flails her arms and sticks her tongue out when she gets excited. She signs “more” and “please,” says “mama” and “dada,” speed crawls, climbs stairs, and walks along furniture. She uses her two teeth to gnaw on crackers and baby mash. She likes to cuddle when she's sleepy, and loves playing with her big sister.

Chloë turned 2 in June, and is such an energetic joy. She is my constant companion, and talks a lot. She loves music of all kinds, and enjoys singing and making up songs and melodies, and spins and dances frequently. She likes to “read” books, draw, and wear my shoes. Her favorite foods are beans, and chocolate. She still has a quarter-sized hemangioma behind her right ear, but it hasn't changed much in the last year and doesn't give her any trouble.

Bryan started his seventh year as a web developer at EMSI, and continues to love his work. His company sold to CareerBuilder this year, which should be good for the future growth and sustainability of the company. Last year CareerBuilder was ranked in the Top 10 Best Tech Companies to work for, in between Apple and Google.

I continue to love my work as a stay-at-home mom and wife. I let my nursing license expire since I plan on continuing with my current career for another decade or two. I joined our church's choir now that I'm not working evenings as a nurse, and have loved having music a regular part of my life again.

We drove to Seattle in March to visit friends and watch my brother Samuel in a rugby game. We flew to Iowa in June to visit family, drove to Oregon for a wedding and vacation in July, and spent some time at my parent's farm in Bonners Ferry in August. We usually spend every Sunday at Bryan's parent's house, enjoying lots of food, rest, and fellowship. Besides that, we have been spending time in our cozy home, enjoying the good and simple things in life. November marked our six year wedding anniversary. God has blessed us richly, and we are very thankful for all He has given us.

Merry Christmas from the Blakeys:
Bryan, Bess, Chloë, and Elaina