Merry Christmas

First of all, thanks to everyone who sent us cards! Unfortunately, we didn't get around to doing cards this year, so I'm sending out my Christmas wishes electronically.

Liam was certainly the highlight of 2006 for us! He was born on February 15th, and is now 10 months old. The first few months were hard for me, because I was so exhausted. But within a few months Liam was sleeping through the night, and then I really started to enjoy him - just in time for me to go back to work.

I worked 2-3 days a week through the summer, and then changed to a 4-day schedule. Sometimes I wish I could be with Liam more, but he is in good hands with Jean Bean, our daycare lady. He loves Jeanie, and greets her with smiles and kicks every morning when Will drops him off.

My company, thedatabank, continues to grow. This year we added a salesperson and a marketing assistant, which means I have a department! I had to travel to Los Angeles in July for a conference, and again in October, for another conference at which I spoke on the topic of email marketing.

Will is still at Wells Fargo. He is working on an important top-secret project, ha! He just finished a week long class on ASP (programming language). Will had some vacation to burn, so he took some Fridays off in November and December, and now he's taking the rest of the year off.

Of course, we always have a couple of house projects. We finished up the floor in the front entry, and started painting the kitchen cabinets. We also got new lighting in the kitchen, which still gives me a thrill every time I flip the switch.

Traveling was scaled back this year, in deference to Liam. In summer we went to California and visited relatives and friends in the Bay area. We also made a couple of cabin trips. This week, we went to Wisconsin, to celebrate Christmas a few days early with my parents and sister and her family. Liam received a child's nativity set, and he was so excited that he climbed right on top of it and shrieked. I guess he was pretty wound up after being with his cousins and all the gifts and everything. He has been to Wisconsin four times, and this time he made it all the way home (4 1/2 hours) without any tears.

Liam's latest milestone: pulling himself up to standing. When we woke up Thursday morning, we found him standing in his crib. Later that day we saw him do it, effortlessly, as if he had been doing this for weeks. And maybe he has. Sneaky baby.

It's pretty hard to summarize a whole year, especially a year with a new child. There are too many funny stories, too many poignant moments, too many blessings to list. I haven't even mentioned all the babies that were born to our friends and family this year: Katharine, Bennett, Erik, Meredith, Svea, Drew, Oliver, Olivia, Becca Boo, Addy, Avery, Ben, Griffin...and I must be missing another half dozen.

As we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, may you feel renewed and full of hope. Blessings to you, and our warmest wishes!

With love,
Karen, William and William