Happy Holidays!

Greetings!

Well another year has come and gone and it’s definitely been an exciting one! Since I am SOOO far behind I thought I would post our holiday letter instead of sending one out. Also instead of doing our regular recap of our lives I thought we would do a “Top 5 list for 2007”!

1. Presenting………….Diego!
In taking after his mother, Diego decided that he could not make just “any entrance” into this family. In January Christine was put on bed rest due to pre-eclampsia. By early February the pre-eclampsia had gotten so bad that Christine’s kidneys started to fail. Finally the doctor’s decided that it was time for little Diego to make his grand entrance. Christine’s parents, Gus and Peggy, drove straight through the night from Texas and were able to make it in time to be there for the birth of their 1st grandchild. So on February 22nd Diego came screaming and kicking into our lives at a healthy 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 21 inches long. And so began the greatest journey of our lives...

We had the opportunity to go back down to Texas in July to get Diego baptized. Christine’s cousin Fernando and her friend Melissa were gracious enough to become Diego’s godparents. After the baptism Christine’s parents had a really nice reception at their house. It was great getting to see most of our family and friends.

The year has been full of milestones and we have been blessed with an extremely happy baby. He’s very curious and is quickly on his way to walking. Every day is a new adventure for not only Diego but also Christine & Rudy.

2. Parade of Parents
Well it took the birth of Diego to get some of our parents down but hey you do what you have to do! We were blessed to get to have Christine’s parents, Gus and Peggy, here for the birth and the week afterwards. They were definitely a god sent since Christine, Rudy and Diego spent 4 days in the hospital after Diego was born. If it wasn’t for Christine’s mom cooking and freezing a bunch of meals we definitely would have been living off of peanut butter & jelly once all the parents left.

The day Christine’s parents left Rudy’s parents, Olga and Rudolfo, came. They were able to spend 2 weeks with us. Rudy’s mom was extremely helpful around the house and with the baby and Rudy’s dad helped us get a TON of house projects done. A week after Rudy’s parents left, Christine’s parents, Terry and Henry came for a short weekend visit with Christine’s brother James and her sister Erin. We had a wonderful time visiting and definitely wished it could have been a longer visit.

3. A New Job
Christine started a new job in August as a Compensation Consultant at UnitedHealth Group. It’s definitely been a change from Stanton Group but a good one.

4. The Big Move
Christine’s parents moved to Nhulunbuy, Australia in October. Christine’s dad went first and then her mom was able to join him a little over a month later. They were able to take their 3 dogs; however, they were not able to take their conure, Romeo, with them because the quarantine rules are extremely strict. So……we are now the temporary guardians of Romeo until they come back in approximately 2 years. He has been a welcomed addition to our household and provides a great source of entertainment to Diego. It’s been difficult on Christine having her parents so far away but opportunities like this don’t come along every day.

5. Viva Mexico!
This year Rudy worked extremely hard on a very important project for his work and after it was finished we decided to take a much needed vacation to Cabo San Lucas The place we stayed was amazing and had a wonderful view overlooking the Sea of Cortez. An added bonus was that it just so happened that Christine’s friend Melissa, her husband and daughter were there at the same time! Rudy went deep sea fishing with Melissa’s husband; we did a lot of shopping and eating some of the best Mexican food ever. It was sunny and warm the entire time and we definitely will be going back.

Well that’s our recap of the year. We hope this posting finds you all in good health. Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

Love,
Christine, Rudy and Diego