Season's Greetings Friends and Families,
This past week I started thinking about how I have started to view Christmas letters in the way I view the entity known as Facebook. This may require a bit of explanation. I rarely get on Facebook. I learned long ago, that not only can perusing the site quickly eat away at my precious time, but that if I spend too much time on it, I start to get down on myself. I'm sure many of you have seen articles talking about this very thing. Thus, I get on quickly, find out news about people, click like a few times, and leave the site. When you see a bunch of people putting their best "foot" forward and then view these posts in quick succession it
can easily seem like you aren't doing enough in life.
So how does this relate to the Christmas letter? Each year many people put out a letter with highlights from the year. I'm right there with those who do, and by the way, love getting those letters. However, this boils one year down into an 81/2 x11 piece of paper (or computer screen) and can again make it look like the grass is greener over at the Joneses'. Where am I going with this? The life highlights I tick off can look like amazing accomplishments or events when written in little snippets. Often, however, there is more behind those snippets than is seen on the surface. For instance, we have an adorable little moppet named Evie in our family. But, the child behind the angelic face, has given me a run for my money. She sent her mother, who rarely relies on parenting books of any kind, on a quest to the library last week to find guidance on how to nurture such a strong-willed personality. Steven started his "dream job" in June, but it was not without a few tears (and those tears may or may not have come from the children). This is all to say that as I recap the past year, I'm going to truly cherish each life event, messiness and all, because these are the things that make our family. Likewise when I read your Christmas letters, I will sincerely celebrate and reflect with you because I know that your families' "snippets" also have more to them than meets the eye. As has become tradition, I give you the Pattishall's 2013 run down, which this year I vow to view through a different lens.
February 2013: Edmund and Evie went to visit Mickey Mouse in Florida (read Disney). While there we celebrated Kay-Kay's birthday and had the privilege of visiting with cousins we haven't seen in many years.
May 2013: Edmund graduated from preschool in cap and gown. Evie turned 1, while the rest of the family celebrated the fact we all survived her first year. Edmund and Evie had a joint knight and princess party to celebrate their respective birthdays.
June 2013: Edmund turned 5 and we thought to ourselves, "honestly, where has the time gone?" Steven finished his pediatric residency and began a job as a pediatric hospitalist at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh. Since I don't tell him enough, I will say here how incredibly proud I am of him.
July 2013: An article I wrote was selected for the blog Fearless Formula Feeder. I also started writing occasional posts for my favorite local blog, The Stir Crazy Moms' Guide to Durham, run by a good friend.August 2013: Edmund began kindergarten and save for one unfortunate day early on, has LOVED every minute.
September 2013: Edmund began piano lessons with an amazing teacher who "gets" him. Evie began attending a Parent's Morning Out program at a preschool that we are happy to call her "home away from home." I also decided it was time to start singing again and joined my church choir.
December 2013: Edmund gave his first mini piano concert in preparation for a recital to be held in early 2014. After submitting a writing sample, I was contacted with the possibility of joining a review panel for a baby gear review blog. Even if it doesn't materialize, it has given me the confidence to pursue more writing opportunities.
There are more complex stories behind all of these tidbits, but even more than that there are friends and family who have walked with us through those stories. I apologize if this part gets a bit mushy. Steven and I are not demonstrative people and if you ever witness an "OMG, I love my bestie" moment from either of us you are witnessing a miracle. So allow me to gush in writing over you all for a moment. We are beyond blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives. This includes the incredible moms I have been given the opportunity to parent alongside, the friends and neighbors who have been present to support us as Steven transitioned to his new job, the relatives who have been there to give me a break or to allow Steven and me to go on date nights, not to mention love on our children, the old friends and new friends who are available at the drop of a hat to lend a hand or an ear, and, dare I say it, the Facebook friends we haven't seen in years, who will drop us a word of encouragement when it is most needed. Since we don't tell you all often enough, we are so thankful to have you in our lives.
We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Pattishalls
(Steven, Tabitha, Edmund, and Evie)
