Christmas 2008

   2008 has been another year full of activity, changes and growth for our family. The biggest news, as most of you probably know, is the recent addition of our daughter Evelyn Jane Goetz; born on October 22. At birth she weighed 10lbs 8oz, was 22 inches long and she came out with an attitude. Evelyn was not happy about being out of the womb and she let everyone in the labor and delivery room know it! She has a very robust cry that let's you know she means business when she is not happy. This kid is spirited. She is also a good eater and has been growing phenomenally. Although she has never been the tiny newborn (the pediatrician says I gave birth to a two month old) it has been wonderful having a sweet baby in the house again. She has recently become more alert and interactive and is quick to smile and even coo a little when someone is face to face with her. She is a wonderful blend of both sides of the family and somehow manages to look extremely cute while resembling both of her grandfather's at the same time. Her baby pictures also look a lot like Lillian's and her Daddy's. If you are interested in more details about the birth and life of our new bundle of joy you can read all about it in our blog entries.

    Lillian turned one year old on February 25th and has been a great joy to watch as she has been growing and learning so much in this last year. Although she has her “moments” overall she has been a lot of fun and has been caught on film doing many cute and wonderful things that you can (once again) see on our blog. She is adjusting quite well to being a big sister all the while suffering from teething and a horrible cold that has led to croup, double ear infections, and walking pneumonia. She is still quite the mommy's girl and so between her and Evelyn I have certainly had my hands full lately

    With Lillian's growing mobility and our growing family we decided it was time to move out of our Dallas condo and bought a house in a the quiet but growing suburb of Sachse (pronounced sax-ee). We are living in one of the most rapidly growing areas in the state; however, our community still has all the charm of small town living with the benefits of being near a large metroplex. One of the things I love best about where we live is the fact that I am now part of a great network of other moms who are there to provide help and encouragement to me and whose children are Lillian's new friends. I am thankful that Andrew's job enables me to be able to stay at home with the girls while my new friends are helping me to keep my sanity. Andrew's job at HRsmart has been keeping him quite busy as he has   had quite an increase in his responsibilities. We are thankful that in these crazy economic times Andrew has managed to keep a good job working with interesting people all over the world. We are also glad we were able to sell our condo before the housing market really went South, which enabled us to buy a great home in a nice subdivision.

    Life has certainly been very busy and seems to be in fast forward lately but we clearly have a lot to be thankful for this last year. Besides having two beautiful children, a nice home and the means to support our family we are also thankful for our parents who have been a huge support to us and have made our transitions this last year so much easier. It has been an exhausting but very good year and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for our family. May God bless you and your family in the year to come as He has blessed ours.

Erica, Andrew, Lillian and Evelyn Goetz