Russell Family New Years Letter

Hello Everyone,

I'm sure some of you were hoping to receive our regular Russell Christmas Letter 2009. Sadly we did not get it finished in time to send out. For those of you who do not know, we moved to a new home the end of November. Just for fun we looked on the internet at some homes and found one we liked. Everything happened so fast, and within 3 weeks we were moved into a spacious 5 bedroom home. We would of had to move the following spring/summer anyways because we were getting squished in the home we were living in.

The front view of our home.

This is the view of the side of our home with the photo being taken from the tree house.

Here are some highlights of what we did during 2009:

Jason - turned 39 in May and still looks as cute and handsome as the day I married him. He continues to teach at the local community college in Saint John. Teaching is what he enjoys best. He is improving his handyman skills and we'll certainly keep him busy this summer when we do the odd fix-in of some things around the home.

BJ - is still younger than Jason. She continues to stay home with the younger children and will miss them all when they all move out and don't help with the household chores. She keeps busy chasing Samuel out of places he shouldn't be. She looks forward to the spring/summer when she can plant a much bigger garden than what was at her last home.

Jarom - became a teenager (13) in December. He continues to be a wiz at math. He joined the running club and out ran his teacher (by a whole lap) and everyone else except for one student. He is still taking piano lessons and has improved his babysitting skills immensly (since we use him all the time).

Colorado - turned 11 in July (but sometimes acts like a 15 year old). Colorado also joined the running club. One day she'll catch up to Jarom and pass him. She continues to take piano and the violin. She has a passion for reading and can often be found in a corner of a room curled up reading a book.

Isaac - turned 8 in September and was baptized. Jason would of held him under the water for 15 minutes to wash away all those sins, but he wasn't accountable. He finally learned how to ride a bike. He was afraid of hurting himself if he fell. He also continues to take piano and I've informed him he'll be a super player some day (he says he is quitting when he turns 18 - we'll see). He'll challenge anyone to a light saber duel or game of battleship any time.

Avery - turned 5 in July and started Kindergarten in September. He was so excited to take the bus and be with his older siblings. He is still trying to get the hang of riding a bike and loves to go swimming. He is a total fish in the water. He enjoys looking at "I Spy" books and playing with bugs in the yard (in the summer time of course).

Spencer - turned 2 in February. He loves to put together puzzles (48 piece ones) and look at books. He knows all the alphabet letters and recognizes upper and lower case. He is still working on being potty trained (we are half- way there - if you can call it that). He loves to play in the snow and take fun baths (this is a bath when you don't have to clean yourself).

Samuel - turned 1 in September. Is finally walking!!! Why walk when you have 5 older siblings and parents who carry you everywhere. He loves to put the dry cat food in the water dish. Play in the toilet (if the bathroom door is open), climb stairs (if the baby gate is not put up), look at books, plunk on the piano and give super big hugs. If you click on the photos they will enlarge.

July 2009

September 2009 - Isaac's baptism day.

Fall 2009