season's greetings

For anyone who missed our Christmas Card this year

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

With the baby asleep, and Jared well on his way

Cassie tried to reassemble the mess made that day.

Not before long Jared too went to bed

With visions of Cougars running routes in his head.

With a house full of silence, Cassie finally felt at ease

And allowed herself to revel in the hard-to-come-by peace.

But out in the parking lot there arose such clatter,

And Cassie crept to the window to see what was the matter.
 Lo and behold it was just a false alarm,

For surely that Chinese man meant her no harm.

Slowly she exhaled and returned to her task,

Maybe her article would get finished at last.

But once more she heard that mysterious sound

And louder and louder her heart started to pound.

All from the Chinese Man? It just could not be.

So Cassie stealthily hid behind the Christmas tree.

A thump sounded at the landing, there was jingling behind the door

And suddenly she understood not to fear anymore.

He nudged open the door, just as quiet as can be

And Cassie slunk even farther behind that big tree

Dressed in all fur from his head to his foot,

Cassie imagined what would happen if PETA got a look.

He went about his work, and divvyed out the goods,

And Cassie wondered if possibly…just maybe, she could…

She leaned out in attempt to get a clear view,

But that sly old man, of course he already knew.

He spoke not a word and went back to his work

(Good thing cause Cassie’s neck was starting to hurt)

He filled all the stockings and jumped to his feet,

Then snuck back out the door for his reindeer to meet.

He jumped in his sleigh and let out a roar,

And into the stars that great red sled soared.

But she heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!

And our annual newsletter:

We can't believe it's time for Christmas again already! This year has flown by and we’ve been completely blessed every single minute of it. Emmett continues to grow and soak up information like a sponge. He will forever be our little miracle, and we can’t say a prayer without expressing our gratitude. He has an incredible memory, learns things quickly, and adds a new word to his vocabulary every day. As he nears his second birthday, he is 100% caught up in both size and development. No one ever guesses our little tank had to fight his way into the world.

Jared is coming to the end of school - just months away from his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering! He has done a lot of great things this year. In March he travelled with BYU to Mexico, and had the opportunity to do a hands-on engineering project along with students from a University in Mexico. He also did a summer internship with an engineering company in Salt Lake, where he was able to learn a lot about the field. It is still up in the air whether we will be continuing on with grad school, or moving to the next phase in our life. We will keep you posted!

I spend my days hanging out with my best bud, and feel tremendously blessed because I wouldn’t trade my role for any title in the world. I’m extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to manage our apartments and do freelance writing from home. It can be a little hectic juggling multiple hats some days, but I love being kept busy (and having the world’s cutest co-worker alongside me)!

We love you all and keep you in our thoughts and prayers. You are what makes the season so enjoyable. Hope your holiday is wonderful and filled with Christmas spirit! Love to all!

Cassie, Jared, and Emmett