2012 Christmas Letter

What the Winward kids have to say about THAT!

What do you like best about our new house in Phoenix?  Rebekah – That it has a backyard and trees, and it’s closer to our school.  Peter – It has a really big backyard and we get to live in a cul-de-sac so we can ride our bikes a lot.  Carol Lynn – Seeing the kitten next door climb over the wall into our backyard to play with us.  

What is one of your favorite memories from this year?  Rebekah – Going to Colorado, going to the beach and Kathryn being born.  Peter – Going to a baseball game with my dad.  Carol Lynn – The talent show at Thanksgiving where I got to sing with my microphone like a pop star!  

How do you feel about your new little sister Kathryn being born this April? Rebekah – I felt awesome being able to be a big sister of 4 kids!  I love her sweet smile.  Peter – Excited.  I love to play with her and hold her.  Carol Lynn – I love to play with her and pick out her clothes.  Sometimes I try to get her dressed, and I love to give her toys.  I am glad that I have her. 

What is your biggest accomplishment this year or the hardest thing you’ve done?  Rebekah – Being able to play my own violin and being able to go to honors for math and reading.  Peter – Going to honors with the 4^th graders for math and reading.  Carol Lynn – Cleaning up my room! and trying to help potty train Eric [he’s not potty trained yet, for those of you who are wondering].  

What is some advice you’d like to share?  Rebekah – “When you learn how to use the word “awesome”, everything becomes awesome!”  Peter – “If you want to know if the tooth fairy is real or not, when you lose a tooth, don’t tell your mom and dad … just put it under your pillow.”  Carol Lynn – “Staring is only OK if you’re giving someone a smile or if you’re showing them you’re cute!”.  

What are your goals for the upcoming year? Rebekah – To be able to play advanced songs on my violin.  Peter – To get $100 by the end of the year.  Carol Lynn – Be a princess and become a pop star.

Please take note of our new address (Yes, we’ve moved AGAIN!).  We’re hoping our next move (not for a few years, but finally into our own home!), will be our last.  We’ll keep you posted.  Meanwhile, we love renting our home in north Phoenix.  Having a backyard and no shared walls is heavenly.  Being at the end of a cul-de-sac is icing on the cake. 

Unfortunately, about a month after moving from Scottsdale to Phoenix, Paul accepted a job in Tempe working at Amazon.com.  We were sad to see his commute time increase, but happy with the new position and opportunity.  Paul has been working with the scouting program at our church and attended scout camp this summer in California where they went scuba diving.  Much to his relief, the two sharks they saw kept their distance.

Christine has officially entered the “taxi-stage” of motherhood.  She still enjoys making up silly songs and prefers reading a good book to having a clean floor (song inspired by our floor: “Everywhere I go I hear a crunch crunch, … a crunch crunch!”)

Eric has been working with a speech therapist this year to improve his limited language.  Progress has been slow and at times discouraging, but we’re hopeful that as we continue working with him we will finally get the privilege of hearing from his own lips what is going on in that active little head of his.  He definitely keeps us on our toes.  He can get past all “child-proofing” locks and was even found trying to start our car.  He can completely unbuckle himself from his car seat and has microwaved a cup of water.  He unscrewed the hinges on his bedroom door and scorched our carpet with our household iron.  We pray daily that he will survive his own curiosity.

Kathryn was named for her Great-Grandma Kathryn Moody and was born on her 97^th birthday.  She adores her siblings and just figured out how to crawl.  She has impressed Peter with her ability to already do the splits.  She is very wiggly,   and now that she is mobile, she loves to be on the go!

