Christmas Letter to All

December 2008
We hope this letter finds you happy & healthy. What a wonderful year we have had. Many changes have occured in our lives this year.

Tristan Allen was born March 20th. He is now a 9-month happy and healthy baby boy. He now has 6 teeth and is sitting by himself. He will soon be crawling on hands and knees; it's time for the baby gates!

Ryann is now 4 1/2 and growing up fast...where did the time go? Last year she attended pre-school for 3 year olds and loved school. She misses the interaction with the other kids, but she enjoys staying home with mom and her little brother. She is always trying to get Tristan to laugh, and usually does a pretty good job of it. She is such a helper around the house. :)

Erin is still with Delta Structural Steel Services. His promotion with the company transferred us to Waco, Texas in September. This had been a great opportunity for him professionally.

Jess now stays home with the kids. She and the kids go to spend several weeks in Wray this year. They all enjoyed spending time with family & friends.

This year we celebrated our 5th year anniversary. My question to you is...does time really fly? I do believe so sometimes, it sure had for us these last couple of years.

We hope you have had and equally exciting year. May you all be blessed with a wonderful 2009!

Happy Holidays!
Erin, Jess, Ryann, & Tristan

Grandma Lillie

Grandma Lillie
Here we are again. My Great Grandma Lillie passed away Monday November 10, 2008. It is always hard to say goodbye to someone you love, however it was such a blessing for her to pass. She was 98...yeah I know crazy. She lived such a full life, can you believe all someone that age goes through in a lifetime. She was born in 1910, I believe she has probably seen everything that will be in the history books forever. On that note I would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. We know she is in a better place and is very happy and healthy now.
We have had several deaths in the past 4 years.
Grandma Lauretta McGinnis
Grandpa Darrell Cox
Uncle Herbert Oman
Aunt Lucie Oman
Grandpa Dean McGinnis
Great (great..Ry & T) Grandma Lillie McGinnis
However, there was so much life brought with all the passings. My mom now has 3 grandchildren. I know we all have different emotions in times like this. After everything was finished with the funeral yesterday my mom and aunts cousins came up to the house for a few (LOT) drinks and a game of Partini....I haven't had so much fun in such a long time. It was so good to see everyone and to celebrate life with the passing of a loved one. I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy.
Love,
Jess

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Ryann has been on a...when I grow I want to be...kick. Therefore I have been thinking about what I want to be when I grow up. I have thought about this a lot and have realized I am what I wanted to be when I grew up. If, and when, I ever grow up.

First, when I was 5 or so I told my mom that I wanted to be a doctor. I have success. LOL No I don't have a degree and have never went back to school, but I am the most important doctor there is. I fix skinned knees, hold my little girl when she face dives off the swing, and stay up all night with a sick baby. I even can handle Erin when he does get sick. Most of you know that dads and men are the worst patients.

When I was looking at colleges (a long time ago) I had decided that I really wanted to go to FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising). Yes...as seen on the Hills! Well I have successfully succeeded that design degree as well. I can move into a place and have everything decorated and organized in a matter of weeks. I am a master of making Ryann look beautiful! She gets to pick out her shorts and I have to find something else to match her lovely choice. Not an easy task some days.

Recently, I have looked into being a dental assistant. Yes...success. I brush Ryann's teeth every night.

One thing I never thought I would be, however, was a mom. I thought that maybe someday I would be a mom, but that was never at the top of my list. This one thing, well two, had made all my dreams a success. I love my children dearly and wouldn't change my decisions for anything. In my recent soul searching I have decided that I have accomplished everything I wanted to...to date. Not that I won't and shouldn't add more tasks and dreams to this list, but I am happy where I am today, and that's all I can ask for now.

I hope you all follow your dreams and reach for them no matter what, because if I can make this funny list of success you can also.
Love, Jess

We are here!

