Our Christmas Letter

There are so many wonderful things about this time of year: colder weather, Christmas breaks from school, home-baked goodies, lights and holly, Black Friday shopping excursions... But what I think I love most of all are the simple things: family get-togethers and traditions.  Christmas wouldn't be the same without the faces of the ones we love, the breakfast casserole on Christmas morning, "fickin' time" with the Leonards, midnight gatherings at Flipside.  I love that we have the privilege of giving gifts to the ones most precious to us.  I love that we make time to see each other during this season.  I hope you are acutely aware of the things that bring you joy this season as well.

This year was an eventful one for us.  Here's a quick slideshow with some special pictures of the past 12 months... The last slide may hold a surprise for some of you...





Hold on... Did you see that last slide??

YES, WE'RE PREGNANT!!!  We just found out earlier this month and Nicole has started a blog to chronicle our journey as we await the arrival of the 4th Leonard. We're absolutely thrilled and would ask for your prayers for a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby.

The less interesting, less exciting news on the rest of us:

As a family, we started [and quickly ended] our house search in March and April.  (More details on that here.)  On May 25th, Micah and Nicole celebrated 7 years of marriage.  In June, we were so blessed to be able to finally purchase a second car!  In October, Micah and Nicole ran their first 5K at the Long Beach International Marathon. 

• Continues to work at Miller Woodcrafts as Shop Supervisor and a graveyard shift at UPS
• In spare time, sleeps, plays Lego Star Wars on PS3 with Kaitlyn, watches movies with Nicole, sleeps, attends Men's Bible Study, sleeps. :)

• Quit working at her job full-time and now works just 3 hours per day while Kaitlyn is in kindergarten.
• Works from home doing bookkeeping and property management for a couple local commercial property owners (one of whom is Grandpa Andringa).
• When there's spare time, is probably watching Survivor, catching up on Facebook, or clipping coupons.

• Started kindergarten in August and does very well in school.  She was Student of the Month the very first month of school!
  
• Is a Daisy Girl Scout - with Nicole as her troop leader!
• Found out this year that she is lactose intolerant - in addition to being allergic to nuts (which we already knew).
  
• Turned 6 years old in November and can't wait to be a big sister!

Thanks for stopping by! Please leave us a comment to let us know you were here.  Or you can email or call Nicole by connecting with her on Facebook here.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,
May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Love,
Micah, Nicole, & Kaitlyn

When you need someone to talk to
I hope you will talk to me
When you need someone to laugh with
I hope you will laugh with me
When you need someone to advise you
I hope you will turn to me
When you need someone to help you
I hope you will let me help you

I cherish and love everything about you
And I will always support you
as a parent, as a person
and as a friend.

- Susan Polis Schutz

The Song of My Heart

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

- John Waller
"While I'm Waiting"
The Blessing

My Photography Subject Today

Ain't he a pritty kitty?


I would be remiss if I neglected to comment on my absence from the blogosphere... I haven't been posting to my blog very much lately because I've found it so much easier - and quicker - to just post to Facebook. I feel slightly guilty about ignoring my blog...but then again, I harbor guilt about a lot of things... actually, my therapist wants me to work on that. But I digress... Anywhoooo... if you miss me on my blog, hit me up on Fb. Peace out!

This wonderful man and this sweet girl...



...have completely,

irreparably,

undoubtedly,

FOREVER...

stolen my heart.

What a great weekend so far!

Last night, we finally decided to do it...we got another car. YAY! We'd been talking about it for a while and decided now was the right time. We headed down to MK Smith Chevrolet in Chino and got a great deal on this 2007 Honda Civic EX. We LOVE it!




We did the one-car-thing for over 2 years and, while we feel blessed to have had the ability to go that long without another car, it was definitely high time for another vehicle. So the Civic is the car that I'll drive to and from work in and Micah will drive the Equinox.

Also last night, we totally scored on Craigslist. I was looking for an inexpensive desk and found a guy who was giving one away for FREE! He happened to be in Chino Hills so when we went to the dealership to pick up the car, Micah loaded the desk into the Equinox. It worked out perfectly!


You probably can't tell, but the desk is in what is technically our dining room. This, however, is only temporary because - more great news - we're moving!! Now, it's not to a house, like we had originally planned, but it is to a bigger place - a 3-bedroom townhome to be exact. We prayed and talked and prayed some more about the whole house thing and basically came to the conclusion that the Lord is leading us to hold off on purchasing a home right now. So we're going to continue renting until we feel led to do differently. Right now, our apartment complex is offering spectacular deals on their units so we're getting a great deal on the townhome. We'll be moving the first week of August. Since it's in the same complex, the move should be super easy. But we could still use some help. Any volunteers? As always, pay comes in the form of pizza and big hugs.

By the way, did I forget to mention... God is good. :)

Alright, alriiiiight

I received this email from my sister last night:

You need to freaking post a new blog already!!!! Blog about not blogging or something! Here's a list of ideas...

married life
friends
Kait's haircut
cell phones
school
African American hair
the number 7
heartburn
summer and sweaty pits
Long Beach 5K

So, for many reasons (among them: my sister is very persistent, I feel guilty, I'm bored, it's Wednesday, I have clear polish on my fingernails), I'm going to honor her request.

Heeeeeere we go...

Married Life
I like being married. Believe me, it's no walk in the park sometimes...but it's pretty awesome. Before the wedding, nobody tells you that you really have to work hard to make a marriage good. At least nobody to me that. But I'm learning - wait, we're learning. And it's going pretty darn OK. We just celebrated 7 years of marriage!

Friends
On Memorial Day, Adriana & Matt came over and we hung out by the pool. We BBQ'd tri-tip (which I seasoned with this yummy spice rub) and just had a good time.

Kait's Haircut
I already blogged about this one (here). Ashley must have missed that post.

Cell Phones
Micah and I both would love to get new phones... but we're too cheap. :) Gotta wait for a new promotion. Or maybe we'll switch to another company once our contract is up with Verizon. Who knows? I know you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next!

School
I decided not to take summer classes. I'll start up again in the Fall. The courses I took in Spring semester were an Intro to Kinesiology course and a computer class. I got A's in both. Wahoo!

African American hair
This topic made me think of my friend Jenn & her little girl Naomi. Jenn has, um, let's just say very little experience with African hair. And so when she adopted Naomi, she had to learn quickly. And she's doing a great job! Check out this cute girl and her cute hairstyle!


The Number 7
Um... I like the number 7. I'd love to have 7 awesome purses, 7 cool cameras, or 7 diamond rings (one for every day of the week). But I would NOT like to have 7 children, 7 cats, or 7 houses (that's just too much cleaning to do).

Heartburn
I've only had heartburn when I was pregnant. It was not fun. I don't think of it fondly.

Summer & Sweaty Pits
Maybe it should be "summer = sweaty pits." Hey, it's just inevitable for some people.

Long Beach 5K
It's in October and I'm training already. I'm sure most people could be ready for a 5K in just a couple months of training, but I have LOTS of work to do so I'm starting now. I've always HATED running so I've got to ease into it. And I'm liking it so far!

Whew!

Happy, Ashley?

:)