Christmas Letter 2010

Happy Holidays from the Fields! Another year has come and gone and the only word I can think of to describe the year 2010 for us was CRAZY! If I had known in January what all this year would entail, I would probably have asked for a body double!

Our big news is that we moved in November! Ever since we got the surprising news that Garison was on the way in early 2009, we have looked on and off for a house with a little more room. In typical Fields fashion, we decided to stop looking but then found one more house…. We saw the house and made a low ball contingency offer. They rejected and we walked away. Five days later they decided to take our deal which meant we had a house to sell – immediately! We got the house on the market, it sold in 2 weeks and the new owners needed to move in 3 weeks. All that to say, the entire process from start to finish took only 6 weeks!! Saying good-bye to the old house was bittersweet – it was our first home and the one we brought all 3 babies home to – tears were shed! God was really looking out for us during that time though because I still don’t know how we did it all. We have lots of projects in the works, but we are thankful to have a little more space to spread out into.

Levi turned five in October and I still can’t believe I’ve been a parent that long. We are entering the next phase of parenting him as a “kid” and it is so nice to have a child that can do everything on his own :). Levi played soccer this fall and we had a great experience with our first organized sports – I know that there are lots to come in our future! His passions are lego’s, wii, anything star wars, drawing and playing with his buddies from school.

Kara is our middle child in every sense of the word. Turning three in October, she is our little entertainer and makes up the best stories when she isn’t singing every song she has ever heard. She started dance in the fall and I can’t wait to see her first recital in the spring. School is the highlight of her week and she is very much a people person. She adores princesses, books, dollhouses and anything pink or purple.

This has been a big year for Garison. Since he started the year as an infant who slept all the time and ended the year as a walking, babbling ball of energy, I think it is safe to say that he changed the most :). Little g turned one in September and decided at that point that he was ready to hold his own with his big brother and sister. He is the only blonde in the family and his smile can light up a room. He is an official momma’s boy and as my baby, I find it hard not to oblige him :).

For the first time in many years, I spent my entire year unemployed and I absolutely loved it! Of course, my life is anything but slow with three kids five and under! I keep telling myself to cherish these days, but if I’m honest, I am very ready to have the kids a little older :). “Hobby” isn’t really a word we use right now, but I do have the gym as an outlet as well as leading a woman’s life group with a friend.

Garet celebrated his first anniversary at Troy7 in September and we love the benefits of working for a small company. I’m thankful everyday that he only traveled twice – TWO times - this entire year. If you knew how often he was gone before, you would know how happy this made me. He also lead a life group for most of the year and tries to hit the trails on his mountain bike when he can. Of course, his new “hobby” is remodeling a house :).

Our lives would not be complete without travel and this year was no exception. We rang in the new year in Chattanooga for a small family get-away and then later that month we finally got a chance to take the kids to The Plains for the AU/KY basketball game. I’ll let Garet tell you who he cheered for :). In May, we had the BEST trip to DisneyWorld. People thought we were crazy for taking a 4, 2 and 8 month old, but the kids were fantastic and we enjoyed some sweet time with my brother’s family and my mom. We can’t wait to go back in the future!

My dad’s mom died in June and I flew out to California for the service. She was my last remaining grandparent and it was difficult to say good-bye to an entire generation in my life, but it was wonderful to spend time with my family out there that I don’t get to see as often. We also got a chance to go to Kentucky for the annual Hurter Reunion at the Farm. We stopped by Mammoth Cave on the way home so the kids could get another stamp in their National Parks Books.

On August 12^th, Garet and I celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary which is a little hard to understand considering we are still 25 ;). We took a FABULOUS trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun and it was just what we needed. It was so fun to be free of responsibility and just have fun together. Garet really is my best friend and I am so thankful to have him as my man.

Less than a week later, the entire family boarded a plane to Maryland to spend a long weekend with my brother and family in Maryland. We try to do different things every time we go up and this time were fortunate to go to a Cubs/Nationals game, spend the day in DC and hang out with my cousins and their families.

All that to say, I guess our year was pretty typical for us – I love that we live life to the fullest and adventures abound. God is good – all the time. We continually thank Him for our health and provision and especially at this time of year for the gift of His Son, Jesus.