Friday, January 21, 2011

Christmas Letter 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

     This Christmas has been especially poignant as we reflect on the life of Christ and His Gift of the Atonement.  We have felt His love and light directing us and are so grateful to know that He lives and loves us.

     2010 has been an interesting and exciting year for our family!  We started the year off in January with a job change for Jason that brought him up to the Tri-Cities in WA.  The kids and I joined him in April!  We moved in with our friends, Jacob and Annette Rose and their 3 kids, until our apt came available in June.  We had a lot of fun hanging out with them and getting to know them during that 2 months.  We got the opportunity to travel back to Utah several times this year so that has eased the transition of the move.  We have been very blessed to meet many new people and start great lasting friendships.  We've grown closer together in our marriage and as a family.    Here's a little update on each of us to catch you up on some of the happenings this year.   

     Joshua turned 6 in February and was sad that his Daddy couldn't be there for his birthday, but he got to have his very first friend/family birthday party.  It was a little cold but we did a mock Olympics, and handed out medals for doing 3 legged, animal, and balloon races etc.  Josh was sad to leave his friends in Provo, but in his words "I don't care where I live, as long as its with my Daddy". :D He thought it was great to have "live in" friends and seemed to go through withdrawals when we moved into our apt but it wasn't long before the kids in the apts were coming around and asking him to play.  He started the 1st Grade @ Edison Elementary.  His favorite subjects are recess and P.E..  No surprise there!  He's also excelling in reading and math. Among all the sports that he likes to play, his favorite past time is Hip Hop dancing.  He loves to come home after school and turn the music on and we dance together in our living room.  He's told me that he wants to be a professional dancer when he grows up. My favorite thing to do with him is dance and listen to him read.  He has progressed so quickly, its amazing to watch.  He's so great to do his chores and help around the house.  We are so grateful to have this wonderful boy in our lives!      

     Aliya turned 1 in May.  She's been a handful and a half from the time she was mobile.  She knows what she wants and when she wants it! Which is almost always NOW! :D  She is a very inquisitive and curious one.  She loves to figure out how things work, but especially how things feel or taste...like soap, lotion, sugar, powdered milk and lipstick.  I think we have an artist on our hands because she constantly finger paints with anything she can get her hands on...like lipstick on my bathroom walls and mirrors, soap on the mirrors in the kid's bathroom and just the other day she did a beautiful "hand" painted mural with butter all over my kitchen cupboards.  She has the agility of a monkey.  There doesn't seem to be a place high enough that I can keep things out of her reach without her figuring out a way to climb up to get it.  Though she's into everything, she just melts our hearts with her hugs and kisses.  She will go to practically anyone and give them "loves".  Anyone that I greet and give a hug to, she has to get one too.  Its fun to have her in the grocery store because any time someone passes us, she says, "Hi" to them.  It usually catches them off guard but always gets them to smile.  She loves to dance with her brother, and especially slow dance with me or Daddy by putting her head on our shoulders.  We love our sweet girl!

     Jason worked with Jacob selling Alarm systems door to door for Nationwide Security until December.  He grew a great deal and learned that if he can do that, he can do anything!  It has given him a lot of confidence to be able to do hard things.  December 1st he started working for McCurley's Auto Dealership in sales at the Chevy/Cadillac Dept.  He's always loved cars and is loving it there.  Jason is serving as an Assistant Executive Secretary to the Bishop in our church.  He basically is given names of people to call and invite to speak in church.  His favorite things have been hangin with the kiddos.  He's been getting up in the mornings to be able to spend time with them before Josh goes to school, since they are usually in bed before he gets home from work.  They are both very enamored with their daddy!  I love it!  A new development is that Jason has decided to go back to school and will be attending WSU in the Fall.  He's going into Nursing to be a Nurse Anesthetist.

     Me: This year I have been blessed with a new perspective that I NEVER want to be a single parent!  I got to experience it, or at least in part, while we were in different states for 2 months.  It really made me appreciate all that Jason does for me and what a great support he is.  I loved moving...for the mere point of getting rid of so much stuff!  We still have too much, but its really been great to downsize and simplify.  I miss all of my friends and family in Utah!  Being so far away has  made my heart grow fonder of them.  I have been blessed with wonderful friends through out my life and being here is no exception!  I'm grateful to be surrounded by wonderful women! -One thing I am excited for here is that people seem to be in a more permanent position, so they are not as likely to move!  I get to have a girls night once a month where we chat and eat and laugh and sometimes cry!  Its a great group of women and I feel blessed to be included in their circle.  I've also gone and played volleyball a couple of times  with women in our stake, that has been very enjoyable to get out and do :D  I've had the opportunity to serve in the Young Women as a personal progress leader.  I got to go to Girls Camp which was an amazing experience.  The girls in our ward are just so amazing!  This lasts Sunday I was called to be work in the Primary.  I'm sad that I'm not working with the YW anymore, but I'm excited to teach the 5 year olds!

