Dear family and friends,
We pray this Christmas season
finds you joyful and well. It has been a
blessed year for our family!
Brad still works for In The Round
as a web programmer. His company was
bought out, downsized, and still going through some restructuring currently;
through it all he has kept his position and enjoys what he does. His job continues to be a great blessing to
our family. He went on his first official business trip in early December as
part of the changes happening at work. He was released as the Young Men’s
President at church after serving for 2 years, and is excited to be a Family
History Technology Consultant. In his
spare time, he enjoys hanging with the guys, catching a movie, and playing
racquetball or basketball. In June, Brad embarked on writing his first piano
piece—a medley of Away in a Manger and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, which he
performed at church in December. His next goal is to write an entirely original
piece. He’s learning how to be a
“handy-man” in various household emergencies like unclogging the flooding
garbage disposal.
 |
| From our 5 year Anniversary trip to D.C. in May 2013 |
Marie just keeps getting
busier! She started homeschooling Naomi
this year for her first year of Preschool as a “test drive year.” So far, there are some issues to work through
but it seems to be successful and home preschool year 2 is in the works. Marie
was pleasantly surprised on Mother’s Day to find out she is will a mother to a
3rd little one who is due … well, pretty much any time now. Baby boy Samson Alexander Neeley is
officially due January 9, 2014, though his family is very much praying for a
late-December arrival. In October, Marie also started working part time as a
babysitter at the local YMCA two nights per week. She enjoys working with kids and being able
to take her kids to work and earn a small bit of money. At church, Marie was
released as the Primary teacher for the 8-9 year olds and called as the
Assistant Primary Music Leader—one month before the annual Primary program
because the Music Leader was due to have a baby that week. Despite her feelings of inadequacy to the
calling, she has felt the Lord inspire her and strengthen her to fulfill this
special calling to teach music to the children at church.
Naomi is becoming a big
girl. She started her first year of home
preschool, took her first swimming lessons, and participated in a
daddy-daughter soccer class at the YMCA. She really enjoys “doing school.” Her favorite
subject for school seems to be science/biology.
She is interested in all things related to the human body—especially the
immune, circulatory, and skeletal systems.
She has been asking mommy for a microscope so she can look at her red
blood cells. She also really likes ocean creatures like echinoderms (commonly
known as starfish to most people), octopus, fish, and seahorses. She knows all the letters of the alphabet and
most of their respective sounds and recently asked to learn to read—an
adventure we’re diving headfirst into for school after the holidays are
over. She is a great big sister and very
excited to have a little brother.
Ruthe has grown so much this
year, though she is still quite little.
Early in the year her doctors expressed concern about her height, but it
seems all for naught because she has gone through multiple growth spurts lately
and is growing and eating a ton with her slowly acquired 8 little teeth. She took her first steps this summer while at
the Neeley family reunion in Bozeman, Montana.
Her vocabulary is rapidly expanding, and she’s even learning her
manners! When she really wants something she puts her hands together, palms up
and says, “’Eese!” with a big cheesey grin.
She loves reading with mommy; her favorite books include, “A Plump and
Perky Turkey” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” She’s not sure about this “brother” everyone
keeps talking about, but she LOVES to shake mommy’s tummy and watch/feel it move
in response. She loves playing basketball
and hockey.
We love you all and wish you a
very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! –The Neeleys
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