Merry Christmas, Dear Friends!

Thank you for following with us through a wonderful year. Our fourth year of marriage has been the best one yet! We have been so blessed in 2009: James has a good job, we have a comfy home, we are in good health, our cars are still running, we have loving friends and family all over Alaska and the world, and God gave us a precious little girl to join our family this year.

Clara Joy has been a joy this year. Each step of her development has brought new delights and blessings into our family. Our 10-and-a-half-month-old is crawling, pulling up on things, “cruising” along furniture, saying “Hi”, “Bye-bye” (and waving), “Uh-oh”, “Hey”, and “Mama.” She laughs, giggles, and smiles all day long. She loves to snuggle, dance (she determines what music is dance-worthy), and play with Daddy. I never imagined that a child of ours could be so beautiful, sweet, and smart, and we find ourselves challenged to be the parents she needs at each new step of her life .

We are excited about the year to come. Next year our parents will celebrate their 40th (Smiths) and 30th (Kuennings) anniversaries. My grandparents will celebrate their 60th (Kings), and we will celebrate our 5th. Someone in our family will have their 80th birthday, someone their 30th, and someone in our family will have their 1st! We have hopes and dreams of going to so many places and doing so many things, but we place them in God’s hands.

God bless you all. You have been good friends to us this year. We have been blessed by your wisdom, kindness, love, and support. It has been such a blessing to be a part of an online community this year when bringing a new little one into our lives. We appreciate you! And of course, hugs to all our “real life” friends as well.

Merry Christmas, All!

Love,

James, Andrea, Clara and Titus Smith