Merry Christmas!  Love, The Winwards:

Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah (9), Peter (7), Carol Lynn (5), Eric (2 1/2), Kathryn (8 months)

2011 Christmas Letter

Out of the mouths of babes: Winward Family 2011

How do you feel about moving from California to Arizona this year?  Peter- I really missed my best friend, Zachery and I really feel like I should send a lot of letters to my friends in California, and I really miss the park at California where our favorite climbing tree was and where I climbed to the tippy-top.  I really miss California.  It’s really nice being close to Grandpa Winward and I really enjoy being close to Uncle Tosh.  And I like playing games with him.  And I like wrestling with my cousin Jake.  Rebekah- I feel sad when I miss my friends, but I feel excited to be close to family.  Carol Lynn- Happy, and I really love to going to see fun people.  That makes me happy to see them, super happy.  I love having dates with my grandma.  I feel a little bit sad when my cousins, Amanda and Gabe fight over me, but I feel good when we play nicely.  I feel good today about my new friends and I really love having new days with my mommy all the time.  Eric- No! 

Tell us about Rebekah’s baptism.  Rebekah- I was pretty excited, like I was jumping around the whole building.  I felt a little bit nervous of people watching me, but I felt special and brave during my baptism.  When I went down in the water, it was like a lot of memories were wiped out and a whole new memory came, but as a good feeling.  I was proud to get the Holy Ghost.  Carol Lynn – Her really closed her eyes so good!  And her really had a very pretty dress, her baptism dress was so pretty.  Some happy tears came out of my eyes and I really love her so much and she’s my best big sister I ever had.  Peter- It was really fun being there and seeing cousins.  And I really liked to see Rebekah get baptized and I felt the feeling of the Holy Ghost when she got baptized and I felt really happy for her.  And I was really thankful that she gave me two of the marbles that Grandma Hurst gave her.  And she’s the best sister in the universe!  Eric- No!

What is one of your favorite memories from this year?  Rebekah- My favorite memory this year is my baptism because it was really special.  Carol Lynn- When my big sister was so sweet.  And her always gives me big hugs and piggy back rides and I really love her so much and she gives me great hugs and her really the best ever!  Peter- My favorite memory was seeing the black and white Pokemon cards at Target and I’ve always wanted to see the black and white Pokemon cards!  Pokemon rocks!  Eric- No!

How do you feel about a new little sister being born this April?  Rebekah – I feel excited and not so excited because it’s going to be like a zoo inside our house, all this craziness around.  But at least I’ll have a lot of people looking up to me, so it’s a big responsibility.  I love ALL of them!  Carol Lynn- Excited and feeling so good going shopping with a new baby sister.  And she might pull Rebekah’s hair when she sits in the back [of the car] and I love having a baby sister after all.  Peter- I’m going to feel really happy because I’m going to be a triple big brother by then and three people are going to look up to me.  And I’m going to really like them copying me and I don’t know why.  And I’m going to be terrified because she’s going to pull my hair a lot and it’s going to be really noisy and it’s going to be like a fire drill when the bell is ringing in how noisy it is.  Eric- No!

What is your biggest accomplishment this year?  Carol Lynn – I went potty all by myself and I played with my big sister all by myself and I very want to see my baby sister so very much!  Rebekah – At school I wanted to make friends with a girl and I did.  I also solved some problems with my friend Vanshee.  And I also finished reading the whole Book of Mormon by myself, which is a big deal to me.  Peter- Making friends with my whole entire class, all the new kids, and even the really mean kids.  And the best accomplishment is making my very best friends inside Arizona: Eli and Caden (he says I’m his brother).  And I like Eli because he always plays with me and we always agree and we do everything together.  And it’s really fun having a best friend in Arizona who you can always count on to play with you.  Eric- No!

As you can see, we have a full house that’s getting more full and fun every year!  We have loved living close to family this year and Paul has been enjoying his new job.  Now that the weather has cooled off again, we are loving being back in Arizona.  We feel so blessed and hope that you are all well.  We are so grateful for the many friends and family that have blessed our lives.

Merry Christmas!  Love, The Winwards:

Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah (8), Peter (6), Carol Lynn (4) & Eric (21 months)

2010 Christmas Letter

Out of the mouths of babes: Winward Family 2010                       

(Quotes gathered from the Winward children throughout the year and in an exclusive interview.)  

