Christmas 2009

Is it possible that 2009 has come to a close? What a wonderful year we have had as a family. The highlight of the year is certainly the cruise vacation to Alaska. 16 days of fun and adventure with the entire family, and Grandma and Grandpa! The kids played in snow for the first time, a cold delight. After walking on the snow, Kevin exclaimed, "My foot fell into a crevasse!" Perhaps we watched too many discovery channel shows on Alaska before we left. No Kevin, you are just walking on snow. Kendra fell in love with the husky puppies while visiting a musher in the Yukon Territory. She cried after we left, begging us to take her back to the husky puppies soon. Jerome felt adventurous as we took him on a rock slide climb to get to the bottom of the waterfall next to Mendenhall Glacier. The scenery was beautiful. Grandma and Grandpa, thank you for going on vacation with us, and being our cruise directors... you knew all the great places to visit. The entire family cannot wait to return. If you are in need of a tour guide while on a trip to Alaska, I am offering my services.

Jerome began 5th grade this year at a new private school. He LOVES it! He is blossoming in his new school, and we know this was due to all of the hard work Mrs. C (also known as Grandma) put in during 2nd-4th grade to catch Jerome up to grade level. Thank you Mrs. C, your hard work is appreciated. Jerome is enjoying a school where he can learn about God, and his self confidence is flourishing. He auditioned for the church Christmas program solo,k and got the part! We are proud of you Jerome!

Kevin began 4th grade this year in Mrs. C's class. He had no idea all of the work he was in for! He is working hard, and it is paying off. Kevin reports that he is thrilled to be learning so much this year. We are proud of you Kevin! While in Alaska, Kevin discovered a new love...salmon! He ate salmon each night for dinner (all 14 of them) on the cruise. We joked that Kevin and Grandpa were sure to leave Alaska with gills because of all the salmon they ate!

Kendra began 2nd grade this year. She is certainly growing up fast. She enjoyed several dates with dad this year, including attending a welcome parade for the new Princess Tiana. Kendra loves anything and everything princess, and is very excited a brown princess will be joining her Disney collection. Kendra has been a very busy teacher this year as well. All of her My Little Ponies received name tags (I tear up at the names, all of whom have our last name!) She spends hours "instructing" them in all that she has learned at school. We are proud of you Kendra!

Lowell and his mom had movie star status this year, as Grandma Pattie stared in a commercial for the hospital. We drove up to Tallahassee the day of the shoot so that Lwoell could also be in the commercial that talked about him being hit by a car at age 5. I enjoyed watching the kids play with cousins Kendall and Cody while conversing with Great Grandpa and Grandma Allen. Thank you for making our 24 hour visit a great one! We are so spoiled to have Grandma Pattie and Papa Paul drive down to visit with us. We have really enjoyed our trips to Disney with you both! Thank you for driving to visit with us! Lowell is now doing photography at Disney, as well as for our company, Portraits by Lowell. Check out his work at www. protraitsbylowell.com

Would you believe that we see to be becoming "beach people"? We spent many days at the beach in Ft. Myers with my Grandma, enjoying the weather and the company. We have been able to take the kids to places form my childhood, like Mc Tee's restaurant on Sanibel Island. It is known (to me at least) for its Mud Pie Dessert. The kids LOVED it as much as I did as a kid, and frequently ask when we are going to drive the 3 1/2 hours to Ft. Myers so we can have Mud Pie.

We are all thankful for the surprise visits from Aunt Jacinta! After she and Uncle Sam moved to Connecticut, we had no idea we would be seeing her several times this year. Thank you for visiting with us. We love you both very much, and treasure our time with you. We can't wait until this coming summer to drive up for a visit at your house!

Ten years ago, as Lowell and I were married, I never would have dreamed this would be how our life would look ten years later. Three beautiful kids, ages 11, 9, and 7... living in the town I grew up in, teaching at the school my mom taught, loving photography, and yet, I wouldn't change this life for any other. I love you, Lowell.

We want to thank you for sharing in our lives over the past 10 years, and wish you a joyous year in 2010.

Merry Christmas 2008

Dear Family and Friends, December 2008
It is hard to believe another year has passed. 2008 was a year of joy for our family. My parents bought a house (as a rental property) near my Grandma in Ft. Myers in early April. We have spent at least one weekend a month or so in Ft. Myers visiting with Great Grandma and her husband Bud. The kids have enjoyed the trips as each weekend has held a new adventure. The first few were the adventures of a house empty of furniture (how fun this was!) and several trips learning about home remodeling (Don’t touch the walls, we just painted!). There have been several trips to the famous Shell World on the Tamiami Trail. We visited Sanibel Island, the beautiful lighthouse, walked the beach, learned how to play crocket, and the kids loved the audio tour of Edison’s winter home! Visiting with Great Grandma and Bud couldn’t be more fun! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for buying such a great house and making our trips down with you so much fun!

