2011 Christmas letter

Merry Christmas family and friends! We’ve moved into the digital age with our letter this year, only sending out an email version. So you can stop eagerly looking in your mailbox for an envelope from us. Our reason for this is mostly due to time. We’ve had a busy latter half of the year and time is precious.
The most important news of this year, and biggest time taker, is that we finally had a little girl. She took her time coming, but now that she’s here she seems to fit right into our family. There’s no telling what will happen when she starts trying to exert her own will, but for now she is just adorable. Her name is Laina Rose, nickname Lainey. We didn’t settle on that name until a week after we brought her home. We know that Lainey isn’t any shorter than Laina, as nicknames usually are shorter, but it just fits her so well.
Laina was born November 2 in the wee hours of the morning. She only weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz., she started out rather petite. The labor went smoothly and the hospital in Ashland was surprisingly enjoyable, by far the best we’ve had so far. Now that she’s home she mostly just eats and sleeps. She can’t be called petite any longer, she has grown some healthy chubby cheeks.
The second most important news we have is that we moved to Medford, a larger city in southern Oregon, this summer. After 5 years as an associate, it was time in Adam’s professional career to take the next big step and buy a practice. It seemed very logical and natural that we should look in southern Oregon. The practice he found and purchased has turned out to be a blessing. It’s in a great location and already had some great patients. The staff has been completely supportive and enthusiastic about the change. Month by month it grows stronger as we put in a lot of effort, shaping it into a welcoming place for the patients. The facility itself needed some serious overhaul, lots of painting and clearing out worthless clutter. There are a million details to attend to as a business-owner, so we’ve had to learn quickly.
Regina has been a vital part of all the transition. She has been the driving force behind the remodeling of the office. She was painting and climbing ladders all while being very pregnant. Because Adam took over in July, he had to live in Medford during the week, then drive back to Roseburg on weekends. That meant that Regina was a single parent the whole week, taking care of the three boys and trying to prepare the house for the move and renting. Now that the move is done and the baby is here, things have settled a little. She has really enjoyed living in Medford. She's making lots of friends and figuring out what the are has to offer the kids.
The boys have adjusted quickly to our new life and love the new friends. Individually they are all very sweet. Together they act more like a pack of wild Indians. Though they do love their new sister and are very protective of her. The world stops when she starts to cry and they will scramble to make her happy again.
Calvin is still a big reader. We had to finally set a rule that he couldn’t get up before 6 am to read. He was waking up as early as 4:30 to read before school. If he isn’t reading he’s playing Legos. He spends hours creating and imagining. Because he turned 8 this year, Calvin was also baptized; it was a very special day for him.
Landon cares only for activities that require action and movement. He’s our expensive child as far as hospital bills go. He loves soccer, gymnastics, Judo, and after seeing the Nutcrackers says that he wants to do ballet too. He’s really doing well in 1st grade and enjoys challenging himself in reading and math. Both Calvin and he are taking piano lessons still and it’s fun to see them practice together.
Seth is now a big 4-year-old. If you want to see his true personality you have to see him at home. He’s definitely the most shy of our kids, but at home he’s quite a character. For better or for worse he has turned into a Landon groupie. He eats, says, and does everything that Landon does. The adoration is bound to end eventually, but it’s funny to watch for now.
We do still have a cat named Sam. So far he hasn’t done anything to deserve the death penalty, despite my efforts to catch him red-handed. I think the only thing saving him is the fact the kids pray for his safety at least three times a day.
We have had so many blessings and thank our Heavenly Father every day. This Christmas has been a wonderful time and we loved just being together in our own home as a family.
Love,
The Davis'