Merry Christmas!
Hello family and friends,
It’s almost Christmas time again and I couldn’t be more excited. This is my favorite time of year by far. I love the winter weather, Christmas songs, curling up next to the fire, finding little acts of service to celebrate the season, and last but definitely not least…getting caramel apple spices from Starbucks. Mmmm.
Officially, Josh and I became a “family” when we were married but now that we have Sadie I feel as though we are a “real family” (does that make sense?) and I thought we should send out a little Christmas letter. This past year has been (up till now) the biggest, hardest, most rewarding year of our lives. This past October we welcomed Sadie Grace LaMarr into our lives. She weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. I was 12 days past my due date when, after two failed inductions, and over 40 hours of labor we decided to have a C-section. To make matters worse, after all that labor my body was so worn out that I hemorrhaged after the surgery. It was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done but as I said before it also has been the most rewarding. Sadie is now almost 14 months old and happy and healthy as ever! Her infancy was the second hardest thing I have ever done. She had colic and there were definitely a few times where I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. I am especially enjoying this time with her at this age now. She is walking, talking, playing, and cuddling with us all the time.
Another big triumph for me last year was that I was able to finish the Letters to Donna project (with help from Josh and Patty) in time to give it to my Dad for Christmas. The project was typing over 300 hand written letters that my Grandpa Cattoor had written my Grandmother when he was in the army. These letters were especially precious because my Grandfather passed away when he was only 32 due to a mining accident. In doing this project I became especially close to my grandfather although I had never met him face to face. The night before Christmas Eve Josh and I were lying in bed trying to fall asleep and I just burst into tears. Josh asked me what was wrong and all I could make out was “I wish I could talk to him. I miss him so much!” I am so glad I was able to type those letters not only for the benefit of my father and my aunts but for the very personal experience it gave me with my family history.
In April we celebrated my 22nd birthday and Josh got me tickets to Les Miserables. I was ecstatic! (Even though the play wasn’t until September). In May we got to see my sister Jentry graduate from high school and we now love having her so close by in Fort Collins. Throughout the summer we celebrated Josh’s 25th birthday and were able to go a family reunion on my Dad’s side. Did I mention that Josh got accepted to a nursing school? As of right now he is on the waitlist but he is also currently an alternate for the nursing program in Cheyenne to start this spring semester. So we are praying a few people drop out this next semester in Cheyenne! This fall Josh was in school again full time and he completed his CNA course. We also celebrated Sadie’s 1st birthday with a big combined birthday party with her sweet cousin Christine.
You know how I mentioned that Josh passed his CNA course? Well because of that he got a new job! As I am typing this Josh is working his first ‘non-training’ day at his new job as a CNA in Louisville. He’s already been hit on by quite a few elderly ladies. Besides the ladies fawning all over him he seems to really enjoy the change of pace. This job also helps him accrue medical experience hours for when he applies to a Physician’s Assistant program. Random fact: Zooey Deschanel’s grandmother lives where Josh works!
In other news, Josh and I have started to try our hand at photography. We got our Nikon D-5000 over the summer and have been learning about it and loving it ever since. It helps that my parents have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to photography. I went ahead and made a LaMarr Photography page on Facebook and we have been booked ever since. If you know my Dad, you know he is an amazing outdoor/wildlife photographer. This is where we are different. I love wildlife and nature but what I truly enjoy is portraiture. Josh is a pretty good mixture of both. He definitely takes pictures that I would never have thought to take and in ways I wouldn’t have thought of. He really is quite the catch : )
In my opinion, this year has been a great one. I have a feeling next year will be even better. May the spirit of Christ fill your homes this time of year and always. We love you and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The LaMarrs
Josh Kadi & Sadie