How would you describe the Winward family?  “Rowdy. Cute! Noisy,” replied Rebekah.  Peter had more to contribute, “I think our family is nice because they give me money and whatever money I find, they let me have it.”  He was excited to share the “strong order” of his family, “[Dad is] the strongest, then me, then [pause] Rebekah, then Mommy then Carol Lynn, then Eric.”  Reflecting on his new baby brother, Peter confided, “I want 50,000 more brothers, then a million more brothers, then one more, then another sister.”  

What do you think about your dad (Paul)?  “I like Daddy because he wrestles with me, and he goes on dates with me and he always helps me when I’m sad,” Rebekah replied with a smile.  The interviewer recalled a conversation between Rebekah and her dad on Paul’s birthday, earlier this year.  When Rebekah found out how old Paul was turning, she responded with amazement, “Wow! That’s a big number!”  Peter also responded cheerfully to our inquiry, “I like him because he’s nice to me and he wrestles with me and reads I Spy books with me.”  

What do you think about your mom (Christine)?  Rebekah reflected on the days following the birth of her little brother, “Sometimes when Mommy is half-asleep/half-awake, you have to really think about what she says.”  Overall, her report was positive though, “I like Mommy because she always helps me with my homework and we go on dates and because we do crafts and it’s fun when we do it together.”  Peter’s opinion of his mother after being put in timeout was less favorable, “You’re a real bully, Mom!  I just know that when you say you’re going to choir, you’re really going to bully school.”  However, when asked in a more tranquil setting, Peter commented, “I like Mommy because she always cooks for me and she snuggles me a lot.  I like it when she wrestles with me and that she gives me lots of kisses and reads me lots of books and because she reads I Spy to me.  And when I forget to wear pants [and wear shorts instead, when it’s cold outside], she reminds me.”  

Tell us more about Rebekah (7 ½ yrs.):  When asked what her motto in life was, Rebekah was quick to say “Help people who are sad.”  Truly she always tries to reach out to others.  “When I grow up, I either want to be a doctor, a ballerina, an artist, an explorer or a doctor to help animals,” Rebekah told reporters.  Peter’s love for his sister was obvious as he answered, “I like Rebekah because she likes to play with me and lets me have sleep overs with her and plays lots of games with me, and that she likes to tell me the rules of brand new games, and that sometimes she does what I want to do with her.  And she’s really nice to me and one time when I lost one of my dollars, Rebekah gave me one of her dollars.  She always offers to help me finish something that I can’t work on, because I’m too busy.  And she always wants to give me kisses, even when I don’t want her to.”  

Tell us more about Peter (5 ½ yrs.): “I like to do projects and activities and play games and get brand new toys and get dollars, and I like to go to school and I like to watch movies at school,” said Peter.  His big sister Rebekah told correspondents, “I like Peter because he helps me when I’m scared, because he normally comes with me. He always is trying to help me.  He encourages me that I can do things.”  

Tell us more about Carol Lynn (almost 3 yrs.):  When asked who was Queen of the girls in our family, Carol Lynn replied quickly and very emphatically, “I the Queen of the Girls!”  Over the summer, Carol Lynn had her second set of ear tubes put in surgically.  When they called her name in the waiting room, she indignantly told the nurse, “I not Carol Lynn!  I Squishy!”  Once the nurse understood that “Squishy” was her father’s nickname for her, she crossed out “Carol Lynn” and wrote “Squishy” on her wristband instead.  “I like her because she likes to give me kisses and sometimes she shares with me and she kind of plays nicely with me and does what I want her to do with me.  And one time she let me have a sleep over and one time she let me hold her elephant blanket and let me keep like six of her stuff and they were all stuffed animals.  She’s really cute.  And she’s messy,” was her older brother, Peter’s candid report.  Rebekah recalled with a smile, “I like Carol Lynn because she always wants to know how I’m feeling.  One time I was inside my room and Mommy was trying to help me feel better and then Carol Lynn came in and she touched my face and she said, “Your face is so soft!  Your face is GREEN!” and that made me laugh.  She really wants to spend time with me and I really want to spend time with her.”  