     We want to thank each of you for the contribution that you have been to us.  We are so blessed to know you and pray that the Lord will continue to bless you in whatever endeavors you are pursuing.  May you each allow the dear Christ to enter into your hearts and homes and be open to the peace He offers.  We love you.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Love,

Jason, Melanie, Joshua & Aliya Crane    

So a little gift from me to you....just copy and paste the URL in your browser: or click on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BDBp0VBVyQ
 

    

2010 A Year in Review with Pictures

Josh's 6th Birthday, 1st attempt at making Grandma Carol's cake...failed in comparison, but tasty enough!

GNO Having a Retro Hairstyle Makeover Party!  It was a blast! We were singing the 50's music and eating healthy snacks! I definitely get to do this again here in WA!


One of the sweet Oasis' during the desert times of being a single parent while Jason was living in WA before we moved up, He surprised us by showing up at his Niece's baptism.  It was a tearful reunion!  Just the balm I needed to get through things before we could be reunited permanently.
This little cheeser decided to walk the weekend her daddy surprised us! It was so awesome that daddy didn't have to miss his baby girl's first steps.

She is going to have the brightest teeth!  Her favorite place to be is in the bathroom sink, brushing her teeth!
Celebrating Aliya's 1st Birthday! My 2nd time making a decorative cake.  It was really fun!  I love to bake!
Princess Carriage Cake for our little Princess!

My little mischievous one!  18 mos and climbing out of her crib on top of the dresser where she found the desitin, its been a love affair ever since...when ever she can find it, its in her mouth, on her face and all over her clothes, or the mirrors, ya know whatever looks the funnest!
Got to visit our "new" cousin's, the Oregon Pugmires.  We stayed in Kizi's room and Aliya LOVED this little chair!

While at the Pugmire's we got to go to their barn and see the horses and Josh got to drive the mini 4 wheeler, which he wrecked! Luckily it was more of just a shake up.  A good healthy dose of fear...in the name of being less reckless served its purpose!


Meet Farmer Jonathon and Farmer Jason having fun on the tractor.
2 of the most beautiful Cowgirls I know!
The day I found out that things on the counter or stove were no longer safe, b/c Aliya figured out how to use her high chair as a ladder.  Yes, that is Pure, Sugary, Sticky Syrup that by using the ladle she spilled over the stove, counter top and inbetween all the way down to the floor.  It was SO much fun to clean up!

These are some of the coolest and sweetest girls in the tri-cities.  I'm blessed to call them my friends. This is us in the theater at the VIP showing of New Moon.  Before moving to WA I hadn't even picked up the Twilight books, now I'm a fan. I read the whole series before I went to the show.  ;D
Yeah that's me and I'm totally rock climbing for the first time! I was so excited because I rushed up as far as I could go and I was within a foot of grabbing the bell to ring it, but my legs were so fatigued, they were shaking and I just couldn't stand up to reach it...so I used my rope and pulled myself of with my arms...don't know if that's cheating but it was a great feeling to ring the bell! 
Yes, we have no shame!  This is "Crazy Hair" day at Girls Camp

Our amazing Wingsong Ward Girls!  Such a privilege to work with such amazing girls! The theme for Girls Camp was "Heavenly Ever After".  I had a blast being a leader with the 2nd years, they even got my tush over the 20' wall during the ropes course. -I also pranked the Stake President into thinking I was one of the girls, he asked where I was going to be attending college.  LOL
In August we got to make a family trip to Utah for 3 weeks.  We got to attend some amazing classes and see most of both sides of the family.  Josh loved playing with his cousins.  It was a great trip!


Grandma Crane went out and danced in the rain with Josh. I love the expression on his face!  He's freezing but he's having too much fun to come in and get warm!

Josh is such a great big brother.  He taught Aliya how to ride on his shoulders.  Its one of their favorite things to do.
Josh begged me for him to be a skeleton this year for Halloween.  I'm too cheap to buy costumes, so with my anatomy and drawing skills, I had fun making skeleton costumes for both Josh and Aliya.  I had Josh lay down on an old white sheet to get his outline so it would be the right proportion to his body then drew the bones and cut them out and pinned them to black clothes. :D 

The kids favorite time is SNUGGLE time with Daddy!  They adore him and I love it.
As a family, we paid a tribute to our local fire dept by making brownies for them.  We weren't expecting it, but they gave us a personal tour of the fire trucks and ambulance.  It was really fun.  Aliya kept holding her arms out to the firemen to be held.  It was very sweet. 


Aliya, our fashion queen showing off her latest style.  Maybe we need to do a lesson on Modesty for our next FHE. :D

For Thanksgiving we Celebrated the day with our dear friends here in WA, but after speaking to all the Crane family gathered at Mom and Dad's we just couldn't stand not being there, so with some assistance (THANK YOU! -you know who you are) we were able to surprise the family and spend the rest of the weekend.  Sledding, Games, Food and we got to be a part of our Niece's blessing day.  It was a great trip home!

T'was the Night before Christmas...and we started a new tradition of the kids being able to open one gift, Christmas eve...PAJAMAS!  I always loved this tradition from my fam..so we're keeping it going.

Some of my friends here in WA at the 1st Annual Ugly sweater party!

My hottie at the party wearing my tinsel, cuz I put in on him...he HATES this pic, but I LOVE it! :D


Mansions and Log cabins with Gummy Bear Nativity was a great activity for us to fill up the days before Christmas

This was my little log cabin.  I had quite a bit of fun decorating this!