Looking back on 2010 and 2011

The past couple years I haven't sent out our Christmas letter, so I thought I would do it on my blog instead. That way I won't leave anyone out on the mailing list :) And this is a much much longer "letter" than I would ever send through USPS. Don't yawn too much.

Dear Family and Friends,
2010 and 2011 have proven to be two of the busiest and most exciting years yet!

Barry graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration in May 2010. In October 2010, he was promoted and settled nicely in his new position for the United States Marine Corps office in Yermo, Ca. Luckily his hours didn't change and he still gets to be home with us every other Friday, in addition to every weekend and holiday.

I have kept very busy as a domestic engineer (think about it for a second). It has been such a blessing to be able to "work" at home with our children. Although I am classified as a stay-at-home mom, I spend many hours of my days in our Suburban :) I jokingly say that I work 24/7, have no days off and no breaks, and I don't even get paid for it, but I know that the blessings and rewards are there every day and will continue throughout our lives. I am enjoying it very much and know how lucky I am to have the option to be home to raise our children. I do not wish at all for the day when the kids are grown and gone. I will miss their noises, footsteps, and handprints all over everything. I will miss their giggles, hugs, and funny moments. I will even miss their fighting!

I am also still working diligently on my Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice (emphasis in CSI) again after a six month break early in 2011. I am 2/3 of the way done and can't wait until I have that paper in my hands someday!

Fischer is a senior and is counting down the days until graduation. He had his first job over the summer and got his driver license! He was very busy from August to December as a leader and member of Rattlesnake Regiment, the marching band at his high school. They made it to championships again this year, and placed 7th out of the twelve best schools in Southern California! Fischer marched trombone, and also plays guitar and bass guitar in the school's jazz band. He is considering learning saxophone for the concert season. His musical talents and abilities continue to amaze me every day. He is also working very hard in his classes these days, two of which are at the AP level! He is such a wonderful, loving, and helpful young man, and we are so blessed to have him in our family.

Gracie is turning six in 16 days! She started Kindergarten this year at our local public school, but we decided to switch to homeschooling October 5th. Homeschooling was something Barry and I decided we should do earlier in the year, but I doubted my adequacy and chickened out. After visting her classroom a couple times, I quickly realized that I had covered the subjects she was learning last year in preschool, and enrolled her through a homeschool Charter school so she could learn more subjects that she didn't yet know, and for many other reasons. We make sure to keep her busy in social activities so she can keep her friendships and be involved in the community. We have met several other homeschooling families, fifteen of which we went on a field trip with in October. The great thing is that the Charter tracks her attendance and work to make sure we are covering state standards. It also pays for all her curriculum and some extra-curricular activities if she wishes. It has been an amazing and eye-opening experience; one that I cherish and love and have NO regrets over. Barry even gets to count all his teaching moments with her every day. The flexibility in our schedule is awesome, she is learning things that she wouldn't learn at school (at least in a California Kindergarten classroom), and I'm learning things right along with her (like winter holidays in other religions)! She has started reading and finds joy in all the subjects of school, especially math and art. She is eager to learn every day, and asks to "do school" on weekends and holidays. She is a true joy to our family and has the brightest eyes ever!

Chloe just turned four. I still can't believe it. She is growing up so fast and strives to do everything her big sister does. She was in gymnastics for a year but recently decided she was no longer interested. She is in preschool now at home after being in a community group for a few months. It was two hours twice a week and the times became a conflict with Micah's school schedule, so we talked to her and she was thrilled to do school at home too! She loves that she can do school everyday and not just two days a week. She is eager to learn just like Gracie. They both look forward to learning time every day. Chloe is a spitfire full of energy and a huge laugh. She brings a lot of life to our crazy family.

As most of you know, we added one more little love to our family by adoption. We found Micah through Reece's Rainbow on November 5, 2010, and he came home with me on July 6, 2011 after 8 months of my "paper pregnancy". (We went to Ukraine! It was awesome!!!) Micah has grown and thrived so much in just over five months. During one of his recent evaluations, the doctor said he is absolutely amazed how much Micah has learned to understand in just five months with our family, especially with a new language. You see, our special boy has an extra chromosome that labels him as "special needs"; however, several professionals have said they have very high hopes for his learning abilities, and that his "mild mental retardation" may not even be diagnosed as such as time goes on. I was very suprised to hear that, but nonetheless he is our new pride and joy, and brings so much happiness to our big family. His smile lights up the world and his happiness is contagious. He is finally starting to babble some understandable words, most of which nobody else would get (typical for a toddler). He is three, and his birthday falls just five months after Chloe's. He started preschool through our county's special ed program just a couple weeks ago, and is doing really well. He goes five half-days a week by bus and seems to enjoy the new routine in his day. Tonight while reading a book, he pointed at the apple when I asked, and he repeated "boy" when we pointed at the boy. I am seeing changes in him every day, and it's such a wonderful experience to have this perfect spirit in our home.

