December 9, 2018
Hello All-
I’m hiding in my bedroom to write
this letter. I just heard the same door be repeatedly slammed, a yell from Dan
to “stop slamming the door!”, a baby running down the hallway (presumably with
a diaper wrapped around his ankles--he’s known for that), and now that same
baby is crying for “waa waa”. There are two girls who are supposed to be
cleaning up their bedroom in order to obtain the privilege of having a mini-Christmas
tree in their room, but instead I just hear them getting out more toys.
I wonder how long I can stay in
here unnoticed. If I had brought the bag of Cadbury eggs from my secret candy
stash in the kitchen, I could really hunker down in Thorough’s Walden-esque style. But alas, I have no
eggs and will probably last a good 7 minutes. Which is probably the perfect
amount of time to write a letter people will actually want to read.
We’ve had a great year, full of
blessings. The big news for us is that (1) we’re pregnant (more on that later)
and (2) we’re still here in New Jersey. We haven’t moved! The absence of moving
is abnormal for us, and we have enjoyed having a sense of holiday traditions,
i.e. doing some of the same things we did last year in this very same house.
Two years in a row!
Dan continues to work for Reckitt
Benckiser, doing the things he does there. He just started working at a new
position doing more of the things he does there. He’s very good at these
things. Just don’t ask me what they are. He retains his title as the “Fun
Parent”, taking the kids down the scary slides at the water park, driving the
girls an hour and a half each way to see a movie at the drive-in theater, and
taking them out in the cold torture chamber known as the outdoors during a
snowstorm. He has also managed to steal my title as the “Unfun Parent”. I’m
about 13 weeks pregnant and have been as sick as a dog. So, Dan cooks, cleans,
launders, shops, etc. There are no jobs left for me. Except “Hide in the Room
Parent”, which I’ve commandeered masterfully. It doesn’t roll off the tongue
like the other two titles, but it will do for now.
June is in first grade and is
enjoying her first time in a mainstream classroom. She still receives plenty of
services and resource classes at school, but also gets to spend a good part of
her day with her first-grade class. She also has a best friend, though she has
a hard time remembering her name. We mostly refer to her as the “girl with the
glasses”, and I’m already a big fan. She sounds smart. June is almost always
happy, but she will fight you to the death if you try to mess with her bedtime
routine. Bedtime is important to all of us, so we tend to follow her lead here.
Gwen is 4 years old and not in
school yet, but she does attend in her mind. She still likes to pack a backpack
and lunch every morning which she carries to the bus stop every day as she
wistfully watches June depart for school. Gwen is our social butterfly and can
never get enough time out of the house. This is an interesting dynamic as the
rest of us seem to be homebodies. She’s my big helper with Harris and for that
I am grateful.
Harris is 20 months and has
reached what I term “Optimal Human Status” or “OHS”. At OHS, Harris can get
away with pointing at things and grunting and people actually giving him what
he wants. He also has no fear of running away from our crazy crew at loud,
crowded public places, which is something I can only dream of doing.
The highlight of 2018 was when we
were able to travel to two family reunions this summer. We went to Las Vegas to
see Dan’s family and were able to meet up with my family in Hawaii. If you ever
see me in a loud, crowded public place with my crazy crew but my eyes are
closed, you can bet I’m imagining I’m still in Oahu.
We are ever grateful for the
birth of Jesus Christ. It is His Gospel that brings us peace during the storms
of real life. We are also grateful for dear friends like you.
Love,
The Jolleys
I sure love your family and this Christmas card!!! You are so relatable and hilarious and amazing.
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