CHRISTMAS LETTER 2016

Well we are way late on our Christmas letter this year and I didn't even send out physical cards. So if you didn't get a card from us, don't worry, it's not because we don't love you anymore.

For the most part it was a normal year of enjoying being a family of four and feeling settled in our house of 3 years...until the last half of the year when we decided to do everything all at once. I opened an Etsy shop in late June. I have absolutely loved running my little side business on top of being full time with the boys at home. It's been a great creative outlet and stress reliever for me! I'm also super lucky that Dave loves the numbers and helps keep the business going by keeping track of all the financials. 

About four months ago Dave took the plunge and switched teams within Microsoft - a move he had been debating for about a year. He's now on the X-Box team working on backwards compatibility for older games on the new console. He loves his new job and teammates. After working basically the same job since he graduated from U-Mich and moved to Seattle it was definitely time to change things up. We're so glad that it worked out so well.

Then in November we finally took the plunge and listed our beloved Sammamish home for sale. We'd been talking for around a year about looking for a home with a little more space. We wanted a dedicated guest room for Dave's out of town family, an office for Dave to work from home once a week (and a place to stash all the Etsy shop stuff), as well as more bedrooms for more babies! Our sweet realtor took us out to see the new construction in Snoqualmie and we instantly fell in love. We got our house ready for the market and a couple weeks later a friend sent us a listing for a two year old house in the new construction neighborhood that checked off everything on our wishlist! And bonus; it was right across the street from our friends! Our house sold for above list price after 4 days on the market and we moved in to our new home in Snoqualmie a week later. 

Braden and Connor have been adjusting really well to the new home and routine. They are the sweetest little boys. We have been loving seeing Connor's imagination grow the past month alongside his vocabulary. He sings constantly - which is awesome, and he is really growing into the sweetest big brother to Braden. Braden adores big brother Connor and follows him everywhere. He also manages to climb on, into, and under everything. He definitely gives me a run for my money, but that sweet gap-tooth grin makes up for all the mischief he gets himself into everytime.

Its been an absolutely whirlwind the past few months, so we're just really looking forward to slowing down and getting settled in to our new home with our sweet boys. Hope y'all had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Love from, our family to yours,

Dave, Leanna, Connor, and Braden