Tell us more about your new little brother Eric (9 months): “I like Eric because he’s cute and chunky and that he likes to play with me and looks at me a lot and he doesn’t bite me that much and that he likes to say “abwabwabwa” [I think it means I love, love, love you].  And because he always goes where I want him to and he eats lots of stuff and he plays with me a lot.  And he likes to play with my fingers,” said Peter affectionately. “I like Eric because he always has a smile on his face.  He is always so cute!” laughed Rebekah.  And Carol Lynn said of Eric in the only direct answer we could extract from her during our extensive interview, “Him a baby!”

Merry Christmas!  Love, The Winward’s:

Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah, Peter, Carol Lynn & Eric

2009 Christmas Letter

Paul & Christine Winward Family Letter 2009

The Best, the Worst, and the Most Unusual

Biggest change this year:

• In June we had to move with only 30 days notice when our landlady decided to allow the townhouse we had been renting go into foreclosure (so take note of our new address!)

Most precious moments:

• Carol Lynn giving “kisses” not with her lips but by gently (and sometimes not so gently) patting your cheeks with her hands.
• Christine being able to attend the temple with almost all of her family, as her little sister, Janet, took out her endowments in preparation for serving a mission.
• Christine being able to meet up with some dear friends at BYU’s annual Women’s Conference.
• Enjoying a family vacation at the beach.

Most exciting purchase:

We are finally a minivan-driving family, hurray!  With baby number four on the way (another boy due at the end of February for those of you who haven’t heard yet), short of strapping him to the top of the Camry, we didn’t have much choice but to upgrade.  We all love our new Sienna!

Funniest quotes:

• I came down the stairs to find Peter rubbing Vaseline all over his head.  “Are you surprised Mommy?” he asked.
• After saying a super fast prayer, Paul commented, “Peter, that was too fast,”  Peter smiled, “Yep, my lips are smokin’!”
• Peter said: “I think that our next baby is going to be a boy because Heavenly Father likes patterns!”
• Rebekah complained loudly while picking up the living room, “What did you have children for? So you could have slaves?!”
• “You know what the difference between Mommy and Daddy is?  One has long hair and one has short hair!” (Rebekah)

Most expensive mistake:

This was definitely a lesson in paying attention to Heaven’s promptings.  I was packing for our trip and decided that instead of putting all of the laundry away, I would just leave it folded in the baskets and put it away when we got home.  As I glanced down at one of the baskets, I noticed Rebekah's blue dress's tie was hanging out and I had the very clear thought, “you should hang up the dress or Rimsky (our cat who is part goat and loves to eat clothing, especially strings) is going to eat it”.  But, instead, I decided to just tuck the tie under the clothes and I figured if he couldn't see it, he wouldn't eat it.  Well, needless to say, he did eat the tie.  By the time we got home, he was in pretty bad shape and Paul was worried enough about him to take him to the emergency vet clinic.  They had to do surgery to remove it.  I think this episode makes our cat the most expensive member of our family.

Most terrifying experience:

We had a quite a scare this year.  When Paul was changing Carol Lynn’s diaper, she lodged a goldfish cracker in her throat.  She had taken in a big gulp of air (like they do when they're really about to let loose), then there was total silence for way too long.  Paul began firmly patting her on the back immediately, but nothing was helping.  I've never been more frightened in my life than when looking into my baby's blue face, just pleading with Heavenly Father to let her breathe.  I think that she actually lost consciousness for a little while because she went completely limp, but I continued to pat and I finally started to notice slight movements in her face.  Her eyes opened and closed and I could hear very faint breathing, then she started coughing.  We both cried for quite a while.  Peter ran and grabbed her two favorite blankets for her and Rebekah came down and told us she had been praying for Carol Lynn.  It’s so easy to forget just how fragile life is.  Tragedy can strike so quickly.  One minute we were all laughing, and the next, we were all pleading that Carol Lynn not be taken from us.  We’re so grateful she's OK.

