Merry Christmas!

This is as close as we could get for a Christmas Eve photo with all three kiddos

As we reflect on the past year during this Christmas Season we are thankful for the many blessings in our lives including the birth of our son Isaac Nathanial. This year marks five years living in Houston.

This is our 2009 synopsis:

Last spring we put our pride on the shelf and did something we promised ourselves we would never do… We purchased a minivan. Not only a minivan, but we went all the way and got a gold Kia minivan. In Renshaw fashion we scored a deal we couldn’t refuse, so laugh all you want…and then go pay your car payment.

In April we took our first family vacation outside of Iowa. We took the girls to SeaWorld San Antonio. Minus we spent most of the first day walking around in a monsoon (of course the drought ends when Renshaw’s decide to go on vacation) we had a great time. The girls loved Shamu and Jared even talked Erin into going onto the Journey of Atlantis ride. She had a blast until she realized she was at the top of a hundred- foot drop. Needless to say dad’s definition of fun did not coincide with Erin’s.

We traveled back to Iowa in September for Emmaly’s brother’s wedding and enjoyed a couple weeks of a beautiful Midwest fall and also came back for Christmas.

Jared: spent most of the year in his cubical or in meetings. He is still working for United Space Alliance as a Flight Design Manager for the shuttle. NASA had a successful year of flight and Jared worked in Mission Control for several flights. He continues to work on his Masters in Engineeering Management through University of Colorado and serves as the ward clerk at church. Jared has been saving his pennies since we have been married and finally had enough saved up for his plasma TV, now if he only found time to watch it. The highlight of his day is being greeted at the door by his girls (and frazzled wife).

Emmaly: spent most of the spring freelancing graphic design and then closed the last project by early summer. The highlight of her summer was hand delivering her new baby boy solo (not planned but an amazing experience). She has adjusted well to having three kids (although some days are more successful than others). In true mother fashion she has found herself saying things such as “if you’re going to break your leg do it tonight because I am not making two trips to the ER” or “we don’t stab people with forks at the dinner table”. With all the craziness of having three kids in five years she loves the commotion of a very busy household. Emmaly is still serving as young women president and loves working with teenage girls (reasoning with a 15 year old is much easier than any toddler, at least that is what she thinks now).

Erin: tuned five in November. She is the upcoming intellect of the family. She loves preschool, is grasping the concept of reading, and loves anything art or space related. Typically Erin can be found in her room reading or drawing. She is very mild mannered except when she is drawing. We often hear the phrase “it’s not pretty enough” as she rips up her most recent masterpiece (Can’t imagine who she gets that from). Erin is a great big sister and loves to help mom keep the house from burning to the ground.

Eliza: is 2 ½ and her sheer strength is amazing. She will climb anything that is scalable and loves anything that involves a ball. Eliza has tubes in her ears last spring to help correct temporary hearing loss and now does speech therapy once a week. She is in constant motion and is passionate about play-doh. Jared finally got his sports fanatic and Eliza loves to watch football with dad. She loves to antagonize Erin and loves her baby brother (sometimes it’s tough love).

Isaac: was born on July 5^th at 8lbs after being a week overdue. He decided to make a fast entrance and came into the world bright-eyed and happy. He must have felt a bit guilty about the drama surrounding his birth because Ike is the BEST BABY EVER. He is very incredibly well natured. We would like to think we are just amazing parents, but I’m sure the Lord knew that is all we could handle. Isaac means “he who laugheth” and as his character matures, his name sake is a perfect fit. This little guy is full of constant smiles and laughter (partly due to the three-ring circus provided by his sisters).

We hope this finds you all well and happy. May your Christmas be full of joy of family and friends.