April 5th held a surprise for us, as Aunt Amanda delivered baby Emily 6 weeks early! I was able to be with her while she delivered, and it was AMAZING. I was certainly honored that Amanda and Michael allowed me share in the wonder that is childbirth. Emily, although small, was healthy and is now a beautiful 8 month old! Welcome to the family, Emily!

The summer began with a bang as we embarked on the Disney Wonder for a 5 day/4 night Disney cruise to the Bahamas! It was a wonderful vacation. We had hoped that all the family could attend, but Grandpa had a big project come up at work, and Aunt Amanda’s new baby, Emily, wasn’t old enough to travel. We were still thankful that Grandma was able to vacation with us (that meant there was one adult per kid, the best way to travel!) The kids were thrilled to be aboard ship, and the entertainment was fabulous and completely Disney style. Kendra fell in love with the waiter from Brazil, and sang the “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” song but added that “First comes college, then comes love, then comes marriage” Lowell and I pray she remembers this! Jerome was on cloud nine when he was able to spend one afternoon in the “teenager loft” playing the Wii Olympics! Kevin was very observant of the wildlife, and spotted a sting ray, dolphin, and what he thought was a leafy sea dragon but turned out to be just plain seaweed. Lowell and I had a great time. I enjoyed the Pirate night most as we watched the fireworks they launch from the cruise ship! We are all praying like mad that we can go on another cruise soon!

The kids were able to attend the Animal Kingdom summer camp for one week this summer, and they loved every minute of it. I was so jealous of Jerome getting to visit the behind the scenes giraffe barn (oh to be a kid again!). The camp was held at the Animal Kingdom park, and then as the kids studied different animals and habitats, they went on “field trips” to the other Disney parks to “experience” what they had been learning about (like the African Safari ride at Animal Kingdom, and the Nemo Seas (ocean habitat with sea animals) at Epcot. All three had a great week, and hope to go again next summer.

I tell the kids that we work hard so that we can play hard. The kids all spent the summer reading. Kendra started taking AR tests, and passed 13 picture books all by herself this summer, Jerome worked hard for 2 years and was able to get a 3 on his FCAT which means he proved on the test that he is on grade level, and he read 30 chapter books by the end of the summer (to earn time on the beloved video games!) Kevin started chapter books for the first time this summer and passed 15 by the time school started. I am so proud of how hard they work on their academics! I was rewarded with a new van (2008 Toyota Sienna) for all of my hard work, and I love it!

Soccer camp was extra fun this year as cousins, Cody and Kendall, joined us at Soccer camp. It was also Kendra’s first year a soccer camp. The boys love it, and Kendra liked the pink shin guards, and soccer socks, but was not sure why she should be running around in the hot sun getting sweaty. It might be the only soccer camp she attends!

We were able to join many family members at special places this year. We visited Epcot with Great Uncle Larry and Great Aunt Theresa, and then Great Uncle Larry came again later in the year and he experienced Sea World with us! We were able to go to Sea World with Grandma Pattie and Papa Paul when they came down for a visit, too. We love living in Orlando and getting to go to so many cool places with our company! We were especially lucky to have a visit from Grandpa Lamar, and cannot wait for his next visit!

Jerome started 4th grade this year, Kevin is in 3rd, and Kendra is in 1st. They were so excited when cousin Jacinta Camille asked them to be the flower girl, and ring bearers in her wedding. Aunt Jacinta and Uncle Sam made it possible for our family of 5 to fly to Kansas City, Missouri, to attend the wedding in October. It was wonderful! The kids were able to see some of their birth family, and we had a great time! Thank you Uncle Sam and Aunt Jacinta!

We only wish that we could have made a trip to Tallahassee this year to see our family. We tried several times, but due to work schedules and other events out of our control, we weren’t able to make it. We pray that we will be visiting Tallahassee soon, as we especially miss Lowell’s grandparents. Grandpa and Grandma Allen, we love you lots!

I looped to 5th grade with the class I taught in 4th last year, and LOVE it! Lowell is now doing photography for Disney at the Magic Kingdom and loves every minute of it! We pray this letter finds you happy, healthy, and in good spirits this Christmas season!

Love,
The Deese Family