Christmas Letter 2010

Here's the Nichols Christmas letter, written by me.


Dear Family and Friends,

I’m just going to dive right in and say what you’re all thinking. Might as well get it out of the way. Jeff is 40. Crazy, right? Whoever thought my sister would be married to a 40-year-old, but in Jeff’s defense, he’s a rather young 40-year-old. He can fix a computer like no one I’ve even seen, and don’t even get me started on his poker skills. I experienced that first-hand when we went to Vegas to celebrate his “Over the Hill” moment. He even stayed up past midnight most nights while on our trip.

Oh, and the other big thing that happened to the family this year was the birth of another baby. I know, I know. ANOTHER baby? Doesn’t the Nichols/Anderson clan already have enough kids running around? Well, Corinne needed a girl cousin to play with, so Shannon and Jeff took it upon themselves to help poor Corinne out. On June 3, Siahna Grace was born, and Corinne loves her baby (Ahna, as she likes to call her) as much as Case loves Carson and Kye. And that’s a lot.

A few other major things happened this year:

*Dad did not have to go the ER this year, which is always a major accomplishment.
*Mom went an entire year without having a major surgery, so we’re two for two (knock on wood).
*They celebrated Thanksgiving in Hawaii. They then had the nerve to text and say, “We’re so thankful for you kids. We wish you were here.” To which we replied: “We weren’t invited.” Mom’s reply: “Oh, right. Maybe next year.”

*Jeff (see paragraph above). Jeff, Shan, three friends, and I spent a weekend in Vegas celebrating the big event.
*Shannon went part-time teaching, part-time selling Pampered Chef, and part-time student (working on her Masters degree in Technology Education). She also decided to start training for a half marathon next May. She’s such a silly girl.
*Case, although only 3, is ready to be “bigger, bigger” like his cousins and has decided to skip over 4 and move on to the ripe old age of 5. He’s Mister Social and is involved in gymnastics, swimming lessons, music class, and play dates with friends. He survived his first visit to the dentist (with a little bit of bribing, of course!).
*Siahna moved in. Aunt Dido (Shiloh) moved out.

*Shiloh got her own apartment (no offense, Siahna, but you cry a lot). I got a one bedroom apartment, paid off my car, and was rehired by my school (despite initially being cut). I feel like such a big girl. Oh, and I turned 30. I celebrated the “new year” with a giant party attended by 40 of my closest friends and family.

*Mister Mom (Collin) continues to do the laundry, clean the house, and make dinner for the family. He does all this while working on his teaching degree (High School Social Studies), taking care of three kids, and continuing to grow his photography business.
*Kate not only works for Comcast Cable full time, but she also started selling Avon. She practices her make-up application on Corinne, and Katie has gotten quite good at hitting a moving target.
*Carson started 1st grade and got second place in his school running race. He’ll be 7 in March and is so mature. He gets himself up every morning, dresses, makes himself (and Kyler) breakfast, and rides his bike to Caeden’s (BFF) house for his ride to school (and he does this all before Collin even wakes up).
*Kye turned 4 and became the man of the house when Carson started going to school full time. He’s as energetic and fearless as ever and loves to put Quinny (Corinne) in her place. He even wakes Collin up around 9 a.m., just in time for his mid-morning snack.
*Corinne turns 2 at the end of December, and she blames “Ryrer” for EVERYTHING. “Quinny Lou, who hurt you?” “Ryrer.” Poor Kyler doesn’t stand a chance with this sweet girl staring us in the eyes.

*Collin and I participated in the MS150 again this summer. Collin rode 15 of the 150 miles with me, which I guess I would be selfish to ask for more than 10 percent. That’s all God asks of our money, so I shouldn’t ask for more than that myself, right? Dad’s MS is under control, which we praise God for everyday.

*Oh yeah, and Corinne got locked in a car this summer in 99 degree weather. Luckily we were in a small town because the locksmith was there within 5 minutes, but it still took 20 minutes to get the door unlocked. She didn’t cry once, and she even tried to unlock the doors herself. She climbed from front to back, all the while searching for water to drink as her hair got curlier and curlier and sweat dripped from her face.

There you have it. The good, the bad, and the ugly of the Nichols’/Anderson’s. Gheesh, my brother and sister HAVE to stop having kids because it’s a lot of work to write about an entire years worth of 12 people’s lives on one piece of paper. I don’t know how I do it. We’re like the 12 disciples, and I know Jesus had a heck of a time keeping them in order. Imagine what it’s like in our house…

Speaking of Jesus, God’s blessings on you all as you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We as a family have been so blessed this year with good health, good jobs, good children who bring laughter, and a good God who supplies our every need. We pray the same for you and your family.

Doug and Sally Nichols (dougandsally@charter.net)
Jeff, Shannon, Case and Siahna Anderson (jeff@jeffnshannon.com and sonflower_girl1@yahoo.com)
Shiloh Nichols (shi_town@hotmail.com)
Collin, Kate, Carson, Kyler and Corinne Nichols (collin@alivephotography.com and kate_nichols@comcast.net)