2012 Christmas Letter

WOW is pretty much the only word that describes the year we have had!

In March we welcomed our sweet little man, Rowan. He had growth restriction around 34 weeks, so my doctor induced me at 37 weeks. Unfortunately, he needed assistance breathing and was taken by ambulance to a hospital that had a Level III NICU. He had pneumonia, a heart murmur and several other complications and even came home on oxygen, which we were told would only last 1 month. After 7 1/2 months of oxygen and several doctor/specialist appointments, he came off the oxygen and is doing well so far. We aren’t out of the woods just yet, but we are definitely in a much better place then we were 8 months ago. Rowan is allergic to rice and he LOVES spitting up solid foods, which makes laundry time lots of fun…NOT! Rowan is a wonderful, happy baby. He is growing and developing and we are so grateful to have him. He makes us laugh and I hate to say it, but it is so fun to have a little boy in the house!

Elwyn continues to run the house. She turned 6 this year and finally started Kindergarten. She loves going to school each day, playing with friends and blaming everyone else for the things she shouldn’t have done. She is an AMAZING big sister and I am so grateful for the help she gives me. She LOVES holding Rowan, feeding him, cleaning up his spit up and even changing diapers…yes folks, she changes diapers! Elwyn is still dancing and she played softball this summer. She loves doing anything that makes her the center of attention! In January we discovered she had a hernia. 3 weeks later she had surgery, where the doctor found a second hernia. She recovered VERY quickly and we were so proud of her. In October she was under the knife again having her tonsils and adenoids removed. She was NOT happy that she had to have surgery again and made sure I knew that by causing all sorts of mischief during the 2 weeks leading up to her surgery. Never a dull moment around here!

Willow started 4th grade this fall. She is still doing very well in school and loves to read. She is such a great big sister…when she wants to be. Mostly she just wants to read and watch TV. She is a huge help to me with Rowan and also does household chores, now if only I could get her to clean the toilets…. Willow is still dancing and excels at everything she does. She will be playing basketball in January, I’m pretty sure Rich is more excited then she is!

Rich is in his ninth year at Sam’s Club. He took on an added role as ‘Master Trainer’ for his market, which includes Montana, Idaho, and Utah. Pretty much that means he trains all the other salaried managers of Sam’s Club to be better skilled leaders. With the little free time he has, he loves attending the BYU football and basketball games with Willow and Elwyn. Except when they are in trouble, then only one of them gets to go!

I am still busy being ‘mom’. It has been a real life changer having a baby in the house again. Most of my time is spent doing normal ‘mom’ things, with several doctor appointments thrown in there. I am so grateful the girls are as old as they are, it’s like having 2 extra little mommies in the house! I am still teaching dance, which allows me to get out of the house once a week.
We are so grateful for all the thoughts and prayers on our behalf this past year. We definitely needed them and we know they helped us get through some tough times with Rowan.

We miss you all and wish you a Happy Holiday!!!

Rich, Liz, Willow, Elwyn and Rowan Wilson