Christmas 2009

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Merry Christmas family and friends.

We had a great holiday at the Fontenot house. However, it was our first year without our big kids and granddaughter to visit with, and our first year without snow.. so it was a bit difficult to maintain the Christmas spirit like I usually do, but it was also a great opportunity to do something a bit different, and I think it made all the difference...

We decided (for a number of reasons) to simplify our entire Christmas experience.. I did only a small about of baking, our children definitely got much less in their stockings and we decided to give even more than usual. Even Jesse did his own good works and I was very proud of him. Steve and I decided to not exchange gifts at all, which was a first but ended up feeling really good. I loved my Christmas and everything about it.. I think we will definitely start some new traditions based on this year.. (If you want to know more about what we did to give as a family, you can click the link about Markelle's gift at the top of this)

Having said all that, we didn't exactly cancel Christmas.. Santa still came and Jesse was spoiled by his grandparents.. There were still plenty of presents to go around. I think at the top of the list is the new addition to our family.... Meet Izzy, our mutt. Jesse's only wish was for a puppy of his own... so that's what Steve and I got for him. He was blown away and even burst into tears when he saw her. We all love her and I think she will be a good dog.. Jesse is going to be a great person for her and I think they will be forever friends. I'm sure Jesse will remember this holiday for the rest of his life...

This really has been a year full of blessings with Jesse's good health, Heidi's new found love and marriage, our daughter Jamie's graduation from college (which will soon be it's own post... so check back) as well as the blessing of Steve's good job. We are also looking forward to a visit from our son Aaron next week, which couldn't make us happier. So even though we miss our family and friends like crazy this time of year, we still have a lot to be happy about and that's what we are focusing on.

Thank you for all your love and support this year, we simply couldn't do it without you..

Wishing you all the best holiday season and the happiest new year..