{Between the Lines} of the Annual Christmas Letter.

Have you ever been the (un)lucky recipient of a lengthy annual Christmas letter listing the glowing highlights of the year along with  reports of each and every family member's epic accomplishments that leave you feeling like you're suddenly in dead heat for the Under-Achiever of the Universe crown?  Me too. For those of us who are tapped into the internet world,  these letters are often delivered to us in snippets (posts/status updates/blog entries/texts) throughout ALL THE LIVELONG YEAR. None of us are exempt from the temptation of delving into a little subtle self-praise now and then, but there are some that are just so talented at it! Just for fun, I thought I would take a few of the pictures of the last year taken from my phone of my very real (and also very wonderful) life and pair them with the kind of letters/updates we love to roll our eyes at...showing that it is quite easy to construct a rosy picture with words but more important to remember that in all of our lives, whether captured in a once-a-year-letter or in daily-social-media-updates, there is plenty of living space between the lines that never make the final cut.

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s hard to believe this time of year has swept around again already!  No doubt you’ve been waiting with bated breath for this, the Miller family “newsletter”, so let us not waste a moment’s time and delve into a few of the highlights of our 2013.

Only four years ago, we had a young teenager and five babies/toddlers scurrying about the house and now we find it hard to believe that we have a nineteen year old and five preschool/elementary aged children who delight us at every turn.  We have dubbed our home "Tranquility Cove" and truthfully,  it's a struggle to leave, even as we're right about to leave for a date night (which we faithfully take every Friday night without fail).

Last Spring, Curt and I were so humbled when asked to be the keynote speakers at a local marriage conference. It was so exhilarating to share the creative and endearing ways we have learned to effectively communicate with each other! PTL!

After resounding affirmation from the conference participants, we decided to take a big step of faith.  In the last few months, after the children are in bed, we have spent hours assembling all of our "best practices"  and have a book proposal nearly ready to submit to publishers! We can hardly wait until the children go to sleep just to have the chance to creatively collaborate together. We often joke about not needing a  fireplace due to all the creative sparks flying around!

This summer we took the television out of the house due to a decision to remove the temptation it can turn into (or so we've heard from other families of small children). It took no time at all for them to forget it and find educationally enriching group activities to enjoy together. What a delight to see our children gravitate so naturally towards academically enriching and team-centered projects.  We've even heard our neighbors remark to each other how interesting our children are. Again, we just thank the Lord and strive to be a class act in a weary and watching world.

As each child turns another year older, Jeane' thoroughly enjoys combing through Pinterest and amassing all sorts of ideas to create a birthday party to commemorate their special day in a deeply personalized way. Curt jokingly refers to me as the "Hotter, Nicer Martha Stewart". {Blush!} What a card! Anyhow, we don't have enough space to detail all the various, back-to-back themed parties enjoyed over the birthday months, but hopefully the memories our children have (which are what counts anyway, right?!) will stick with them...those, and the ceramic garden stepping stones of their birthstone encrusted  footprints we commenced each party with.

We enjoyed taking a few more trips than usual this past year, and without fail, the favorite moments of any vacation are always in the car rides to and from. Singing contests (back seat vs. middle seat!), family prayer time and a great chance to catch up on reading the classics aloud to each other (Tolstein was the surprise hit of the summer!)...all these things producing happy hearts and contented spirits as scenes of Americana pass outside the windows. (And it's so nice to get a chance to just chill and take in the views in the passenger's seat! I felt bad hubby had to do all the work and drive).

Of course the year was not without it's low points. Like when our trusty garden rototiller broke and we didn't have money to spare toward it's repair. We fasted over how to break the hardened earth without it's sharp metal prongs but we needn't have worried. Through unconventional means, the earth was broken up, readied for the garden (we ended up not planting) and we didn't have to lay one dollar down.  What else can we say?  It was a God thing.

The hubs continues to love shopping for a good deal, even more than me!  Because of that, we were able to outfit all the children in bright-colored coordinating resort/swimwear from Janie and Jack, which made it uber easy to pick out our little cherubs on crowded beaches and and in busy water parks (a  complimentary tip from a large family! ha!). We love a sunny day and were thankful to RandomLadyOnTheBeach Photography for so beautifully capturing a few family photos for this annual Christmas letter. We were so pleased with how she captured (mostly) our little crew and their personalities. (She is available for Senior, Newborn and Family full or mini-sessions. If you can find her. She wears a bright yellow Banana Boat sun visor).

We would have loved to share even more, but as we close this letter the smell of homemade Gingerbread is wafting through the air and it's just about time to start constructing the annual Miller Gingerbread Masterpiece: This year, it's a full-scale remake of The Great Gatsby's mansion, complete with period-appropriate party revelers. The children are already 'round the table with  anticipatory hearts ready to get started.

God bless you and yours, and may your holidays be full of magic and memory-making.

Warmly,
Jeane` (for all)

Merry Christmas from our imperfect (but happy!) little family to yours!