I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful and very merry Christmas. I am so thankful for you all.

Check out our family Christmas letter below with 2019 slideshow (or linked here!).

XO, Heather

Merry Christmas - 2019

It's the Christmas season again, which is the perfect time to remember all that we're thankful for and look back at what a magical year it has been.

HOME SWEET HOME

We've now lived in Tacoma, WA, for three and a half years. In that time, Tacoma has embraced us and won our hearts. It truly is our home, and we've developed some great friendships along the way.

Tacoma is a fast-growing city that has kept much of its small-town charm. When we go to the market, it's not unusual for us to run into a friend, or three, from different neighborhoods. And yet, a walk downtown is punctuated by new restaurants, shops, and neighborhood events. Its been really fun to be part of this growing community.

WESLEY — 1-YEAR-OLD

Our little guy grew so much this year. As of December 7th, he is officially one year old.

His transition into toddlerhood has been marked by moving and grooving. He cruises all around the house, wants to climb any stairs he sees, and shimmies to music with a smile on his face. By the looks of it, he'll leave cruising behind and start walking very soon.

I have to admit that I have mixed emotions about seeing him walk. Its an unmistakable sign that he's growing up. It also means I'll be much busier chasing him around. However, I can't wait to see him run with his brother. They are adorable together!

In addition to becoming more mobile, Wesley's personality has also started surfacing in the last few months.

He's curious and determined.

Leaving the back door open for a minute to bring in the groceries?

You've just allowed a tiny explorer to escape the confines of our house and explore the backyard.

Putting away the ice cream?

You've just allowed a budding engineer to test the mechanics of the freezer door hinge by swinging it open and close with a gleeful squeal.

Trying to draw a bath of him and his brother?

You've just invited the pitchman for the Splash-o-Matic to give you a private demo in your bathroom.

Wesley bookends all of this mischief with the best belly laughs and a twinkle in his eye. If you want more of his cuteness, then check out his 0 to 9-month blog post and 10 to 11-month blog post.

CALEB — 3-YEARS-OLD

Whelp! Caleb is almost four years old. He'll turn 4 on January 2nd. He can no longer be called a toddler because he isn't toddling anymore.

Instead, he runs and jumps everywhere he goes. He's one active kid and doesn't stop until he crashes at night. All along the way, he's dodging cracks in the sidewalk and avoiding hot lava (the white floor tiles in our favorite coffee shop).

He's also a ham; not a day goes by when he doesn't make us laugh! He has the cutest little dance when he's happy. He also loves to sing about his alter-ego "cool Caleb," his baby brother Wesley, mom and dad…and sometimes our dog Asha.

When he's not being a goofball, Caleb is in class at First Presbyterian Preschool.

His teachers Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Carr, have introduced science to the kids this year. This means Caleb has turned in Mr. Inquisitive at home. He asks a lot of questions and wants to perform a lot of experiments. Especially if the questions and experiments involve M&Ms.

Beyond science, Caleb also seems to enjoy show-and-tell a lot. He always brings a car or some type to show off and spends a long time in the morning, choosing the right one from his collection.

Preschool has also been an excellent place for Caleb to build his first friendships. Many of this year's classmates were in his class last year, so it has been great to see their friendships deepen over the two years.

Looking back at the year, age three has been quite the ride. We now understand why some people call this age "threenager." Caleb is impulsive, emotional, curious, and ... just the sweetest little guy.

HEATHER

I am now approaching my fourth year as Senior Director of Home Operations. That is to say, I'm a stay-at-home-mom. It's definitely a 24/7 job, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Most mornings, we are juggling school, playdates, the YMCA, the Children's Museum, the park, several indoor play spaces, and crafts at home. After lunch, we try to push the stroller while walking to the dog and calling out to Caleb to slow down on his bike.

This spring, I picked up a new hobby - baking sourdough bread. After a few false starts, I was able to keep some sourdough starter a friend gave me alive. We named him Rico since, as I understand it, you're supposed to give your starter a name.

I've got a good basic bread down, and the waffles are delicious. Of course, I'm still into my usual baking and cooking, but having two kids has slowed things down a little. Caleb often offers to help. But, somehow, when he does, our jar of salt gets poured in with the flour, and all the chocolate chips go missing.

JOSH

Josh is still working away at the Washington State Nurses Association. There he acts as the association's Director of Digital Transformation and Membership. In that role, he enjoys helping build the capabilities of the membership team. He also serves as the association's chief technology officer, leading the adoption of new technologies and digitizing workflows.

In the early part of the year, Josh started picking up running and yoga this year. This helped him to lose more than 30 pounds. Asha is his early morning running buddy and is thrilled about his new routine. Although she admits, she gets a little distracted, sometimes pulling him off course to chase a rabbit or deer along their route.

FAMILY, FUN & TRAVELS

Now that you know about us, here are a few highlights from the year. These are the event's captured in a little slideshow below:

Snowmageddon 2019: Early in the year, Tacoma was blanketed by the most significant snowstorm it had seen in years. Since Tacoma and Seattle lack enough snowplows to clear the streets and we won't use salt, we found ourselves stranded [strike through] spending quality time together. We had fun building snowmen and sledding at a neighboorhood park.
Family Visits: We enjoyed a couple of visits from both sets of grandparents. It's such a blast for everyone when they are around. We get to spend quality time together, and the boys really love it.
Going to a Chapel: My sister got married in June to Damon, so we made a trip down to Pasadena to join in the wedding festivities. She was married in Pasadena, CA, and got the best toast from her maid of honor (cough, me). It was beautiful, and we are so glad to have Damon in the family.
Sundiego: Afterwards, the boys and I went down to the San Diego area to spend time with the O'Neill grandparents (sadly, Josh had to return home for work). They live about 20 minutes from Legoland, so we got to bring the boys there for their first amusement park experience. We discovered Caleb is a thrill seeker and loved the fast rides the best.
The Circus Came to Town: the Venardos Circus was in town, so we got to see performers do some pretty amazing things.
Come-to-Jesus Meetings: We also go to Resurrection Church on Sundays. On Father's Day, we dedicated Wesley there in front of the congregation.
But Wait! There's More: We went to the Spring Washington State Fair, visiting our friend's farm in Sequim, a local pumpkin patch, our neighboorhood's farmer's markets, and lots of walks and parks.