Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

From the Zimmermann Family

We are having very different Christmas this year. Obviously we are so far away:( and missing family like crazy. My parents are flying in Christmas Eve so that is going to be such a wonderful surprise for the kids. We haven't told them yet and they think we are alone this year. They have been missing their cousins and friends so much this year.

We have enjoyed our time here for what it is, the Fall was absolutely beautiful. The trees were so many colors, vivid and bright. It felt like fall. The warm weather held out and we were able to visit the beach and enjoy the outdoors....until December. Then the leaves fell and the cold moved in. I have been inside more than anytime in my life! 35 degrees and wind does not bring me outdoors. The kids are wild in the house, needing to get some energy out and we have tried many things to keep them busy. Nothing but bundling them up and making them head outside to ride their bikes helped! It does feel and smell like Christmas. The crisp cold and barren trees are a daily reminder that Christmas is coming.

We had Josh and Brittany come to visit for a week and that was so much fun! Getting to spend time with family and just enjoy each other was a blessing. Josh kept the boys busy every day with a wrestling match, we stayed at the Robert's beach house a few days, went to the aquarium and even had a date night just the four of us downtown. It was so hard to see them go.

On December 21st, to celebrate the Holidays with our dear friends, the Roberts, we headed to Myrtle Beach, SC to a hotel with an indoor water park. We just stayed one night and had two great days swimming and sliding down water slides. The kids had so much fun! It was a great mini-vacation.

We are back and ready to pick up my parents tomorrow!

Each of the kids have grown and changed so much this year and especially with the move, so here is a little update on each one of them:

Noah turned 8 this year. He had lost all four front teeth and we are waiting for his last top tooth to grow in. He looks so much older. He is such a handsome boy. He is full of energy and joy. He is always joking and doesn't miss a thing we say. He is very smart and enjoys school. He is great at math and reading. His favorite subjects are science and history. He loves to ride his bike and is looking forward to playing soccer this spring. Thankfully he has not broken anything this year. But we did find out he has a terrible allergy to bee stings. He hopes to move back to Arizona soon but would also enjoy spending a summer at the beach getting better at boogie boarding.

Graham turned 6 this year. He is very tall and lean, exactly like my brother Josh. His hands and feet are huge and so he moves much like a puppy still growing into his paws. He loves to laugh and play tricks on people. He is always playing pretend games with the others and making up elaborate pirate ships, barns or boat docks. Braxtyn and him have found that although they disagree about most things they need each other. They find they have a lot of time together when Noah is finishing school and Cozy is napping. Graham is doing amazing in Kindergarten this year. School is hard for him but he is learning by leaps and bounds. He has found that he is very good at math and really likes his math work. He has very good penmanship and when he wants to, can write amazing for a 6 year old! He still loves horses and animals and is looking forward to seeing his horse Gunny.

Braxtyn turned 4 in July. She has her very own agenda for most days and happily plays and just enjoys life. She is very determined and independent and appreciates it if everyone just does things her way, especially her brothers. She loves playing with barbies and doing crafts. She is participating in a lot of school and has her own pre-K work that she is learning. She is a quick learner and likes to know what the boys know. She loves painting her nails and putting on fashion shows. And lately she has been putting on concerts with a guitar and song that she's written. You cannot convince her of much unless she's thought of it, and this year she is determined she will marry Micah Main. We of course approve if this union, in about 20 years!!! She loves North Carolina and is very quick to make new friends. She is looking forward to her summer here because she hates the cold.

Cozette is 18 months. She is growing up so quickly! She jabbers a lot and we make out a few words. Her favorite thing to do is sit in your lap and read books. She says Mom about 20 times a day. I think she is trying to out-call me and grab my attention from the other three. She does a pretty good job stealing all of our attention. She is a cuddle bug and will love on you when you need it. She is full of joy and delight and we are usually surprised to hear her cry. Other than her screams of "NO" to her brothers and sister, she is very happy to just hang with the crowd.

Daniel and I are doing good. We are still meeting new people and trying to find steady work. small jobs here and there are keeping us going but who knows what will happen this year to come. We are just trying to learn to listen and be joyful no matter what the circumstance. We are so blessed and love our sweet family. The pregnancy is going great. I will have an ultrasound December 31st to find out the sex of the baby.

We hope that you all have a very Happy Christmas and New Year!

Much Love

The Zimmermann Family