Christmas Letter 2010

The cards are in the mail!

We had a fantastic snow storm this past weekend which forced me (and yes I hate that I had to be forced) to slow down and just live in the moment. I spent more time snuggling our ever changing baby Nora and playing with her on the floor as she rolled all over the place. I watched with such joy as Anna played with her cousins in the snow. Joy because she loves more than anything to spend time with her cousins and joy because since they were here to play I didn't feel bad about staying inside with previously mentioned baby by the fire place. And I spent time getting the cards ready to be mailed.

We didn't include a letter in our cards this year but instead listed our blog address. That puts some responsibility on me to keep this blog updated with our happenings since that is where we told people they could keep up with us. To kick that off here is our Christmas letter summing up the difficult and joyous year of 2010...

Dear Friends and Family,

Every year we sit and ponder the previous 12 months in awe of what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time I was just entering my second trimester, praying that the pregnancy would go well and to full term. Just 5 short weeks later, our lives would turn upside down as we are rushed to surgery and "sentenced" to bedrest until delivery. Most of you know how that story ends. It was a good ending. One that feels like a lifetime ago.

April 23rd, Nora Grace entered the world. It was on that day that Anna could see her big sister and all seemed right with the world again. It was so different this time around. We knew the drill and could anticipate many of the twists and turns. But the one thing that was the same was that when Nora came home with us for the first time, we cried happy tears. Unbelievable happy tears.

Our summer was full of good times with friends and family. The highlight of that time was definitely our trip to California in August to celebrate my brother, David's wedding to Emma. They had dated for a good amount of time before this event so already Emma was part of our family. The wedding was the icing on the cake. They did a beautiful job planning the intimate and lovely event. We now share a wedding anniversary and it was very special to celebrate our 10 years of marriage on their wedding day. The whole trip was a fantastic mix of family, fun and wedding activities! I think we grow to love California more and more with each visit there.

After 7 months off, I went back to work the day after Labor Day. It was quite a day as Nora started daycare at Mary's and Anna started 1st grade. I still have a hard time believing that as I type it. 1st grade!

This year has been one of incredible transformation for Anna. She loves school and going from Kindergarten to 1st Grade has been so fun to watch. She has grown so much in this first half of school and loves it. She loves her teacher and loves to learn. Her reading has improved exponentially and every day we look forward to listening to her read US a story! It will be fun to see her continue to grow in the coming months!

Thinking about it, Transformation is a great word for 2010. Our family has been transformed into what we feel as a complete family. Our relationships with our friends and family have been transformed in a way that feels meant to be. Our marriage has been transformed with such deep history that carries us into the next 10 years. Our faith has been transformed. With the struggles we endured, only a faith in God (and the support of so many) could get us through that time. Because no matter the difficulties we always had the promises of God to carry with us. Reciting Proverbs 3:5 as we went: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

In closing, we like to look ahead to the next year, 2011, and what it might bring for the Carstens family. We think for once this may be a "quiet" year! It never really turns out to be that way but here is hoping for a year of no big events. A year of getting out camping again after a couple year hiatus. A year of learning new things like the piano or snowboarding or singing. A year of celebrating milestones like a 1st birthday and a 1st grade graduation.

A year of peace. A year of joy. A year of love. And a year of the same for you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,
Chad, Tina, Anna and Nora