Christmastime Is Here

Dear Family and Friends,

Christmas is a time of memory. It seeps in through every aspect of the season and floods our hearts to overflowing.

It is beautiful and rich and sometimes sorrowful, but there is always the Joy of a new life, a new creation. Hope is born in the face of a dark and cold night. But the darkness cannot overcome the Light.

It’s been a few years since we’ve sent out a Christmas Letter. It is a tradition we’ve missed and look forward to reigniting in this age of instant updates. Twenty-fifteen has been rich and full for our little family! There is a new job, a new house, a two new cats, and a big grow’d-up 5-year-old who seems to know exactly how things work at all times.

We moved into a new house in south Seattle in August and have been thoroughly enjoying home ownership. It’s a beautiful mid-century style home in an up-and-coming neighborhood and we have already made great friends in just a few months. We were able to host a grand Thanksgiving, and we look forward to opening our home to friends in the coming year for soup nights, game nights, and all those gatherings of friends and family that make a house a home. We also have plenty of room for overnight guests and welcome any and all who would like to visit beautiful Seattle! (hint hint)

Taylor, after a memorable, fruitful year working with Matisia Consultants, accepted a full time offer at Intellectual Ventures’ Invention Science Fund. ISF is unique in that his position requires all his strengths: law, data, development, and, of course, people. He is enjoying the mix and creativity required of his new position. While 2015 was light on races, he completed his first triathlon (the ChelanMan) and despite it’s being a harbinger of his midlife crisis, rather enjoyed it and may indeed do a few in the New Year.

Annie spends most of her days with sweet Macia, and the two cats. Having our house has been so much fun the last few months! It’s been quite project to unpack and set up our home to accommodate all the plans we have. While we don’t have anything major planned for renovations, the home-improvement list does ebb and flow from day to day. From the get-go, though, so much of the space has been innately functional that there seems to be few large projects to take on. Every day I feel again how much I love our house. Next year I’m looking forward to writing more and growing my photography clientele. Always the artistic outlet.

Macia Rose has been growing like a… um.. rose bush, I guess. Though she is just 5 this month, she is already fitting into many next-size clothes and she is developing new skills and strengths daily. She loves ballet, and the monkey bars, and running (her current mile is about 8 minutes), and listening to “tunes.” This summer she learned to ride a pedal bike without training wheels and we frequent bike paths in our new neighborhood. She is all about Legos and Scooby-Doo and dress up and tea parties and dolls and we wouldn’t have her any other vivacious, lovable, precocious way.

Twenty-sixteen looks to be a year of the great outdoors–camping, hiking, and adventuring–and growing a strong community around us. Most prominent in our plans is beginning another adoption process! We are open to many options, but our main focus will be through the Washington State foster-to-adopt program in order to bring home an older child, so that Macie can have a sister (she does not want a brother) closer to her age. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we work through this process.

May this season bring you warmth and fond recollection. Know that you are never far from our hearts, and we pray you have a merry and blessed Christmas and new year.

Love,

Taylor, Anne, and Macia

(and Aida and Pancake, the kittehs)

visiting Seattle waterfront for Mace's birthday

visiting Seattle waterfront for Mace’s birthday



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