The Stephens' Christmas Letter 2009...

All Play and No Work….Wait, That’s Not Right…or Is It ?

Each year I try to pick a topic to express what has gone on in each of our lives over the past year. I decided that this year’s topic would be ‘work’. So let me take you on a short commute to arrive at our 9-5 day jobs.

We'll start with Claire since she has the shortest commute. She is not yet working, but only preparing to apply to a few different prospects. Claire Joyce is quite busy preparing for the position of 'fog horn' on the front of a large cruise ship. She exercises her lungs without ceasing from morning till night. While her vocabulary is small, she makes up for it in volume. Even though Claire is only 1, we are so proud that she has found her true calling and can put her God-given talents to good use. In addition to her job preparations, Claire is watching her diet by primarily eating pickles and bananas. We’re not sure how this will help her resumé but she seems to know what is best in this area…she has upper-management written all over her.

Lily who turned 3 in September, is still working on her job description, but boy is she busy. She recently figured out the best way to commute to work, which is on a two wheel bicycle…without training wheels! We are so proud of her, and all the boys in the neighborhood were so inspired (aka jealous) and now ride a two wheeler as well. If you would like to hire Lily to ride her bike in your neighborhood to get your little one cycling, just let us know. Lily loves to have books read to her throughout the day and likes to come up with her own stories from “When she was a little girl”. Lily hopes to become a doctor one day as she truly enjoys dressing her G-Bob’s bandages every night, as well as truly excelling in applying Mickey Mouse band-aids to her knees…boo-boo or not.

Brian spent the beginning of this year preparing for and taking one of the hardest exams of his life, the Florida Contractor’s Exam. We are all so proud that he passed on the first try, which only 30% do(source: Brian S.) We are still trying to process how exactly having this coveted license will benefit us since the state of Florida doesn't make your life any easier once you have acquired this license. In fact, it only seems to make things worse. (Perhaps the Florida heat is getting to the government officials). Often times when Brian isn't waiting in a line at the local permit office, he is working hard out in the garage building Lily bike ramps, spray painting craft blocks for me, and making a kids table for the girls. Otherwise, he’s either out with Lily, riding her bike around the block and handing out business cards, or he’s inside watching football and knitting…Yes, knitting, not 'sitting' or 'spitting' which are so often associated with men in front of a TV. We are all so proud of how hard Brian has worked this year to build his business during such a trying time in the country to provide for his family.

Kristen is completely at home; literally. She is really enjoying taking care of Lily and Claire and finding a few extra things to do on the side. Back in April, Kristen was introduced to the world of blogging(not to be confused with flogging) online…she was hooked. She started a blog called Thyme at Home where she writes about her daily happenings, as well as tips and ideas she infrequently has. She hopes to have 1000 hits a month by the year end. Because of this blog, she was also hired to write for a popular site online that finds the most up-and-coming crafts by some of the most talented people… at CraftGossip.com. This job has been amazing because she can stay at home, work on her own time, and use two of her passions: computers and crafting. She is still working on cultivating her own imagination, but the girls certainly help her out in that arena since they are imagination experts. Kristen started homeschooling Lily this year and has a blog called 52 Week Preschool where she documents her lesson plans and ideas for teaching Lily each week.

Overall, this year has been full of blessings. While we were all very busy ‘doing our jobs’ we managed to have more fun than not which we feel is most important. God has taken us on a journey this year which has encouraged us to lean on Him and walk with Him closely in order to make it through. We miss every single one of you who receive this letter and pray that you have a year full of blessings and encouragement in 2010.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Matthew 2:10- “ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

Our address: 418 Woodview Cir. ~ Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418