New hobbies/talents:

• Rebekah has learned to swim and read this year!  She also has discovered a love for math and is one of the best students in her class.
• Peter learned how to count to 209 and can now pump himself on the swings.  He has also discovered a love for soccer.  I think he may have a future as a goalie. 
• Carol Lynn loves birds, fish and amphibians.  She is so fascinated by them.  She even sleeps with a stuffed animal frog she calls “Poppy”.  She is also our little climber and dare devil. 
• Christine was able to rekindle her love for art by taking a community watercolors class over the summer.  She also got CPR certified after the terrifying experience with Carol Lynn.
• Paul has enjoyed learning how to create applications for his iPhone.  I’m amazed at his creative ideas for games.  He hopes to be able to market them eventually, but for now it’s a fun hobby.

We wish you all love and good wishes this Christmas and hope you have a fabulous New Year!  Keep in touch!

Love,  

The Winwards (Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah (6 ½), Peter (4 ½), Carol Lynn (2), Rimsky (cat)) 

2007 Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,                                                                               

We started this year, with a move across the country from Illinois out to California (our flight left very early New Year’s morning).  Although the move had its trials, we are so grateful to be back on the west coast, only a day’s drive from family and less then 30 minutes from the temple.

Paul has been working for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek since February.  He’s very much enjoyed the wonderful group he works with and participating in intramural sports on his lunch brake.  At church, Paul is our ward’s Activities Committee Chair.  He’s done an amazing job planning three very large scale activities this year including a formal Christmas dinner and program.  He enjoys using his spare time coming up with and developing various website business ideas, spending time with the children, and playing with his new cat Rimsky.  He’s so grateful to have time to do the things that he enjoys.

Christine is so grateful for the support of our new ward.  There are many young mothers with children similar ages and a playgroup that really helped with the transition.  Missing the music class back in Champaign, Christine organized and started a music class in our new ward that has become very well attended and both the moms and children look forward to.  She is currently serving in the ward as the Relief Society counselor over education and really enjoys serving with the amazing women in the presidency.  Much of the year has been spent in anticipation of a new baby girl expected any day now.  We’ll make sure to update you on the details when she comes.

Rebekah (age 4 ½ ) has had the opportunity to try out several new activities since the move.  She loves to play soccer with Daddy, and really enjoyed her brief classes in gymnastics and ballet.  Over the summer, she also had her first swimming lessons.  By the end of class, she could float on her back independently and was very close to swimming solo.  We’re sure that she’ll be a little fish next summer.  Her favorite things to do during the day are to make projects and pictures during quiet time, and to play games on the computer (Its amazing how quickly a four year old can learn to navigate a website!).  She is a great big sister to Peter and is so excited to have a new little sister soon!

Peter (age 2 ½ ) is all boy, and my little chatter box.  It seems like since we moved he’s been talking up a storm, often surprising us with his understanding and sense of humor.  His favorite things are trains, trucks, and Lego’s.  He can be found making a train track out of just about anything: books, VHS tapes, Lego’s.  In fact, much to our horror, Peter and Rebekah were caught several months ago drawing a railroad track across the carpet with crayons!  You could say he has a one track mind, that has been missing some of the obvious changes about to take place in his family.  When asked, “Do you know that Mommy has a baby in her tummy?”  Peter glanced at me with a look of total disbelief that gradually turned into a grin and a twinkle in his eye as he playfully teased us, “I have a baby in my nose!” 

We love you all and are so grateful that you are a part of our lives.  Happy Holidays!

Love,

            Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah & Peter & (soon to be announced) baby girl Winward

2006 Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,                                                                                              December 2006

Happy Holidays!  We hope this holiday season finds you happy and well.  We love you all so much and are excited to share some highlights of our past year with you.