Our sweet Annie just turned two in September. As the baby of the family, she is pretty spoiled, but I just can't get enough of her snuggles, hugs, kisses, and giggles. She is a world travler, going with us to Ukraine this summer! She is talking so much, repeats EVERYTHING everyone says, and is making almost-complete sentences. Today I asked her to give me the green marker and she picked the right one! I guess having older siblings is a huge advantage to the learning experience. She continues to surprise me on a daily basis. Oh and she's now throwing tantrums. It takes everything in me not to laugh at her. Gosh I love that little girl!

All the girls love on their new brother so much, and Micah is following the pack and doing everything they do. It is unbelievable the transformation happening with all of them right before our eyes. The love they have for each other melts my heart. The inclusion, sharing, singing, teaching, etc. that they do with each other makes me so proud. And of course, they all look up to Fischer and ask about him everyday. Annie asks every morning, "Is Fischer at school?" When I answer yes, she responds sadly, "Oh." And they are so excited when he walks through the door.

After losing our first house in 2008 and renting the past three years, we were able to buy a new home this year! Well, new to us! :) We were able to find a repo in really good condition (and an unbeatable price) on 2 1/2 acres in the community of Oak Hills. We closed September 30 and moved in on October 2. It is the perfect home and location for us, and I honestly could not imagine being any happier. Our new church family has welcomed us with open arms and we are quickly making new friends. After roaming for so long, we are definitely "home" now. We will raise our kids in this home, and I vow that I will be here until I die.

Then there are the dogs...
Barry brought home Biscuit in May 2010. He was a puppy at the time and we've had a lot of interesting changes with him since then, but this Beagle is happy in our family and new home, and has been a wonderful dog for us.

November 5, 2011 our sweet Abby (our mini-schnauzer) went missing. I still get weak in the heart when I think about her. She was the best dog I've ever had, even throughout childhood. She was born four months after Chloe, and we've had her since the day she was born in our living room. The girls pray every night that she will come home soon (and I do too), but it's hard to deny that she most likely won't be coming back. I guess one of the perils of country living is that there are a lot of coyotes around here, and dogs often disappear :( Ugh :/

A few weeks ago when we were looking for Abby at all the shelters, we were at the very last one and she wasn't there either. I suddenly decided we should bring home a new dog. Biscuit was depressed... well we all were. Chloe picked out a cute Chihuahua and we brought her home. Although she attached to me and Fischer very quickly, she did NOT like Barry or anyone else that came around our house, and she snipped at the littles if they bothered her or got too close. This is very common with these dogs, and had I researched Chihuahuas before going, I never would have brought her home. It ached me to take her back to the pound, but they had an exchange policy so we could get a dog that better suited our family. I felt like crap taking her back and cried, but I new it was the best thing to do with our small kids.

We decided to look around at another shelter since the options were very slim at that one, and Annie picked a mini-poodle. "A poodle? Really Mom?" was Fischer's reaction. Yes, a poodle. I wanted the female Lab that showed signs of training and good behavior, but the rest of the family wanted a small lap dog. Insert thought: I wonder if I'll ever get a Lab? We took the poodle to the "Get Acquainted" room (yes, there is such a thing), and he seemed pretty good around everyone. Barry did the "pull" test the technician told him to do (where he yanked on his ears and tail and pretty much did what the kids would be doing later to see how he reacted). It didn't even phase him. So we left and went to lunch. I researched poodles on my Droid and learned they are the 2nd smartest breed of dog and good with kids. I tried to find a reason not to take him home (just because I wanted the Lab), but I gave in to everyone's begging.

We brought him home on Monday and named him Jack. I took him to our vet today and she said we picked a good dog. He's healthy, has good skin and coat, and has a good temperament. That helped me relax a little. I taught him "sit" in just two days. We are leash-training him since he wants to spray every corner he finds :/ Why do we get male dogs? I hate boy dogs! LOL. Really, I love Biscuit so much, and Jack will grow on me. He's a sweet dog and let me brush him tonight without too much fuss. As long as we take him out to pee on the ground and not other things, and exercise him 4-5 times a day, he's fine. We bring him out of his "space" (the laundry room) to hang out with us on the couch, and we pet him every time we come and go through the garage. So he seems happy and everyone else is happy, so I guess he's a keeper :)

I think that about covers everything. We are all happy and healthy, and wish the same to all of you. May 2012 be prosperous for everyone, and full of happiness and laughter.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
The Ray Family