I learned several things on the drive to Texas.
1. Kansas is a pro life state....
2. Oklahoma has so many casinos, and XXX adult shops, right on the interstate...funny.
3. I hate driving.
Well, for the most part we are settled in. The guys from Erin's work made the move in so nice. They had the uhaul unpacked in 2 hours. So far we have almost everything unpacked. There are still a couple of boxes we need to go through, but things are looking good. It's amazing how many things we moved here just to go through it again....and throw it away. The first night we stayed here was a Friday night, and the downstairs neighbors had a rip-roaring party until 3 in the morning...this will be hard for us to get used to. first because we can't just go down and join in the fun, and second...because I am so used to living in a house where we didn't hear anyone else. Oh well. They got Tristan crying at 6 and 8 so I think that's karma. We are having our couched delivered on Saturday...I wish it was sooner, but that's as soon as we could get anything. This place is huge compared to what we have had in the past. It is 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bath. Crazy...but the master bed and bath is soooo nice to have. I think that's all my ramblings for now. I hope this finds all of you well.
Love,
Jess

Sept 9...Is that me on the radio mom?

Is that me on the radio? Current mood: anxious Category: Life
Mom, is that me on the radio?
No Ryann her name is Taylor Swift.
Well, when can I be on the radio? Am I next? Is my name Ryann?
Yes your name is Ryann, but you are not on the radio.
Why?
Um...(how do I answer this) because you don't sing.
Yes I do, I sing and I play the piano (alligator piano) and the guitar (Hannah Montana guitar) and I play grandmas 'monica (harmonica). So Why can I not be on the radio? You and daddy said I was a good singer and player.
Yes Ryann you are.

Well...life comes at you fast. It's hard to believe that I just had a conversation with my 4 year old as to why she wasn't on the radio. Poor child...if she is anything like me she will most likley be kicked out of chior for screwing around. LOL Ok, so we weren't kicked out, just ignored :) I just thought I would share this little convo. It sure made my day, she can always make me laugh. I love the honesty of children. If only we could bottle that up and save it for a later day...like when they are 16.

Sept 4...Moving

The next big move Current mood: busy
Ok, as you know I have only ever moved once in my life...to Idaho Falls. From here I have had more addresses than I ever thought I could rack up. However, we are on another journey, this one is taking us to Waco Texas. We will be leaving Idaho Falls on the 16th of this month and hope like hell to arrive at our apartment on the 18th. We have signed a 13 month lease for the apartment. Itis actually bigger than our current house. We are trading peace and quiet of our own home to a huge apartment complex. Well here we go!!! Another adventure.
For the most part we are packed. Our house has been 3/4 packed for 2 months now, since we knew we were moving. Now all we have to do is start taking everything apart, and loading up. Hopefully that will go easy. We are still waiting to sell our house. I pray that everything works out for the best.
Ryann has started pre-school and will be in school for a total of 6 days before we move her. I am hoping that we can get her into a school in Texas as soon as we get there.
Hope to be in touch with you all soon....as soon as I get my hectic life back together.

Aug 25...first blog

First Blog Current mood: creative
Ok so I am a blog virgin...I have been asked to start a blog to keep in touch with some friends. Here it goes...
We are in the process of moving, we currently have our house on the market and crossing our fingers for a quick sell. We are moving to Waco, TX. Yes I know crazy town, but it will be a good move for Erin professionally, and for all of us as a family. Time to start fresh.
Ryann will start her 4 year old pre-school Thursday, and I am so excited....so is she, but I get a good break 3 days a week. Ry went to preschool last year and loved it, she has asked all summer if she can go back, I said just wait, when you are 13 you will be begging me to stay home LOL
Tristan is now 5 months old and growing fast. He is such a chunk...I say we are growing a linebacker. He is super loud, and druels all the time. His favorite thing to do now is spit on people. Ryann is the only who can make him laugh 24/7. It's crazy, sometimes she scares me, she's really rough with him, but he seems to like it!
Well....that's about it for now. Hopefully we will sell our house and move soon. Keep you fingers crossed. Love you all.
Jess