Paul has been working on finishing his Master’s Degree in Computer Science this semester at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.  It’s been a rough but very educational experience being in the program, and Paul is excited to graduate this December.  Adding to the excitement of graduation is the promise of a job in Walnut Creek, California that he’s really looking forward to.  It will be rewarding to be able to put his education to use in a stimulating and challenging work environment, then be able to come home and enjoy his family (instead of his homework or research) in the evenings and weekends.  We are all looking forward to this change.

Christine has kept herself busy this year with various activities, including: a book club, a mother-child music class, weekly playgroup, preschool with Rebekah, and working her Mary Kay business.  It will be hard to leave all of the amazing friends we’ve made and all of the wonderful support of the moms, but we’re sure that, as we keep reassuring Rebekah, we will not be “losing” our friends in Champaign, only making more out in California.

Rebekah, now 3 ½, is our little princess.  She loves to play dress up and frequently can be heard before seen as she clip clops in her plastic princess heels around the house.  She often reprimands what she deems inappropriate behavior by saying “That’s not how princesses act!”  She is also the princess in our playgroup.  It worries her parents that at age three she has already mastered the art of persuading all the little boys to do her bidding and they all fight over who gets to sit next to her.  She is quite the social butterfly and the first question of the day usually is, “Who I play with today, Mommy?”  She has perfect faith, and in her evening prayers, she likes to insert things like “and thank you I get to play with Ryan tomorrow, I love Ryan and he’s my friend and I love to play with him.” Inevitably, some turn of events will end with her playing at Ryan’s house the next day, whether or not it was originally planned.  She is a joy in our home and constantly keeps us on our toes with her quick thinking and love of teasing.

Peter will be 18 months on Dec. 8^th (nursery here we come!).  One of his recent games is to stand in a particular corner of our house and wait for someone to say, “Ready, set, GO!”, then he dashes off around the house and ends at the same spot, waiting patiently for the next race.  Sometimes, he gets impatient and shouts “Go!” himself.  Peter also loves to show off by climbing on things (chairs, the small seat of his bike, etc.), balancing himself and standing, no hands, then smiling at us with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and announcing “Ta Da!” ... this gives me no end of worry, but I can’t help but laugh at his bravado.  He also loves to push buttons and drives his sister crazy by constantly changing the channel or turning off the TV, pushing the power button on the computer or reprogramming the telephone.  Once, when the telephone/answering machine was within reach, I observed him pushing a button that replied “No messages”, Peter continued pushing the button faster and faster until it just kept repeating “No, No, No, No …, No!”  This seemed to delight Peter to no end, much to my dismay.

Paul and I were able to celebrate our 5^th anniversary this August with a trip with no kids (I highly recommend this!) to Seattle (where we had gone for our honeymoon).  It’s crazy to think that five years have already passed.  We have been so blessed and although we have had trials that seemed overwhelming at the time, looking back, we are so grateful for our experiences and for our beautiful children, supportive families and amazing friends.  Thank you all so much for loving us and being a part of our lives!

Love,

Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah (3 yrs.), and Peter (1 yr.) Winward

2014 Christmas Letter

Winward’s 2014

Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah (11), Peter (9), Carol Lynn (7), Eric (4), Kathryn (2), James (7 months)

‘Twas soon to be Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, except for my mouse;

I began taking stock of our year with great care,

To share struggles and joys with our friends everywhere;

The biggest changes to our family this year,

Came on the same day, bringing us so much cheer.

Just hours after our sweet James had arrived,

We bought our first house, at the hospital bedside.

Though packing and moving is now just a blur,

The summer flew by in a haze we are sure.

We love our new home and our neighbors are great!

We have plenty of room for our family of eight.

Paul loves to care for our beautiful front lawn,

Where many a Saturday hour has gone.

After hanging rope over our tree for a swing,

The neighborhood kids have pronounced him the king!

