Christmas Letter 2009

For those of you that didn't receive our annual Christmas Letter (if there is anyone that didn't receive one), here it is.

Dear Family and Friends:

2009 was a year full of stuff,

That we’re happy to leave behind,

Here’s a recap with more than enough,

To make us lose our minds.

Corbin is in a real preschool now,

He’s learning to socialize,

When it comes to smarts, the teacher says “wow!”

But he’s still painfully shy.

He’s a great kid, he’s now five years old,

And what a helpful age,

He cleans the bathroom to lighten mom’s load,

She’s really enjoying this stage.

Dex is a wild and crazy boy,

He’s got energy to spare,

Anything fragile, he will destroy,

But he’s still our sweet Dexy-bear.

He’s talking now, which thrills us all,

Just started a little late,

If we don’t understand, we know who to call,

Corbin can always translate.

Ivy is a fighter, a real superstar,

She amazes us everyday,

She makes us realize how blessed we are,

We wouldn’t have it any other way.

She can say four words, like thank you and uh-oh,

She’s small and happy too,

And with surgery behind her, she’s starting to grow,

She’s got some catching up to do.

Scott’s a great guy, husband, and dad,

The kids think he’s so fun,

He has a lot to do, but he’s not mad,

He still manages to get it all done.

Rochelle has been stressed this year,

But the stress is going down,

She’s writing a book to keep her mind clear,

And can’t find a reason to frown.

We really are blessed, we know it’s true,

We have a lot to be thankful for,

We look forward to a better year or two,

And the challenges we have in store.

Merry Christmas!

Love:

Scott, Rochelle, Corbin, Dexter, and Ivy Brunson

Growing Growing Growing

Ivy had her 1 yr old well baby check today. We had to wait 6 weeks after surgery for her to get her immunizations. She is coming along great. She weighed in at 15 lbs 2 oz (still under 3rd percentile) and is just under 27 inches tall (a little less than the 10th percentile).

She is still the most pleasant girl on earth and is an absolute joy in our lives. She still isn't quite crawling (getting close though), and loves to scoot around in circles on her bottom. She recently decided that she loves to stand. She can cruise a little bit on the furniture, but gets nervous if we aren't right there holding onto her, and she can't stand up without us helping her get her feet placed under her correctly. She continues to work with a physical therapist twice a month, and actually really enjoys it.

She is doing pretty well with eating too. She is up to 3 feedings of baby food a day, and hardly ever throws up (unless I try to secretly throw in some kind of baby food meat). Her pediatrician also gave the go ahead to try out a toddler formula in place of her regular baby formula. Since she has such a sensitive stomach we have to be careful and take it slow, but we look forward to moving on from the super expensive pregestimil that is only sold in one or two stores in the whole valley.

Later this month Scott and I are looking forward to our first experience of leaving Ivy to be tended by someone that is unrelated (they'll be watching the boys too, but the boys are veterans now). This is quite nerve-wracking for me, but I really need to learn to trust others. Our Bishop, Bishop Fenn, and his wife, Nicole (one of my visiting teachers), are going to take on the job so that we can attend the Dotcomsecrets Christmas Party. The kids probably couldn't be in better hands! Wish me luck to not die from worry, or call 50 times while we're gone.