MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is here!!! Instead of writing a Christmas letter and using a tree to do it, I thought I would write a quick blip about our year here! We had a lot happen and because I like to read bullets instead of paragraphs here you go...

Jan: Can't really remember January, still post-partum and not sleeping...

Feb:Again, no memory

March: This was a fun month because Jett got to go to CA to meet his family for the first time! We went to the zoo. And Mom only packed warm clothes cause you can't comprehend going from 15 degree weather to 75 in just four hours.

April: My dearest friend had a baby and I got a stomach flu from Satan. No amount of sleep deprivation could make me block that out.

May: Joey turned 3!!! And he got got his first big boy bike that papa Schauer taught him to ride. Rodney graduated with his master's in counseling and quit his Job at New Beginnings to pursue a lawn mowing career at the local country club. I was so proud!

June: He became an official part time youth pastor at our Church, New life fellowship.

July: We are hot, I am trying to lose weight, we love the water park, and Rod is starting to think of different job options and returning to therapy as both an occupation and client. We move into a 100 year old home and know we will be fine with all my husband's hands-on carpentry experience.

August: My beautiful nephew is born- Gabe Austen Schauer! We love him and he is the best baby! And, it becomes official...Shelbi Lynn Wilson, our neice's adoption, becomes final! She is so wonderful. Rodney quits the lawn mowing business and becomes a clinical therapist at North Eastern Mental Health and picks up a part time job working as a school counselor at Kensal two times a month. (He works for my Uncle Tom...and says he really enjoys it!)

September: Not the best month...It is a bit of a blur cause everyone was so sick...thanks to all who helped out that month. Sorry if we happened to spread the misery!

October: Jett and Joey are "Tom Sawyer" like fisherman...Joey falls in love with Halloween and has an idea to dress up and says he wants to be a doggie next year so he can lick people. Rodney says we get free sessions at NEMH, we might need to use them next year. Jett turns one! I burn pancakes real bad at the house and spend the day airing it out. I wake up at 4:00am wondering why the alarms didn't go off. I look through the house to check. Four floors and not a single alarm. I am wondering how our inspection passed? Rod makes a trip to Wal-Mart the next day.

November: I sign up with the Americorps one more year. They have been good to me and the job seems to fill my need to spread my wealth of advice and help for people. Joey has to get his chin glued together at the ER. The doctor asked him what he was for Halloween and Joey told him. He looked at me and said "Couldn't find a better costume for this guy?" I wanted to get joey's fishing pole prop and shove it up....... just kidding, but seriously.

December: We are here trapped in my house because of this season's first blizzard and had an idea to write this as my son (Joey) is throwing sticks at my head ( feminine products...no joke, Rod encourages this behavior cause he thinks it's funny) I think I will be needing a few of those sessions as well. Anyway, I thought that most of you will or have gotten our Christmas card and I thought, you know the funny pics are the bloopers. This picture took at least 15-20 tries and you have the best but here are some that didn't make it !!!

We love you and can't thank you enough for being apart of our lives! May God be with you this season and have a wonderful new year trying to get in shape and lose weight!

Love,
Anne, Rodney, Joey, and Jett

* This was so hard and we were not full of Christmas spirit.