Burke Family Christmas Newsletter

So I'm running way behind this year. And I only got a few copies of my Christmas newsletter mailed out. I thought I would post it here because I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of the joy of having to painstakingly read through another family newsletter. But here it is! Enjoy!

Please accept my apologies in advance for what may be the most annoying part of your day. This is a mass family Christmas letter. While this correspondence won’t reflect any earth shattering news, I thought it might be fun to write and luckily you have been chosen as someone I would consider likely to read the whole thing. I’m sure you’re thrilled and I’m also sure you won’t be notifying me of any address changes that may be taking place. But you can’t blame a girl for trying, now can you? Mainly all you should expect after perusing this is to (a) be able to confirm our home address and (b) update your mental picture of our two absolutely adorable children.

The events of 2009 unfolded in such a way that we are still left scratching our head in bewilderment. By choice, we doubled the number of children in our family. Going from one to two is actually a lot for people like us but we are starting to get our act together. Cambri Elliott was born on June 30th, 12 days earlier than my official due date, at a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz. Her middle name was in honor of my Grandfather who passed away in 2008, whom we still dearly miss. Since her birth, Cambri has been nothing but a joy. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) comments on how calm, quiet and happy she is. The most acute and refined of souls ask what medical affliction she suffers from which causes this peculiar silence. These people get the same standard response, delivered with my usual charm, “God makes all his creatures different but we choose to love each and every one of them including you.” In all seriousness, Cambri was born with an ovarian cyst which thankfully has completely cleared up and left her in perfect health. Now we have a wonderful, delightful baby girl whom we cherish everyday. She is already tipping the scales at 17 lbs which is causing some premature backaches among those who hold her most, but she is worth the sacrifice 97.3% of the time.

Isabelle has had an amazing year as well. Not only did she get a new sister, but we took her to meet the mouse last March. By that, I mean we took her to Disneyland for her first time. Like the overexcited parents we are, we had a whole day of fun activities planned out for our little two year old. Much to our dismay, after approximately two hours of waiting in line and two minutes of hanging out with Mickey, Izzy wanted to leave and go to the lotion (you common folk may know it as the ocean). We spent many a night during our California trip, together as a family, watching the sun going down over the ocean, which really was the highlight. This year, Izzy has also started participating in a dance class. I use the term “participating” very loosely as she is often the child standing in the back spinning circles instead of listening. I haven’t been holding my breath for an actual coordinated effort on her part though some kind of return on our investment would be nice. Things are getting better and by her first performance next March, I fully expect she will still be out of sync with everyone else but at least spinning to the beat of the music.

And next is Chase. It would be impossible to speak of him without talking about how hardworking, loyal and loving he is. Anyone who is familiar with him at all knows these things to be true. So I’m going to talk about how far he has come with learning the layout of our own home. It has been a long four year journey, but he finally knows where we keep the diapers, the scissors, our kids’ pajamas and the washing machine. These days I’m less like a tour guide and more like an underpaid employee. I’m loving it. Back to my serious voice, Chase has finished another year with REI Drilling and we are so blessed (I cannot emphasize that enough) that he is not only employed in these uncertain times, but still enjoys the work. His job keeps him away from us a good part of the year, but he is still incredibly involved and supportive which makes things a little easier. We know that he does what he does out of love and that thought is enough to keep this family going. But he is spoiled as well! He managed to squeeze in a Denver Broncos game in which he paid a ridiculous amount of money to be able to sit obscenely close to the field. It really was one of the highlights of the year for him.

And last, but certainly not least, I will give you a quick update on myself. Besides having a baby, raising a three year old and running a household, I went back to work last September after experiencing three months of staying at home with my little ones. Going back was difficult but my family has become quite used to that pesky little thing called “health insurance.” I continue to office out of Grand Teton Mall and commute to Pine Ridge Mall in Pocatello one day a week. This is my eighth year with General Growth Properties and the most unusual one to date. GGP file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last April, and like my coworkers, I was ready to run for cover. But alas the world keeps turning and believe it or not, Pine Ridge Mall (though not Grand Teton) will be emerging from bankruptcy by the end of December. I guess I will be avoiding the unemployment lines for now. I also made it through the year with only 11 references to my poor homemaking skills. That number being down 1000% from the previous year. The latest attack came from my father in front of numerous extended family members at my aunt’s funeral. It was the highlight of my week, I can assure you. Oh well, each of the 11 statements were recorded in my mental book of grievances, right next to the time when my father wouldn’t let me up from the breakfast table until I finished my malt-o-meal in the 4th grade.

An old Chinese proverb tells us that the journey really is the reward and that is probably the best reflection of 2009 for our small family. We know how fortunate we are to have each other and, most importantly, people like you to share things with. With people in our own country under dire circumstances, we see the beauty in our life and appreciate all of our blessings. I hope you have mildly enjoyed this little update and in case I didn’t paint a clear enough mental picture, I have included something more concrete.