CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER - 2011 EDITION

We always take family pictures in late November, then send out our annual newsletter in early December. We decided to wait a bit longer than usual in 2011 because I was going to be having a baby about the time we normally do the newsletter. It made more sense to wait and have the 6th W in the family picture.

Then we opted to wait until five weeks after Tyler's birth to do the family picture. Why? Because I love traditions. You see, when Devon was five weeks old I secretly had a picture of him and Silas taken as a birthday gift to Tim. Then we took a picture of all three kids when Naomi was five weeks old, though that one wasn't a surprise. So, with another kiddo in the mix, I had no choice but to get another sibling shot when the littlest W was five weeks old. If I had to take all four kids in for that shot, then it was going to be most efficient to just do our family picture at the same time.

Then life got busy and the pictures sat in our house for about a month. Not only that, but I messed up our order, which meant about 99% of the recipients got only a family picture or only a kid picture, not one of each. I finally got them out at the end of February and am getting it posted here in March.

So, for those who only got one picture and those who didn't get any, here is the online version of the latest newsletter and family picture we've ever done.

2011 - A WEATHERSBY YEAR IN REVIEW

If we’d had to describe 2011 in one word while we were living in it, then it would have been “stressful”. We lived in an apartment with a huge mold problem that ruined some of our stuff, made us sick for four months straight, and made it impossible to use our closets. Tim received notice in the spring that he was getting laid off and would not have a job in the fall. Bethany had a hard pregnancy that included nausea, extreme exhaustion, depression, and more discomfort than any other pregnancy. Parenting and marriage were hard and our home was filled with strife.

In hindsight, though, we could also sum up the year with the word “blessed”. Tim was recalled by the district in August and given a new job that kept us from having any lapse in income or health insurance. Several of Bethany’s friends helped her in both practical and intangible ways during her pregnancy. We bought our first home and it’s absolutely perfect for our family. Our family is intact and the amount of conflict has decreased significantly. We have another W, which is why our pictures didn’t get taken in November and our newsletter is two months late. J

It was probably the hardest year we’ve had as a family, but it ended well and for that we’re grateful.

The 6 Ws - Tim, Bethany, Silas, Devon, Naomi, Tyler