Christmas Letter 2015
At around 7pm tonight I realized I was never going to get to writing this blog post before taking off to my parents house for Christmas. Since we only sent out a photo...directing people here to read our Christmas letter, I knew I had to get it done somehow or else delay sending out our Christmas cards until I could get to it...so while I tried to bake a cheesecake/finish addressing our Christmas letters/pack all our stuff for spending Christmas Eve and Day at my parents house tomorrow night, Dave wrote our Christmas Letter Update for the blog. Hooray for guest writers!! Thanks hon, what would I do without you? Not write this blog post before Christmas, that's for sure! xoxo
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The Little Things That Bring Us Joy
A few years into our marriage now, it seemed life would become predictable and regular. In many ways that is true, but this year has seen a couple key transitions for us.
The first was when we started attending a new church, after financial issues resulted in our previous church closing. For us that was an emotional and impactful change as Leanna and I met at that church and our closest friends were still there. In the transition, we’ve maintained many friendships, but new ones have come as well.
The second transition for us this year was going from one little boy to two. Braden Rainier Retterath joined the family on September 2nd. Every hour he’s cost us in sleep, he’s paid back with his heart warming smiles when he sees our faces. The transition from one to two boys has been easier than zero to one was. We had better expectations, better communication, and of course some extra “help” from our 1-year-old this time around.
As for Connor, he turned two just this December, and is constantly impressing us with new words and feats. He likes to throw his hands out and yell “tadaaa!” whenever he finds a new way/place to balance his toys. His creativity has also blossomed this year as he has taken to coloring, singing, and living in an imaginary world with his toys.
As I think back on relatively quiet year, I keep remembering all the little things that brought me joy. Quite literally, our boys are little things that bring us immeasurable joy, but they also teach us to have a sense of wonderment and excitement for the everyday things. Having regular walks and game nights with neighbors. Getting many out-of-town visits from my family. Sitting by the fire and reading books with my wife. Reconnecting with old friends and family at the handful of weddings. Spending Sunday afternoons with Leanna’s family. Seeing a movie in theatres for the second time since having Connor. These are the things that don’t seem to be worth telling stories about, but they define a lot of what we’ve done this year, and they are among the many little things that brought us joy.
We hope you are able to reflect on and be thankful for some of the little things that have brought you joy this year.
Merry Christmas
Dave, Leanna, Connor, and Braden
