Merry Christmas 2009!!!
We hope this letter finds you well and happy. We’d love to update you on our busy 2009!! 2009 brought a few big changes to our family. WE MOVED!!! We were quickly outgrowing our 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home, mostly because it didn’t have enough “living” space and we were in desperate want for a playroom. The Lord blessed us amazingly to sell our home in 1 DAY this May and move into a wonderful move-in ready foreclosure in early July just a few miles up the road. We’re really enjoying the space to spread out and even have a guestroom upstairs so if you’re ever in the area let us know!!
We also couldn’t set aside the repeated impressions that our family wasn’t done growing and so in June Melissa got pregnant with baby #4 (gender is a surprise for once) and is due March 31st. And since she always goes over, this will be a great addition to our already full April Birthday calendar but we like to say “Let them eat cake!” so what if it’s 4 times in one month?!?!
This fall we also decided to finally bid farewell to our trusty red little 1995 Toyota Tercel (that was perfectly in running order—but a deal too good to pass up came along) and got a 2009 Toyota Corolla. Melissa is probably most excited about it and Stephen is adjusting to his new ride—I’m sure our neighbors appreciate not having to look at it anymore!
Stephen has had a busy year. He enjoyed a 10 day trip to Switzerland in February to visit his brother Joseph and went skiing and took in some of the sights of Rome and other glorious things. This summer he championed the task of becoming a rock climbing instructor so he could take the teenage boys from church on a high adventure activity—and can’t wait to go back! About the time we moved he accepted a new position (and promotion) at Raytheon—sure he doesn’t travel 2-3 times a month like his former job, but his new responsibilities require him to work longer hours. The trade off is he’s home every night—but sometimes it’s after the kids are in bed, we’re just grateful for a job in this time of instability. He completed a 2 year Leadership Development program through his work as well. He serves as Ward Mission Leader in our new ward which keeps his Sundays pretty busy!
Melissa: Is pregnant (easiest one yet!!), LOVES a treadmill some neighbors who were moving gifted to her. She works on the Public Affairs Council for the Allen Texas Stake and just helped to coordinate a 25 year anniversary celebration that included 800 members donating over 3000 hours of community service to the city in one morning—it was quite the event! She loves her role as home economist trying out new meals, couponing for low grocery bills, and keeping the family in budget. In her spare time she loves scrapbooking (she went on a retreat in October only to come home early because swine flu hit her kids!!), blogging, and coordinating a monthly Girls Night out for her ward!
Kaitlyn (5 ½) is officially a Kindergartener! She LOVES school and is thriving! She was just recently chosen as the “outstanding student” of the quarter in her class. This summer we started teaching her to read and she doing very well. She just lost her first tooth and has another loose one. She loves to play with baby dolls, do art and craft projects and shows a flair for the artistic like her Grandpa Lewis.
Sam: (3 ½) is potty training with great anticipation for the day of mastery so that preschool can begin (okay so mom’s anxiously waiting), loves playing baseball outside. He’s a creative story teller and has a vivid imagination. He’s very excited about the new baby and hopes for a brother to share his room with. He is a sweet big brother to little Lindsey and enjoys playing with trains, blocks and tools.
Lindsey (2): Our wild and crazy girl. She finds the fun in any activity and is fiercely independent. She gave mom multiple panic attacks this summer in the pool with her lack of fear of the water. Her vocabulary grows exponentially every week and is easily frustrated by the fact that she’s not as big as the other kids and her attempts to do what they do end up in injury and tears. She’ll be transitioning into a big girl bed (bunk beds with KP) in a few weeks and SHE’s excited about it.
So that’s us in a nutshell. We’re doing so well and have so many things to be thankful for. Most of all we treasure our relationships with you and send you all our love this Holiday season. May you remember He whose birth we celebrate, our Savior Jesus Christ. We are so thankful for Him and His gospel and what it offers us. Love, The McKneelys!
Here's Kaitlyn with her principal (our camera was REALLY REALLY low on batteries so we were glad to get the shot we got)
And here's Mom & K enjoying the refreshments!! YUM!!! Way to go Kaitlyn!!
