My Christmas letter 2016

Wow! Merry Christmas everyone! The last twelve months have been very busy for us, as well as challenging, but we have made it through. We are so lucky to have a support system like we do because if it were not for that, I do not know what we would do at times.


Ashlea had a breast reduction this year two days after her 20th birthday. She is extremely thankful for having it done. She does not have neck and back pain every day due to her breasts. She will have a fleeting pain from time to time, but she said she would rather have that than the other.

Ashlea had all four wisdom teeth and had all of them pulled at Eastman Dental, then had to go to have the remainder of the last one extracted at Strong Memorial. It was a total of 8 trips to get the 4 teeth done in Rochester, but they are done. Phew!

Ashlea and I have done several Sip n Paints this year. She has started volunteering at Headstart with Mike M. They both enjoy it by the way.

Ashlea has a purple rollator so she can walk longer distances. She also has new starry night braces that kind of match her walker because she annihilated her other braces. Why? because she wears them. The new ones are made with thicker plastic and more titanium. Ashlea had to get new glasses also because her prescription changed. The last couple of months her distance vision was blurry. Well, now we know why.

Michael and Nicole had a bouncing baby girl on December 21, 2015. Michael is such a good daddy. Her name is Callie Lynn! She is so precious. I can say in all honesty both Ashlea and I are in love with this little girl. I have never seen or heard Ashlea act or talk about a child like she does Callie. Ashlea lights up when she talks about her. Callie is my heart too! She is almost a year old, almost walking on her own, gabs, eats food, and gets excited when we walk in the room. Best part!

Addison is a whopping 6 years old now and she becomes prettier every year like Emilie. I am so glad Em allows me to be a part of their lives. I love them both so much.

We found out Bloom is 13 although we have only had her for 12 years, so she will age 2 years next Easter. Oops!

Let me share our world according to Ashlea
Yogi Bear does not drive. He steals food. There is a difference. (I told her Yogi Bear is not real.) Are you sure? (By the way, all of this started when Live with Kelly and Michael were talking about Yogi Berra.) lol
Hump Day. Why are they allowed to talk about that on TV? Is it every week? They talk about humping all of the time. (I explained it was not a sexual thing.) Oh it is about camels. (Um, no. Now she knows it means Wednesday and why they call it hump day.) lol
FYI for all of you who do not know this already, bidets make 5-star hotels better in Europe!

With everything going on in the world, remember to laugh. Ashlea and I do every day. Some days we cry also because we have had some rough stuff this year, but the laughter helps us get through. If you see someone having a tough day, toss them a smile. It is catchy!

We love our family! We love our friends! Merry Christmas and New Year and Happy Ho Ho Ho!!!

This is the Christmas letter I actually sent out to my friends and family signed by myself and Ashlea. We write a personalized note in each Christmas card also. Every year but this one we send out pictures also. We do minimally 120 to 150 per year depending on the year. Everyone deserves something special this time of year. This is why I send a goodie with a note thanking you for stopping. After all, that's the least I could do. lol Have a great day everyone!

Hugs!
--dawn