Holden Family Christmas Letter

Here’s our 1st annual Christmas letter! Part of YLCF’s Christmas Post Card Exchange.

Dear Friends,

It is time, once again, for my annual Christmas – wait, what’s that? I’ve never done a Christmas letter before? Oh, forgive me…

Hi, folks! I decide this year to prove my sanity by sending out a picture and a few lines of coherent text, giving you an update on our little family. (don’t worry, we’re getting to the coherent part.)

It’s been a big year for the Holden Family. The highlight, of course, was welcoming Seth Franklin on August 1^st. He was 8Lbs, something-ounces, lots of hair, and looks like Mommy (finally!) Jesse and Claire could not have been more delighted to have a baby come live at their house, and each time he gets up from a nap they crowd around to give him kisses, fawning over him like he’s been gone for days. Seth is a perfect 3^rd born – happy, sleeps a lot, low maintenance, and smiles lots – both while asleep and awake!

It’s a good thing he’s low maintenance ‘cause Mommy is kept busy with the next in line. Claire turned 2 right after Thanksgiving (28^th) but it feels like she’s been two for years…☺ She’s very mobile, yet clumsy. And she’s a thrill seeker to boot. It’s a combination that keeps us hopping. The highest she’s gotten is the back of a toilet. Standing up. Waving her arms.  But she’s adorable, even though she’s always sporting a fresh bruise. She’s just starting to talk – her vocabulary doubled the week Seth was born. She learned to say “Me”, “Baby”, and “Seth”, as in, “Me hold Baby Seth – Now!” For the first few days she was not content to be in the same room as him unless he was on her little lap.

Jesse (4) is a great big brother to them both. He is getting so tall – Jeremy and I often look at each other and ask, “Can you believe that big boy is ours? It feels like we just got back from our honeymoon!” (Actually, we celebrated 5 years in October☺) He explained to us this morning what was happening:

Me getting bigger ‘cause me ask God make me be like Daddy!”

We started preschool with him in November and we’re having so much fun. Oh, and learning something, too! His letter recognition is sometimes surprising – he can spot a “J” a mile away. I think we have made a good start toward my educational goal of teaching my children to love learning – he starts each day asking, “When we are going to do school?”

Jeremy is busier than ever this year. As soon as the coal sales slowed in the spring he started working on our remodel job upstairs. (As many of you know, we bought a charming vintage home at auction in the summer of ’09 and are in the process of making it our own.) The goal was to turn two of the 5 upstairs bedrooms into a master bedroom/bathroom suite, as well as a half bath off the hall for the kids. I started calling Jeremy the ‘Craig’s List King’ as he slowly accumulated materials for the project from all over the state at great bargains, including mirrors, granite sink, and a lovely corner Jacuzzi tub. This he got installed just in time for Seth’s arrival (I had a water birth at home!) With the cold weather the family coal business picks up again, as well as Jeremy’s involvement in ARISE, the ski program for people with disabilities that he works for. But we are making steady progress to finish the bathroom on weekends here and there.

And Trina? Well, sometimes I just feel like I’m surviving ’til 5, when Daddy gets home and there’s another adult on-site to help me with the kids! Other times my heart nearly bursts with the abundant joy and blessing of this season of motherhood. Children really are a blessing from the Lord, and I really can say “I love my job!” If I manage carefully, I have some extra time each week to devote to my blog which has evolved into a place where I share encouragement and inspiration for other young moms, as well as posting frequent updates and photos of our family (stop by sometime! www.trinaholden.com) I am continuing to study more about nutrition and the best foods to feed our little family. It’s amazing to me how God crafted our bodies and then gave us all the food and herbs we needed to sustain good health.

Looking back on the year I have to say that another highlight was all the times we got to see many of you over the months. From square dances to reunions, get together and chance meetings, we were blessed to connect with all the wonderful friends and family God has given us. I’m also very grateful for the house He has given us, allowing us to host some of you at times over the year. If you haven’t visited us yet, please don’t hesitate to stop in when you’re in the area!

God bless you during this holiday season, and thank you for the blessing you have been in our lives,

The Holdens