Because our printer sucks and there's no way we can send christmas cards to everyone we'd like to, I'm posting our newsletter online. I mean, who doesn't really love a family newsletter from someone you rarely see or talk to around the holidays? It's better than the ones you get from your best friends and family because you already know everything that's going to be in it.
At least that's what I'll tell myself while I write this.
All due respect to the work that President Obama is doing in Washington, but 2009 did not bring a lot of change to the Lasselle household. Sure, our house continues to be taken over by Pixar movies, look and find books, toys and balls of all shapes and sizes, but Jonah seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Rachel and I are still working the same jobs, living in the same house and driving the same cars. After quite a few years in a row of almost constant change, this era of "status quo" is both comforting and frustrating at the same time.
There were quite a few highlights in 2009 for us. We took a trip to Seattle for our anniversary in July and took in an MLS soccer game. I took a long overdue trip to Texas to visit a friend and got to see The Alamo for the first time. I was able to go to Las Vegas to watch the Beavers play, and perhaps even more notable came home with almost as much money in my wallet as when I left. There were a couple trips to Wisconsin to visit Rachel's family. Jonah went from barely walking to barely staying still.
Watching Jonah grow up provides almost daily entertainment. It's so much fun to see him discover things and actually be able to communicate about them. The "terrible twos" haven't been that terrible, yet. He's currently fascinated by Christmas lights, and says "cool!" to anything he likes. ZooLights was a tremendous success with him, and we've already taken a few trips around Albany to check out the lights on houses. Santa is the biggest celebrity in the world. It's amazing how much more I enjoy the holidays while watching him get filled with holiday cheer for the first time. That may be the biggest blessing in having a child - remembering how much fun things can be. Jonah constantly is refreshing my view of things that I have started to take for granted over the years.
2009 was not without its low points either. We were sad to see a couple of the only friends we have with kids Jonah's age leave the state over the past year. We are happy that they are in better situations for them, though, and wish them all the best. I also lost my grandfather this year, who passed away in April. We all miss him, and christmas won't be the same without him this year.
We hope that 2009 was a great year for all of you, and we look forward to the adventures and excitement that a new year always brings. All the best to you and yours this holiday season.
Happy holidays,
Andy, Rachel and Jonah
