Our Christmas card this year!

I know this is a lame way to send out our Christmas card, but I'm just amazed I got it to this point. I wasn't going to do anything since we are so swamped trying to move during the holidays with a "newish" baby and two other kids. Life is crazy!!! But here it is anyway!

                              Happy Holidays 2013

          We hope this letter finds you well! This has been a huge year for our family with lots and lots of changes. We have been so blessed to have amazing support and love from our family and friends. We are in crazy mode right now, but wanted to share a little bit about what is going on with our family.

          Brinley: She is five years old and has grown up so much this year! She learned how to ride her bike with no training wheels back in March. She graduated preschool in May and then started all day kindergarten in August. She LOVES school and is learning to read very well. She also enjoys math and writing. She constantly asks us to give her math problems to solve and loves writing stories and making pictures to go along with them. She has non stop energy and loves doing anything outside. She is very thoughtful and a wonderful friend.

          Julianne: She is three going on thirteen. You will never find this girl without my shoes (especially high heels) on, a purse and some other kind of dress or scarf. She loves anything girly and “grown up.” She started preschool and loves it! She also has this crazy obsession of playing the guitar and volleyball. We have no idea where this came from, but she pretends to do these things all the time! She is so sweet and is willing to do anything that is asked of her.

          McKay: Baby #3! He was born on May 29^th. Everything about his birth was perfect! I was able to do a VBAC, which was sooo much easier for me than my previous c-section. He is an angel! We are so lucky to have him in our family. He is 6 months now and the girls still act like Christmas morning every time he wakes up. He loves to play with toys and he looks just like his daddy!

          Greg: Lots of things going on with him! He is going to be graduating from his ortho residency on the 14^th. We are beyond excited about this. He was also able to find a good first job in Southern California. We are in the process of moving to Eastvale and he will work out of two offices in the surrounding areas. He was very involved with the young men in our ward this year, going to activities and camp outs. He is a wonderful husband and father!

          Me: Staying very busy! I was so grateful that I recovered so quickly from delivering McKay. Honestly it was amazing. I only took one pain pill the day of, and after that nothing. I felt fine. It was a good thing because adding #3 made things a lot crazier.  Good crazy though. I feel like I adjusted to three a lot faster than adjusting to two. I just got released from being the primary chorister (again) in our ward. I love that calling. Now I’m just trying to get ready for our big move and establishing our new home.

          We are anxious to start our new life in California. We have mixed emotions, however, because we love our little life here in St Louis. Our kids have amazing friends and schools and Greg and I have a wonderful support system as well. We will miss everyone so much! We hope that moving closer to family and friends will attract more visitors (especially since we will be so close to Disneyland.)

          Reflecting on our past year, I can’t believe how greatly we've been blessed. We've felt the Lords influence often as we have had to make major decisions and so thankful for His love toward us. We look forward to the New Year and all the opportunity’s that await us.

With Love,

The Carr Family: Greg, Jenna, Brinley Ruth, Julianne Carole, and McKay Michael