First, a lot of family and friends have received our Holiday card and want to know if our address is really Dulles, Virginia even though we live in India. The short answer is Yes. The long answer, all of our mail goes through Dulles so that no one has to pay international shipping (including us back to the States) and so that they can make sure nothing dangerous is sent out way, you big brother keeping a watchful eye. I have to admit how much fun it is for Marcus to come home from work with packages or letters, I have reverted back to snail mail and look forward to mail now, it isn’t just junk and bills.
Happy Holidays!!! We hope you are staying warm and enjoying the time with friends and family. We are missing our family this Christmas but are looking forward to spending Christmas with new friends.
It sure has been an exciting year for us, we rang in the new year by going to bed at 10PM as I was pregnant and had to work the next morning. We celebrated February with a huge snow storm and while everyone hated the weather, I secretly loved it. I knew it would be awhile before I saw snow again. Besides I got to spend a week stuck inside with my husband and best friend and enjoy mindless TV and good conversation. In February we also welcomed Addison, our niece into the family. In March, we welcomed our little Desmond into the world with a 30 hour grueling labor but one of the happiest moments of our lives. April/May flew by as Marcus and I aged another year (perhaps 10 if you count baby aging) and we welcomed another niece, Nadine to the family. Before we knew it summer had arrived and we were getting ready to move away to India.
We were lucky to have many friends and family from the West Coast come to visit to meet Desmond. We enjoyed our time with Miranda, Oliver, and Declan and were so happy that Uncle Peter and Aunt Becca were able to make their way out and meet their nephew. We took a trip down to North Carolina to so that Desmond could meet Great Grandma Mildred, Grandma, and Grandpa Carpenter - he was only 2 weeks old. Sadly, Great Grandma Mildred passed away this August and she is greatly missed.
We took a few trips up north to New Jersey to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Suarez and relax on the beach. And finally, August rolled around and we were off to India.
India has been an exciting time, with ups and downs but I have to say mostly it has been a wonderful experience. We have traveled some and explored Delhi some but plan to do a lot more in the coming year. Desmond started to stand, crawl, cruise, and is now standing. He has 4 teeth and went from a fussy baby who gave us a run for our money to a happy baby who loves to smile and explore and is an excellent little traveler. Marcus works hard but he enjoys the job. I have enjoyed the time off but also look forward to working part time next year. Reflecting back, I can’t believe how much our lives have changed in a single year… we would do all over again if we had to.
We wish you and your family a happy holiday and a happy new year!
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| hmmm why am I here? |
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| And who are you?? |
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| Happy 40 Weeks Desmond!!! Almost out longer than in - 2 weeks left! |
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| Christmas morning, love the puzzle - tastes yummy! |
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| Still eating the puzzle, time for breakfast?? |
