I have been “wanting” to get a Christmas letter written, but had not found the time to do it until today. Consequently, our annual Christmas letter this year will be an “e-letter”. Never hurts to go green right?!
I love writing these letters as it gives me a chance to look back over the past year and summarize the events, the struggles, and the milestones. 2010 has once again been a year that has flown by. Austin and I are now beginning to realize how fast time flies. Once we had Keira it seems like time has sped up tenfold! It is a good reminder that we need to be making the most of every opportunity to live for JESUS. Our time on this earth is fleeting!
In January of 2010 our precious little girl turned ONE! She began to walk the day of her birthday party…and hasn’t stopped moving since then! This year has been great fun with her, as she has developed so many new skills. Her vocabulary is expanding at a rapid pace. Everyday she will suddenly say new phrases. One of her newest is, “Oh my goooodess”. We have discovered that she has a very motivated, passionate personality, which makes for fun and challenging days! She also has a very sweet side that she gets from Austin. She is a fun mix of both of our personalities, and we are enjoying the adventure of parenthood to the fullest! She goes to “Ama Jane and Papa’s House” about 3-4 days per week while we work, ( my parents) and visits “Ama Lea” and her other “Papa” quite often in the evenings. (Austin’s parents). She loves to dance to “Papa Dwight’s” country gospel music. She will run into his office and blare it while dancing….I am not so sure about the genre choice, but it is very cute! At “Ama Lea and Papa Steve’s” she walks in the door and loves to get a “nac” which usually involves ICE CREAM. :)
In March, I went to Lake Tahoe for work, and Austin joined me for a weekend. We were able to ski “Heavenly Resort” on the edge of Lake Tahoe. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I would love to go again! The main run at the resort was named, “Ellie’s slide” which I thought was pretty cool!
In May, Austin and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. We are so thankful that God brought us together. It seems like we have been together forever, but just met at the same time! We didn’t do anything big this year, as we are planning to go on a cruise for our 5 year. :)
In June, we took a small vacation to Kansas City. It was wonderful to just get out of town for a few days. We took Keira to a waterpark, a Clifford exhibit, and also went to the Federal Reserve Bank and watched them process money!
In August, my sister Charis, got married. It was a wonderful day and we are so happy to have another man join the Oswald clan! :) We also went to the Offutt Airshow for the first time. Keira loved seeing all of the planes!
In September, we made the annual trek up to Sioux Falls, SD for Lifelight Christian music festival, which is a weekend of Christian concerts and thousands of people. We opted to leave Keira at home this year, since she is so mobile. We had a great time camping, and spending time worshiping in the outdoors with Charis and Nate, and Charity.
In October, we hosted our annual harvest party which was a blast! Keira was a "meow" and loved her costume. We also took her to Vala's for the first time. She discovered that smoked turkey legs were GREAT! Dad hardly got to eat any of his! :)
The last quarter of 2010 has been a whirlwind, of work, play, and life in general! Austin and I are leading Sparks at our Awana club this year for the first time. We work with about 15 K-2nd graders each Wednesday night. My mom is also helping, so it is a fun family affair! We are really enjoying the opportunity to serve and build into the lives of some of the younger kids in our church!
Austin continues to work at Council Bluffs Savings Bank, which he loves. We are so blessed that he has a stable job, with great hours. His company is very family orientated, which is a huge blessing as well! He is currently the Teller Supervisor, and also a Personal Banker.
I (Ellie) continue to work for Perigon Networks, which is a webhosting company. I continue to enjoy my job, as it is always a learning experience, and there is never a dull moment! Since we are a small company I get to fill many different roles including Billing Manager, Human Resources, and I just recently became Vice President of the Corporation. I love the position, as I feel like I am in a comprehensive business internship everyday!
As we close out 2010, we are thankful for many things. Most importantly, we are thankful for JESUS and that he came to earth, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Believing on him alone is the ONLY way to heaven, and we are so thankful that he was willing to pay the price for our sins so that we can go to heaven!
We are also so thankful for the friends and family that God has given us. He has blessed us with many relationships that make life fun and enjoyable. We appreciate the encouragement that you are to us, and pray that we are the same to you!
Love,
Austin, Ellie, and Keira Diehm.
