Have you ever played that game "I Have Never..."? Basically someone stands in the center of a circle and says something they have never done. I always used, "I have never broken a bone." If you have broken a bone, it is your job to switch seats and if you are caught seat-less, you are the next to go. It's a nice way to get to know people. This year for our Christmas letter, we're going to play that game a bit because we experienced a LOT of things we never thought we would. We could also dub this the year of costumes, it seems we dressed up more than usual this year.
January-
The biggest news for January was that my sister Heather moved her family to Australia to finish her Ph.D in marketing and tourism. I never thought they would leave Texas, or Texas A&M. It's been an adjustment having them so far away, but Skype, texting, and regular phone calls help.
I also ran an event at Ava's school promoting reading and family-time. Of course, it was a costume event and Todd, Lucy, and I went as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Ava & Sydnee went as a mouse and a cookie in "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie".
February-
The biggest events for February were Ava turning 6 and Lucy turning 1. Ava had a huge princess party and Lucy had a family-party with a Hungry Caterpillar theme. Since we celebrate birthdays with parties with friends every other year, Ava was very excited to invite everyone she knew and their brother. Where does she get that from? Of course, we all dressed up again...(Todd-pirate, Lindsey-fairy God mother, Ava & Sydnee- princesses, Lucy-gnome). The best part of her party was that she decided to have her guests donate to the Ronald McDonald house instead of bringing her gifts. It was a wonderful experience for all of us and I have never been so proud of her.
March-
Todd and I began the process of building a house. This is something Todd has never wanted to do, but since I would be doing most of the work and was willing, he said OK. We were very grateful to the friendly people at Community Bank & Trust of Waco (specifically Ben Lacy, VP) for all of their kindness in working with us. We chose Warren Johnson as our home builder and I began the arduous task of finding a floor-plan I liked. Surprisingly, we did not dress up this month, weird. I know.
April-
This was an especially fun month as we celebrated Todd's birthday and welcomed a new nephew into the family. For Todd's birthday I decided it would be fun to invite friends over for a Murder Mystery party and since this was for Todd, I wanted to pick a theme that fit his personality...so I chose a super hero theme. It was hilariously fun and our friends were AMAZING sports. Anticipating the costumes was half the fun. Most of the people there probably thought they would never see Todd dressed as a super-hero rapper, and that they never wanted to see me dress with underwear outside my clothing again. Super fun memories from this night. Entire Facebook album here.
May-
In May we said goodbye to Spring Valley and our beloved Mr. Forbis- Ava had "graduated" from kindergarten. I never thought I would be so emotional during a school program. Turns out I should have known better!
Todd and I also celebrated our 10 year anniversary and instead of going to New York like originally planned, we decided to be more practical and buy a vacuum. :) We did do a really neat gift, though. We allowed ourselves to spend $10,000 in pretend money, an amount we would never spend on ourselves in real life. That post is here and here. It was a lot of fun.
Todd also dressed up as Steven Tyler for a youth activity. Yes, he is wearing my mother's shirt, thanks for asking. :)
June-
Sydnee turned 5. Where did the time go? We invited family and a few friends over for a "tea party"...which, of course, was a dress-up event!
June was also a big game changer of a month.Wednesday the 8th we signed our names on the dotted line for the beginning of construction on the house and shelled out a lot of dough. On Thursday, unexpectedly, Todd lost his job. The rest of the month is kind of a blur. We certainly never saw this coming.
July-
July brought the hottest summer Texas had experienced in a while. It was also a month of tense soul-searching for Todd and me. Todd worked very hard each and every day to find new employment. This was a month of a lot of waiting without any resolution- all the while we continued to build a house we were almost certain we would never live in. However, this month wasn't a complete bummer. We prepared for school to return, played with lots of friends, spent time at our local YMCA, and played lots of games. It was a fun month for the most part, despite the stress that was also felt, but we tried to make the most of it and to never forget who was in charge.
We also had a moment of fame when we went to the final Harry Potter movie, dressed up of course. I am not joking when I say that hundreds of people took our pictures. My brother had built stilts to be as tall as the half-giant character, Hagrid, so naturally, we got a lot of attention.
...And just when you thought we had dressed up enough, there was Cow Appreciation day.
August-
Despite the high temperatures, August will go down as a month of answered prayers. Todd was hired on at Cameron International...in Houston. Our biggest prayer was that we would be settled by the time school started, and through a TON of blessings- we were able to find a rental house, have our Waco house packed up and moved, and get registered for a new school all within 2 weeks. Miracles, I tell you. We have never felt so loved by the Lord.
This was also an epic month because with some extra funds from the moving package, we were able to fly my sister and her son home from Australia to celebrate my Dad's 70th birthday. Heather and I didn't tell anyone we had done this, we just worked in secret and lied a lot, but the video below shows how well it went. It was a priceless & unexpected gift, which I will never forget.
