Christmas 2009

Sorry, the 1st two pics are out of order.

We had to take a family picture since the last one that we have of all of us was from a year ago. Addy and Uncle Corey. He's leaving on his mission in March. He's headed to Brazil and we are so excited for him!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We were so excited to finally be in our own home again and be able to decorate! We could only put ornaments on the top half of the tree because Addison liked to rearrange them and the gifts had to be kept in the closet, but it was so fun to see how excited she got. A couple of days before Christmas, we decided to do some baking. Addy was a big help.

It was so fun to see Addy open her presents. This year was quite different than last, and she was really excited to tear into the gifts. Aunt NiNi bought her this little ATV. She is a little nervous each time she starts to ride it, but soon catches on and is in love. She rides around in circles screaming "weeeee". We have to keep it at my parents house for now because they have a lot more space than we do.

She wasn't quite as thrilled about the clothes as the toys.

Addy got so spoiled this year. Uncle Matt bought her tons of Elmo stuff. She loves to talk on her little Elmo phone, and her eyes light up everytime she hears Elmo on the phone. Matt is way too good to her, but she sure loves "wex" as she likes to call him.

Nini, also, bought her these little clogs. They were so soft Addy wanted to wear them all over.

Sadly, we had to take our tree down the day after Christmas to make room for Mamaw, Papaw, and Corey. Addy loved having her rocker in the living room and watching her "shows" on Saturday morning.

Since Jamey's family was in town, we decided to take them to Electricritters. Rick, who could rival the Griswold's in Christmas decorating was amazed and got tons of ideas for next years lighting display.

Corey wasn't as impressed. It was really great to have them here and for Addy to get to spend time with her other grandparents. We wish they didn't live to far away!

Merry Christmas

We hope you have had a wonderful year. Our year has been filled with a lot of change and excitement. We have been extremely blessed and continue to be.
In January, Jamey began his Seasonal Law Enforcement training program. He had such a great time with his training and was really excited to start his career with the National Park Service. In March, we learned that he had been hired at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah/Arizona. He started work in late-April. Due to the lack of available rental property, Addison and I stayed behind in Colorado. We went to visit him several times during the 6-months that he was gone and got to do a lot of fun things. During our many visits, we visited Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon Tribal Park, Flagstaff, as well as went on many hikes, and hung out at Jamey’s apartment at Dangling Rope Marina in the middle of Lake Powell. Jamey had a great summer and made a huge impact at work. He was involved in multiple arrests, helped save individuals from a sinking boat, assisted in numerous medical calls, and helped fight a boat fire. Jamey is looking forward to May, when he gets to go back!
Addison turned one in April and has continued to be a joy and a blessing in our life. She began walking in March and has been going non-stop ever since. She is so smart and adventurous that it sometimes makes my life a lot more interesting. I was blessed to get to be home with her every day until just recently. Now, it is Jamey’s turn to spend his whole day playing with her. Addy’s favorite activities involve coloring, playing her piano, and playing with her babies. She knows what almost every animal is and can tell you what sound most of the make. She is also working on learning her numbers and colors.
I spent most of the year at home with Addy. It was such a blessing and I am grateful for the time we had. Recently, I have begun working. I am really enjoying working, but the best part of my day is when I get home and see Addison standing at the door waving to me with a huge smile on her face! I was also blessed to be able to help with the Young Women program at church. I learned so much from each of the girls I was involved with and made some really great friends.
Please check out our blog to stay updated on all of our adventures. We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Merry Christmas,
Jamey, Stephanie and Addison Brazell