Happy Holidays Everyone! This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about Christmas! I bet I'm not the only one feels that way.
Well as this year draws to a close, I'm beginning to refl
ect on the years' highlights. I guess our biggest highlight was the
birth of our 4th child, Heather Sonya Clark. She surprised us not once, but twice, by first deciding to enter our family without us planning on it, then coming a month early. She joined our family on October 10, weighing in at 5 lbs. 5 oz., 17.5” long. She's beautiful, healthy, and a good baby (as if babies could be bad.)
Another highlight was having visitors come to Indiana to see the new baby. My sister, Cherie, came in November and Tom's parents came at the beginning of December for Heather's blessing. We even got our first snowfall of the season-about 8 inches-while Tom's parents were here. The kids' school closed and we all went sledding! Well, not all of us went sledding. Some of us just watched . . .
Nathan's 12th birthday was a real highlight. He had a Napoleon Dynamite themed party. It was really fun. He was later ordained a deacon at church and has graduated to the Young Men's program. He loves hanging out with the teenage boys and participating in all of their sports programs and wild and crazy youth activities. Nathan started playing the alto saxophone in the community Star of Indiana Band. He has a Christmas concert with them on December 21. We're all looking forward to attending that. Nathan's a great kid, a great soccer player, and a wonderful big brother to Heather.
Halloween was probably one of Wesley's highlights of the year. Wesley LOVES to dress up and act out characters. Halloween is, of course, the official day to do that. He was Darth Vader this year. He practiced getting the breathing just right several weeks in advance. By the time Halloween came, I think he thought he WAS Darth Vader! Wes continues to take Taekwondo, make us laugh, and quote from Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
A real highlight this year was redecorating Camilla's room-and completing it! Tom tried very hard to redo it according to Camilla's specifications. She wanted a “garden room” with flowers, clouds, picket fences, bunnies, etc. and to make sure there was room for Heather, too. Tom was successfully able to pull it off. It looks beautiful! Camilla has a definite mind of her own with a whole lot of “girly-girl” mixed with “tomboy” and a hint of spunk! She even got in trouble at school for spitting on a boy who kept teasing her. I had to tell her that was naughty, but inside I was really applauding her for fighting back! That's my girl! Camilla loves to draw, dance, and to jump!
I'm not sure if Tom would consider turning 40 a highlight or not, but it's definitely worth noting. We weren't able to make a big “to-do” over it, though. Because Heather was born by C-section 12 days before Tom's birthday, I wasn't up for a huge party. We made a cake and played games as a family. I would certainly like to surprise him someday with a big celebration just to celebrate his life and the wonderful person he is! Tom continues to gig, design, travel, play daddy, cook delicious pizza, remodel the home, edit movies, and sometimes he sleeps.
Well, my personal highlights are watching my family interact each day. I guess I've been richly blessed because I've had many highlights this year. I hope I've adequately been able to share a few with you through photos and letters. It's been a good year.
I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Holiday and that the Lord's choicest blessings shower you in the New Year.
Much love, Tom, Michelle, Nathan, Wesley, Camilla, and Heather
