cousins Noah and Matthew are similar ages and look a bit alike I think
Nigel and I seem to look more alike every time we meet up - I wonder how it will be with four of us together at Jon's house on Dec 27th?
from left to right cousins Lily, Noah, Matthew, Isaac, Megan and HannahChristmas letter 2009
To all our friends and family,
This year I decided to put our Christmas letter on the blog rather than printing and posting, and I'm glad I did as we've had so much happening up to the last minute.
Today Sam, Anika, Beth and James drive to Palmerston North from Auckland so our Christmas will really begin. I've said that if Noah has a sleep during the day (some hope!) he can get up when it's dark (not till nearly 9 pm as it's now mid-summer in NZ) and we'll drive around the Christmas lights and let him stay up to meet Beth.
Today Isaac is recovering well from his surgery and beginning to eat a little more, Paul is talking to someone from Vision Manawatu about inronline (his and Joe's business), Lily is at work in Farmer's, Noah is driving me nuts and Hannah is taking her friend Rachel to catch a bus to Auckland then working at the jewellery store until 9pm tonight.
Lily keeps reminding me how few sleeps it is till Christmas and I keep thinking how much I have to do in so little time!
Major events during the year have been
- Sam and Anika moving to Auckland and flatting with Beth and James
- Joe moving to South Korea to teach English after the breakdown of his marriage to Abi
- Hannah deciding to change her degree to social work and moving back home
- Moving into our lovely new house
- Saying Goodbye to J, our foster child where a few weeks became 15 months
- Celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary
- Going to Disneyland with Lily and Noah for Lily's 21st birthday
- Paul and Joe's company inroline being selected for the finals of the NZ trade and enterprise awards
- Being involved in the National games for Special Olympics and watching Lily swim
- Seeing my brother Nigel and family in NZ (see photos)
- Planning to go to Oz on Sunday so Angela , Jon, Nigel and Caroline (four of the five siblings) can be together
and probably the most important of all - after more than four years, all his life, Isaac no longer has a tube or hole in his stomach and is eating by himself! - a wonderful Christmas present which will make up for not seeing mum and dad over Xmas (as they were too sick to travel) losing all our Christmas food (as Noah turned off the freezer) and not having time to do all the usual Christmas preparations.
We have a different kind of life to most people, but a very busy and fulfilling life none the less. I have said to Paul that when we are retired and bored with nothing to do we can relive all these experiences as we don't seem to have had time to appreciate them properly now.
So as we go into the family time of Christmas, I am reminded again of how much people matter and of how much one tiny baby changed lives.
Happy Christmas from
Paul, Angela
Lily, Hannah, Noah and Isaac
3 comments:
Mum, 23 days of this month have passed and you've managed to do 19 posts - that's almost one a day! I'm looking forward to being in the thick of the action again and am counting down the minutes until we head home. Beth xx
A very Merry Christmas to you all. I am so glad that Isaac is recovering well.
Hugs from Bridget
Merry Christmas Harper family, you are an inspiration to us all. My week wouldn't be complete unless I had logged on and read your blogs. Take care, Bronwyn, Warren, Cameron and Hayley.
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