Christmas 2006

Merry Christmas from the Rudds.

Since you're probably getting Christmas updates from so many people, we'll keep this short.

We are exceptional people, a truly amazing family.
Our family is better than yours.
We've had a better year than you.
Our kids are smarter and nicer than your kids.

Even the squirrels who live in our yard experience happy and productive lives.

Last month we noticed glowing auras around our heads.
It is truly humbling to be us!

...can't you tell?


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Ok seriously....
It's been a pretty normal year (as much as anything has been "normal" since we've had kids).

We have no idea what we did with all of our time before Isaac and Will came along. And I never knew how happy I would be to have so little free time. The boys are 20 months old, and starting to put together little sentences (like "More please" or "Go car Go"). Of course they address long and complex phrases to each other, giving every indication that some kind of real communication is actually happening.

Will is our cuddler, always ready to give hugs, kisses, or extended blanket time in your lap.


Isaac is obsessed with cleaning (I have my theories on this). He follows the family around closing what is open, putting things away, and excitedly running for a wash cloth when ever there is the slightest spill. The other day I caught him straightening all the dining room chairs, making sure they were straightened and pushed in all the way.



We moved to a new house, just a few blocks away. It has an incredible back yard with a beautiful view of the Bear Lake wetlands. It was kind of an impulse purchase, and we are deeply enjoying our buyer's remorse. We bought it for the location, but the house seems to fit us perfectly. We're really thankful to live in it, and hope to share it with the people we love as often as possible.

I (Daniel) and am enjoying my work, composing and producing music in my basement. It's going well and it looks like my little business is going to make it. You can listen to some of my compositions at www.danielrudd.com

Andrea is still helping babies transition to life on the outside, and still loving it. Now that she has worked there for several years, we are constantly running into people she has aided in delivery. They always get all choked up about how she was the best nurse and they couldn't have done it without her. This seems like an inadequate reward from what I have heard about the birthing process (particularly the accompanying substances expelled during the process).


We are so thankful for each of our friends. If we haven't heard from you in a while, please write.

Much Love, Daniel, Andrea, Will, & Isaac

pictures and video of the twins at: www.isaacandwill.blogspot.com
Daniel's occasional posts: www.danielrudd.blogspot.com
Andrea's occasional posts: www.andrearudd.blogspot.com

daniel@danielrudd.com
andrea_rudd@yahoo.com

PS. Don't forget, we're giving a $200 finder's fee to the person who refers a buyer on our previous home. It's a nice 4-5 bedroom, with 3 full baths, and two kitchens for a meager $129,000. It's across the street from a park and a block away from North Muskegon Schools.

Christmas update 2005

I cannot believe that another year has come and gone already. It might have been the most exciting year of our lives. We are more grateful than you can imagine for our amazing family and friends that God has given us.

Of course the biggest news has been the advent of our twin boys, Isaac and Will. They were born in April and have given us so much joy. We cannot even begin to tell you how different our lives have been since they became a part of our family. I did not know my heart had the capacity to love this much until I became a parent.

We are now full-blown, cheesy, sappy, over-protective, mini-van driving parents.

Will is our dramatic son. He is full of little antics and is constantly trying to mimic every thing we do. He rolls across the floor from one toy to the next with excellent skill, and he loves to jump in his jonny jumper or on our laps. He is always wanting to be cuddled, which is one of our favorite things to do.

Isaac, on the other hand, wants to constantly be on the move. He is crawling everywhere now and getting faster every day. He hardly ever wants to be held anymore because he wants to be active. Isaac's laugh can light up anyone's day. He is such a happy baby and will smile at any silly little thing.

Daniel resigned from his job at OVCC in September of this year and is loving having less responsibility. He is able to spend much more time with the family and is such a great dad. He is currently doing a promotional documentary for Starr Commonwealth (non-profit organization-and his favorite former client) and composing royalty free music for other media producers.

I continue to work at Special Delivery Birth Center as a registered nurse, and I love my job. I am thinking about the possibility of going back to school next year to further my education. One of the highlights of my year was a 3-week long trip to Florida with Daniel. We went right before the boys were born and had a wonderful time relaxing in our condo on the ocean and enjoying Disney for a few days.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. We miss you all and wish we could see more of you!

Much love,
Andrea (on behalf of Daniel, Isaac, and Will)

We've been a bit busy and negligent, but you can catch updates, pictures, and movies of the boys at their site: www.isaacandwill.blogspot.com

2005

Christmas Update Coming Soon