September-
September brought a lot of unpacking and going through boxes and trying to get back to "normal". We have tried to enjoy our new surroundings by visiting a lot of places Houston has to offer. And despite the fact that Todd and I never wanted to live in Houston, we are loving it.
October-
The best part of October was Halloween, where for the first time we all went as a combined theme from Alice inWonderland, and it was awesome. Our new friends are beginning to think we have a whole wing of our house dedicated to costumes. I was also able to make it up to Waco to make some decisions on the house and attend the annual Witch's Ball with my sister Leah.
I also hosted my first party here in Waco. It was a Favorite Things Party, and it was sooooo much fun. We are grateful to have friends no matter where we live.
November-
This year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Houston with Todd's family. Scott & Katie live only 30 minutes away and that has been one of our biggest blessings of moving here. We have never lived close to family- once we left Aggieland- and we are loving every minute of it!
December-
Brings birthdays (mine, Jacob's, my Mom's, my father-in-law's, my niece's, my brother-in-law's) and Christmas. Sydnee and Ava both have had a wonderful school year and have really terrific teachers. Ava is a full-blown reader and Sydnee is trying her hardest to keep up! They are loving their new home.
We hosted our Blackhurst Christmas last Sunday and are looking forward to hosting a Kennedy Christmas on Christmas Eve and morning. We've never hosted both families for Christmas, but we have really enjoyed all of the prep work going into the planning. We love to host parties!
Are you still here? Wow, I feel the love.
Through the twists and turns this year has taken, and there were plenty I left out, we have NEVER been any closer as a family. We have NEVER been so provided for and NEVER felt the love & prayers from our friends and family as much as we have this year. We are truly blessed. Todd is loving his job with Cameron. We are loving our new ward family where we are serving in Young Men (Todd is 1st counselor over the teachers) and Primary (Lindsey is Primary Chorister-yeah!!)
We are happy, never saw that coming, did you? (Of course you did!)
Our house in Waco is complete and we are awaiting some final paper work and such before our relocation company takes over that part of our worries. It has been a journey of a year, but we are walking away stronger, hopefully a little smarter, and way WAY more grateful.
To all our friends and family- may your Christmas be wonderfully memorable as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, reflect on the lives we are living, and count each and every blessing.
All of my love,
Lindsey (and my sweet family- Todd, Ava, Sydnee, & Lucy)
January-
The biggest news for January was that my sister Heather moved her family to Australia to finish her Ph.D in marketing and tourism. I never thought they would leave Texas, or Texas A&M. It's been an adjustment having them so far away, but Skype, texting, and regular phone calls help.
I also ran an event at Ava's school promoting reading and family-time. Of course, it was a costume event and Todd, Lucy, and I went as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Ava & Sydnee went as a mouse and a cookie in "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie".
February-
The biggest events for February were Ava turning 6 and Lucy turning 1. Ava had a huge princess party and Lucy had a family-party with a Hungry Caterpillar theme. Since we celebrate birthdays with parties with friends every other year, Ava was very excited to invite everyone she knew and their brother. Where does she get that from? Of course, we all dressed up again...(Todd-pirate, Lindsey-fairy God mother, Ava & Sydnee- princesses, Lucy-gnome). The best part of her party was that she decided to have her guests donate to the Ronald McDonald house instead of bringing her gifts. It was a wonderful experience for all of us and I have never been so proud of her.
 |
| Fun window decorations |
 |
| Todd as the handsome pirate |
 |
| Lucy & Ava at Lucy's caterpillar party |
Todd and I began the process of building a house. This is something Todd has never wanted to do, but since I would be doing most of the work and was willing, he said OK. We were very grateful to the friendly people at Community Bank & Trust of Waco (specifically Ben Lacy, VP) for all of their kindness in working with us. We chose Warren Johnson as our home builder and I began the arduous task of finding a floor-plan I liked. Surprisingly, we did not dress up this month, weird. I know.
April-
This was an especially fun month as we celebrated Todd's birthday and welcomed a new nephew into the family. For Todd's birthday I decided it would be fun to invite friends over for a Murder Mystery party and since this was for Todd, I wanted to pick a theme that fit his personality...so I chose a super hero theme. It was hilariously fun and our friends were AMAZING sports. Anticipating the costumes was half the fun. Most of the people there probably thought they would never see Todd dressed as a super-hero rapper, and that they never wanted to see me dress with underwear outside my clothing again. Super fun memories from this night. Entire Facebook album here.
 |
| Jester, Blue Blaze, Pogo Girl |
 |
| Mighty Mouse, Nerdon |
 |
| Isn't he precious? This is Scott & Katie's little boy. |
In May we said goodbye to Spring Valley and our beloved Mr. Forbis- Ava had "graduated" from kindergarten. I never thought I would be so emotional during a school program. Turns out I should have known better!
Todd and I also celebrated our 10 year anniversary and instead of going to New York like originally planned, we decided to be more practical and buy a vacuum. :) We did do a really neat gift, though. We allowed ourselves to spend $10,000 in pretend money, an amount we would never spend on ourselves in real life. That post is here and here. It was a lot of fun.
