5 nights ago we spent the night going from kid to kid as all four of our children enjoyed a night full of projectile vomiting. Last night, Owen, inexplicably decided that we should only sleep a total of 1 hour. Now I know this is not how a Christmas letter is supposed to begin, but stick with me. This morning, Amy and I had a quiet moment to ourselves and all we could talk about was how blessed we have been this past year. It sure started fast with the Mortensen Family Circus (never to be done again!) and just kept rolling.
Owen (1) has turned into a toddler. The kind of toddler that turns the light switches on and off, runs away when you try to put a diaper on him and makes you worry when he’s quiet kind of a toddler. He keeps us on our toes. He is curious like Wyatt, cautious like Carson and loving like Emma. His favorite things are Tucker, pushing Emma’s dolls in their strollers, milk, and Daddy. He is definitely growing up too fast.
Wyatt (5) is the most outgoing person in our family. He invites himself into neighbors’ houses (that we hadn’t yet met), invites anyone and everyone over to our house, and loves to be the life of the party. A couple of weeks ago he got after his Kindergarten Teacher because he was convinced that her “energy drink” had alcohol in it. He also lost his first tooth, making him the first kid of our family to do so. He was so excited that when I got home he met me in the driveway and promptly dropped it in the grass, losing it forever. He has a fascination with monsters, yet will be found hiding down the hall during the scary part of the Tinkerbell movie (yes, there is a scary part).
Emma (5) loves going to Kindergarten. She is reading and has better handwriting than any of the boys in our family. She has a fantastic imagination and a soft spot for all animals, including ants. I still chuckle about the tree house that she made out of Lego’s for the family of ants in the back yard. But, my favorite thing about Emma is her sweet nature. One day Wyatt was in a ton of trouble for almost chasing her with a knife. The knife did bother her, but watching her brother get into trouble was too much to bear. Later she slipped a note under the door that read, “It’s ok Wyatt, I forgive you”. Another time after Amy tried making a new dessert, her comment was, “It makes my tongue hurt, but it looks really good”.
Carson (7) is now in second grade. It comes easy to him and he enjoys it. He is the ring leader of all our kids and loves playing with Emma and Wyatt. He builds spaceships and plays Star Wars and army. He is starting to take an interest in basketball (yeah!) although I wish he would pick a new favorite team. He was a little jealous that Wyatt lost a tooth first, so he can be seen periodically trying to wiggle one of his loose too. When Wyatt lost his tooth and was convinced that the tooth fairy was not going to visit him (oh the tears!), Carson quietly wrote a letter to the tooth fairy and slipped it under Wyatt’s pillow explaining that it was an accident and would she please, please, please still come and visit Wyatt (and leave him something too). Well it must have worked because the next morning, Wyatt had a shiny gold dollar under his pillow.
We got to sing this year as a family in the Primary Program at church. It struck me right then how much the kids have grown, and not just physically. I cannot believe it. It is in those moments that I realize how wonderful life is. It is in those moments that we realize how much Heavenly Father loves us all, and how the simple things in life are really the most poignant. May we all take the time enjoy the moments!
Merry Christmas! The Mortensen’s
