Christmas 2005 letter

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed. Our hearts go out this holiday season to all of those who have been touched by the tragedy and disaster of hurricanes, earthquakes and war. We are certainly blessed to have our home and to know that our families are safe. We will not ever again take these things for granted.

The Brooks’ household has had a fairly uneventful year. We continue to be inspired by Jamie who, at 3 years old, fills our hearts with pride and love. He is growing and learning and becoming his own little self. He is a creative and energetic boy with a caring heart. This past year he has kept busy with gymnastics, Musikgarten, swimming lessons, Vacation Bible School, story time at the public library, playgroup and Awana. He has also started going to daycare/preschool 2 mornings per week. His favorite toy continues to be ANYTHING trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine. His other favorite toys include construction trucks and race cars and he loves to work jigsaw puzzles. His best friend is Spencer. (Spencer has recently moved to Farmington, NM and Jamie is having a hard time understanding why Spencer doesn’t go to Awana anymore.) Other friends include Ryan, Ashley, Parker, Ryan, Aaron, Justin and Ryan. (Yes, there are three Ryan’s!) He loves baseball, soccer and football and we are looking forward to the upcoming summer when he will be old enough to participate in city leagues, if he so chooses. He also loves to sing (favorite song is “Old McDonald Had a Barn”), have stories read to him (his favorite books are “Racer Dogs” and “I Stink”) and watch videos (favorite videos are “Thomas the Tank Engine”, “Dora The Explorer” and “Bob The Builder”). He is also learning to master the potty, FINALLY!

We were able to take a couple of family trips this past year. We did Spring Break in Arizona and went to a Rockies game, the zoo and found the Maricopa Live Steamers Railroader Club where we got to ride miniature trains for an entire afternoon. We spent Father’s Day in Durango with Thomas the Tank Engine. In July, we spent a few days with Bill’s family in Salt Lake City and, then a week at our timeshare in Las Vegas, NV. It was too hot to really enjoy the time we spent in Las Vegas, but we did have fun riding the monorail and playing at Circus, Circus. In the future, we will be sure to not visit Las Vegas during the summer months. In October, we went to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM.

Bill’s job as school counselor moved him from the high school to the middle school this year, which has been a welcome change. He is really enjoying his work with this age group and also enjoys not having to deal with registration, scholarships and college prep and graduation. He misses the students at the high school but continues to be the SEADS (Students Educating Against Drugs and Suicide) sponsor. For fun, Bill finds time to work in his shop on his scrollsaw, play Scrabble, play volleyball, play bass guitar in church and serve as church elder. This year, he is especially proud to be a Denver Broncos fan as they are having a great season!

Julie continues to enjoy her job as SAHM. Her symptoms with CFIDS and Fibromyalgia restrict her activity but she does manage to find some free time for scrapbooking, weekly Bible study, mom’s group and cruising. (She is a Cruiser wanna-be and the designated co-pilot to Emily’s P.T. Cruiser. She & Emily attended several P.T. Cruiser events this past year.) She also continues to play recreational volleyball and will become a home demonstrator for Stampin’ Up!© in January.

We will spend Christmas with Julie’s family in Albuquerque. We pray that you will also have the opportunity to share the joy of the season with those you love. We thank you for the love you have shown to us in the past year; it is the greatest of all gifts.

Love,
Bill, Julie & Jamie