Todd also dressed up as Steven Tyler for a youth activity. Yes, he is wearing my mother's shirt, thanks for asking. :)
June-
Sydnee turned 5. Where did the time go? We invited family and a few friends over for a "tea party"...which, of course, was a dress-up event!
 |
| Lovin' the 'stache from my brother Jacob |
 |
| A lovely cake by Aunt Melanie, of course |
June was also a big game changer of a month.Wednesday the 8th we signed our names on the dotted line for the beginning of construction on the house and shelled out a lot of dough. On Thursday, unexpectedly, Todd lost his job. The rest of the month is kind of a blur. We certainly never saw this coming.
July-
July brought the hottest summer Texas had experienced in a while. It was also a month of tense soul-searching for Todd and me. Todd worked very hard each and every day to find new employment. This was a month of a lot of waiting without any resolution- all the while we continued to build a house we were almost certain we would never live in. However, this month wasn't a complete bummer. We prepared for school to return, played with lots of friends, spent time at our local YMCA, and played lots of games. It was a fun month for the most part, despite the stress that was also felt, but we tried to make the most of it and to never forget who was in charge.
 |
| Ava and Sydnee went on a vacation with Todd's parents to the Robinson family reunion. |
 |
| Lots of interviews, and the car a/c went out too! When it rains, it pours! |
 |
| Tons of milestones for Lucy |
 |
| Trips to the Children's Museum at Baylor...where does she get these expressions? |
We also had a moment of fame when we went to the final Harry Potter movie, dressed up of course. I am not joking when I say that hundreds of people took our pictures. My brother had built stilts to be as tall as the half-giant character, Hagrid, so naturally, we got a lot of attention.
 |
| Jacob as Hagrid, Anne as Luna Lovegood, Todd as Lucius Malfoy and me as Bellatrix Lestrange |
...And just when you thought we had dressed up enough, there was Cow Appreciation day.
 |
| Pictured with our friend Jared |
Despite the high temperatures, August will go down as a month of answered prayers. Todd was hired on at Cameron International...in Houston. Our biggest prayer was that we would be settled by the time school started, and through a TON of blessings- we were able to find a rental house, have our Waco house packed up and moved, and get registered for a new school all within 2 weeks. Miracles, I tell you. We have never felt so loved by the Lord.
September-
September brought a lot of unpacking and going through boxes and trying to get back to "normal". We have tried to enjoy our new surroundings by visiting a lot of places Houston has to offer. And despite the fact that Todd and I never wanted to live in Houston, we are loving it.
October-
The best part of October was Halloween, where for the first time we all went as a combined theme from Alice inWonderland, and it was awesome. Our new friends are beginning to think we have a whole wing of our house dedicated to costumes. I was also able to make it up to Waco to make some decisions on the house and attend the annual Witch's Ball with my sister Leah.
I also hosted my first party here in Waco. It was a Favorite Things Party, and it was sooooo much fun. We are grateful to have friends no matter where we live.
 |
| Todd- The Mad Hatter, Lindsey- The White Rabbit, Ava- The Queen of Hearts, Sydnee- Alice, of course, and Lucy- the Cheshire Cat |
November-
This year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Houston with Todd's family. Scott & Katie live only 30 minutes away and that has been one of our biggest blessings of moving here. We have never lived close to family- once we left Aggieland- and we are loving every minute of it!
December-
Brings birthdays (mine, Jacob's, my Mom's, my father-in-law's, my niece's, my brother-in-law's) and Christmas. Sydnee and Ava both have had a wonderful school year and have really terrific teachers. Ava is a full-blown reader and Sydnee is trying her hardest to keep up! They are loving their new home.
We hosted our Blackhurst Christmas last Sunday and are looking forward to hosting a Kennedy Christmas on Christmas Eve and morning. We've never hosted both families for Christmas, but we have really enjoyed all of the prep work going into the planning. We love to host parties!
Are you still here? Wow, I feel the love.
Through the twists and turns this year has taken, and there were plenty I left out, we have NEVER been any closer as a family. We have NEVER been so provided for and NEVER felt the love & prayers from our friends and family as much as we have this year. We are truly blessed. Todd is loving his job with Cameron. We are loving our new ward family where we are serving in Young Men (Todd is 1st counselor over the teachers) and Primary (Lindsey is Primary Chorister-yeah!!)
We are happy, never saw that coming, did you? (Of course you did!)
Our house in Waco is complete and we are awaiting some final paper work and such before our relocation company takes over that part of our worries. It has been a journey of a year, but we are walking away stronger, hopefully a little smarter, and way WAY more grateful.
To all our friends and family- may your Christmas be wonderfully memorable as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, reflect on the lives we are living, and count each and every blessing.
All of my love,
Lindsey (and my sweet family- Todd, Ava, Sydnee, & Lucy)