To hear Christine call out children’s names without pause,

Is a feat few have heard.  It’s unlikely because,

Though she starts out strong, her tongue tumbles & twists,

Her quick plea for help comes out something like this:

“Rebe - Carol - Kath - Lynn - Er - Peter - I mean,

Argh!  You! Over there, please just hand me that thing!”

While each precious child is so loved and treasured,

Her brain cell count was falling, last time we measured.

Despite this decline, she is proud to announce

This fall she began taking classes that count!

Returning to college has been a long-time goal,

Realized through Pathway BYU-Idaho.

James is a blessing, and his smile we adore.

Each sibling will claim they’re the one he loves more.

Crawling at six months and cruising along too,

He’s eager to catch up and join the Winward zoo.

Kathryn (a big sister), grown so tall, so quick,

She’s feisty and bossy, and boy can she kick!

But oh! What a charmer when you play her game,

She rides trikes, sings songs and is really quite tame.

Eric builds and designs, with supplies that are near.

Curious George inspires our young engineer.

When scissors and tape are missing quite often,

We know a masterpiece is under construction.

Now Carol Lynn is reading, a book worm is she.

Magic Tree House has become her best friend, you see.

Her two-wheeler bike, she has conquered at last,

And math is the subject where she has a blast.

Peter thrives solving puzzles, improving his speed.

In the Rubik’s cube club, he soon took the lead.

Pushing his limits, running with Grandpa is fun,

Beginning to play cello, he’s an active one!

Overcoming her fears, Rebekah clearly sang,

As the good witch of Oz, Glinda was her name.

Her creative writing earned smiles and applause,

And playing violin is still one of her loves.

As a family, we’ve been blessed to attend,

Not just one, but two temple dedications.

First Gilbert, then Phoenix, we felt so much joy,

To be there as family, with each girl and boy.

We’re grateful for each of life’s little lessons.

Our year has been full of so many blessings,

With hearts full of gratitude, and eyes full of tears,

Merry Christmas, dear friends and a Happy New Year’s!

Love,

The Winward’s

2013 Christmas Family Letter

Counting our Blessings

Winward’s 2013

When upon our pillows we are tempest tossed,

Time to get up already?  Surely all is lost!

Bleary eyed we stumble to the living room,

Morning prayer soon lifts us from our sleepy gloom.

Count our many blessings:

Paul’s thyroid cancer’s gone!

Count our many blessings:

Eric’s talking up a storm!

Count our many blessings:

Peter’s been baptized!

Count our many blessings:

Pie night with 9 pies!

Sometimes I feel burdened with a load of care.

I admit, I pray we’ll find clean underwear.

Mountainous loads of laundry from a crew of      

  loving kin,

Race to fold and hang them before it’s time to do   

  again!

Count our many blessings:

Eric buses to preschool!

Count our many blessings:

Peter’s like a  fish in the pool!

Count our many blessings:

Kathryn’s finally in nursery!

Count our many blessings:

Our 12th anniversary!

When we look at others with their lands of gold,

We know we are blessed with love, a wealth

  untold.

Count our many blessings, money cannot buy,

Giggles and sticky kisses before the day is nigh.

Count our many blessings:

Completely out of debt!

Count our many blessings:

Rimsky is our big cat pet!

Count our many blessings:

The kids now rollerblade!

Count our many blessings:

Dirt yard, now grass will never fade!

So amid the conflict, homework, making meals,

We’ll not be discouraged, overwhelmed with bills,

Scriptures, prayers and kisses, hugs and stories  

  too,

Everyone’s tucked in, why are we tired? Phew!

Count our many blessings:

Carol Lynn loves going to school!

Count our many blessings:

Our Oregon trip was so cool!

Count our many blessings:

Rebekah’s music skills grow!

Count our many blessings:

Christine’s beginning to show!

Merry Christmas!  Love, The Winwards

Paul, Christine, 

Rebekah (10), Peter (8), 

Carol Lynn (6), Eric (3 ½), 

Kathryn (20 months), baby boy (due mid-April)