Our Christmas letter...2009

To our closest family and friends,

Seasons greetings from Idaho! It’s hard to believe that I am old enough to start writing Christmas letters. This was not my idea. I have had a lot of pressure from several of you that I need to get on the ball since I have my own family! So here it goes!

This has been the most exciting, overwhelming, exhausting, thrilling, and joyous year of Brett’s and my life. We’ll get to that in the June part of this letter.

January – Let’s see…..it seems like forever ago. We surprised my family in Colorado on News Year’s Day by driving out and spending a few days with them. We were unable to make it for Christmas so this was the next best thing! It was fun seeing their shocked, surprised, and even teary eyed (mom) face’s when they saw that it was us! This is also the month my grandparents celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary! I am so thankful for the example they have set for Brett & me! Oh and we found out we would be having a BOY!!

February – What a fun month! Our friends (who are like family to us) all had the opportunity to get away to an amazing cabin in the mountains. It was Valentine’s weekend, and there was tons of snow to make the scenery absolutely beautiful. There were lots of laughs, movies, pool, poker, ping pong, card playing, and yummy food! We are so blessed by such awesome friends that we love spending time with.

March – The nesting stage really set in. We got a lot accomplished for the baby’s arrival. We were busy painting the nursery, getting the crib and other furniture set up, and getting registered. I was totally in my element. I had so fun much decorating and finding adorable baby stuff.

April – It was jammed packed with events. My parents flew in from Colorado and my mom was able to attend my baby shower. I quit working at the salon in mid-April. It was so nice to get off my feet and not have to worry about bumping my clients with my big ol’ pregnant belly. At the end of the month, Brett and I took our ‘babymoon’. We went on a road trip to Seattle. It was great having 16 hours in the car with just the TWO of us to talk and have quality time. We stayed in a cute chic hotel, had dinner in the Space Needle, went to Pike Place Market, and soaked up every last minute we had with just Brett & Shannon.

May – This was the month the baby was supposed to be born. It was full of doctor appointments and I went to town cleaning and re-cleaning the house. Brett had his 28^th birthday! My parents flew up to be with me towards the end of May and stayed until…..dun dun dunnn!

June – On June 4^th our lives would forever change. Micah Allen Butler was born 7lbs 14oz. Since our little guy was a week late, my doctor scheduled me to be induced. I was supposed to call the morning of the 4^th to make sure we could still come in at 7am for the induction. While I was on the phone to confirm my appointment (waiting on hold), my water broke!! It was a very quick and easy delivery. Thank you Lord! We had a healthy baby boy! My mom stayed with us the week after he was born. It was a total blessing for Brett and I to have her here to help. I don’t know what we would have done without her. Honestly!

July, August, September, & October – These months are all sort of a blur. I guess that’s what happens when there is someone else to look after other than yourself! We had a family reunion on the Butler side in July. Micah was able to meet his Great Grandma! We took another trip with our friends to the cabin in Idaho City (Micah’s 1^st night away from home). We had a lot of house guests in September! My sister, her husband, my nephew, and my mom came out to visit. My aunt from Kansas flew up for a few days. Yes, lots of visitors, but we loved it! In October, Micah and I flew out to Colorado so he could meet the rest of my family. It was fun watching them go gaga over him! While we were in Colorado, Brett headed down to South Bend, Indiana for his annual Norte Dame trip with his uncle Tim. Brett’s Grandpa Butler passed away in October at the age of 94. We will miss you Grandpa Dick!

November – We spent Thanksgiving in Utah with Brett’s family. His sister, brother-in-law, and our two nephews live there.

December – Already!!!?? We are waiting for the arrival of our niece Eliana (Brett’s sister’s baby). Any day now!! We’re headed to Colorado for Christmas and will be there for a good chunk of time. We will celebrate our 5^th wedding anniversary on the 31^st and I will turn 25 on the 30th! Brett will be heading to Phoenix for the Fiesta Bowl with his Dad in January (GO BRONCOS!).

We have had an exciting year. Becoming parents is obviously the highlight by far. We feel so incredibly blessed to have Micah in our lives. He has been such an easy baby. He is a wonderful sleeper, a fantastic eater, and he is always so content! We can’t take any credit, because we have no clue what we’re doing. God’s grace is evident in our lives. Brett’s job has been somewhat unstable for the last couple years with the building materials and construction industries declining (and the U.S. economy in the tank!). We are so thankful that he has remained employed and things are looking to become more stable. This allows me to be the stay-at-home mom I have always wanted to be. What a gift from the Lord! Nothing compared to the greatest gift of all though...eternal life through His Son. Hoping you and yours are having a blessed Holiday season celebrating LIFE in Christ!

I almost forgot!! We can’t forget our 1^st baby, Maggie (our four year-old yellow lab). I think she went through some depression after we brought Micah home. She no longer was the center of attention. The first few months we would watch her mope around, but since then she has perked back up to her normal self. She is super sweet with Micah, and he is obsessed with her! I can already tell they are going to be best buds!

Love,

Brett, Shannon, and baby Micah

Please visit us at www.brettandshannon.com for more photos, videos, and updates throughout the year!