Our Christmas Letter!!!

So, every year we do a Christmas letter for our family and friends (that I remember to put the list!!! I may have missed some... oopsies!!!). Here is the one I sent out this year.

Merry Christmas 2011!!!

Merry Christmas to our family and friends! I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy. This year has been full of ups and downs for our little family. We get to see the positive for anything negative that happens and for that we are grateful!

On March first, I was having some pretty good contractions and because I have had 3 c-sections, my doctor insisted I go to labor and delivery to get checked out. Well, for the first time ever, I was in labor! YIKES! So, 3 ½ half weeks before her due date, Harper Anne Clyde made her debut! She weighed in at 7 pounds and 11 oz (yes, even 3 ½ weeks early!).  She didn’t want to breathe on her own for a few days. She was showing her stubbornness right from birth! Haha! She is great now and no problems at all. She is our little button-nose baby. We ADORE her. I swear, she can do no wrong! Harper just got her first 2 teeth and she flashes those pearly whites every time she smiles at us! What a joy she is to our family, I can’t imagine our life without her!

Cambelle started first grade this year. She’s such a funny girl. Almost everyday she goes to school, I want to put a note on her that says, “I dressed myself today”! She comes up with the craziest outfits, but she feels pretty and that’s all that matters! She is still very “orderly”. She likes things her way and if we all give in, she will be happy forever! She has the prettiest eyes on the planet and I always wish mine we exactly like hers.

Tyler is getting so big! He is almost 10 and he is in GREAT health! We had to start medicine again for his reflux (he’s on the same dose of medicine as his Grandpa Clyde!), but that is the only lasting heath effects from his CDH. We are so happy about that! He LOVES scouts. He just got his Bear and now has to wait to turn 11 to work on his Webelos. We are so grateful for his church and scout leaders and how patient and loving they are. Tyler is in his second year of singing in the school choir and is having a great time with that. He’s a crazy active boy and we love him to pieces!

Maddison is so grown up! She just tuned 12 and is going to Young Women now! These last few months, we have seen quite a change in her. She is super responsible and turning into such an amazing young woman. We enjoy her so much! She loves babysitting for my niece and neighbors on a regular basis and is getting quite the haul of money from it! She loves music and loves singing. She started 6^th grade this year and in 6^th grade, they go to the intermediate school. She rides the bus, has to dress out for PE, she changes classes and everything was new. We were so proud of how she handled the transitions. She was very brave!

I am still a stay at home mommy. I am the chauffeur, the nurse, the therapist, the chef (sometimes), the banker and many other things. After I had Harper, I had a headache that wouldn’t go away. I went to my doctor and he sent me to a neurologist. After 2 weeks of constant testing, I was diagnosed with a PFO. A whole in my heart. I freaked out a little when they told me I would have to go to Salt Lake City to have it fixed in July. The surgeon that did my surgery is the #1 surgeon in the world for doing this procedure. They went in through my groin and put a big patch in my heart. It was scary and I was awake for the whole surgery (the sleepy meds didn’t work on me). Recovery was harder than I thought it would be and getting used to my “new” heartbeat was quite a challenge, but I feel so great now. No more headaches and better than that, I wont be having strokes. That’s how they are usually diagnosed and I am lucky that I only had 2 clots make it to my brain, but neither of them caused any damage. There were angels watching over my family that whole time. I am so grateful.

Randy is still working for Interstate Rock. With things so slow for construction right now, we are just grateful that he still has a job. Years of hard work and working his way up the ladder in that company has made a huge difference in how things are for our family right now. We are blessed. Randy’s “Elvis pelvis” is doing good. He has arthritis in it and it bothers him when the weather changes or it gets really cold. He will suffer from that the rest of his life, but he says it’s not too bad. Randy still goes to the mountain with his family and hauls wood. He LOVES that time, especially with his dad. They are building memories that will last forever.

Randy was released from the Bishopric this spring. He is now in the Young Men’s presidency. He is the Scoutmaster and loves it! That calling was made for Randy! I am a visiting teaching supervisor. I know, it’s an easy calling, but with my history of post-partum depression, I needed to make sure I simplified everything I could.

Like the last few years, I have enjoyed blogging. Although my family might not like all that I put on my blog, I LOVE it! Hehe! There are posts about CDH research, me flashing the neighbors, bullying, people sleeping in stupid positions, drive way bowling, Para cord bracelets, Harper flipping off the camera, my nephew’s deployment to Iraq, Randy dancing, anxiety (not because of Randy’s dancing), my holiness, the joys of being on blood thinners, red neck swimming pools, birthdays, holidays, family fun, boobies (no pictures, just lots of talk about them), shooting stuff and lots, lots more.  It’s such a fun way for me to document what’s going on in our family and to keep up with the lives of our loved ones.

We hope that this Christmas season brings your joy and peace and that next year is the best ever! We love you all and are grateful for the blessings you are in our lives. Find Randy and I on Facebook, my blog, e-mail or the old fashioned way….. call us!

Love, The Clyde’s

Randy (old), Hopie (not as old)

Maddison (12), Tyler (9), Cambelle (6) and Harper (adorably 9 months)