Christmas Letter 2011

Merry Christmas Friends and Family!

We hope you are happy, healthy and enjoying the end of another great year!

2011 has been a crazy year for us Renshaws – as apparent from my lack of a homemade Christmas card – but we’ve been enjoying every busy moment!

Here’s a short recap of what’s going on with everyone:

Dwight just completed his 3^rd semester of grad school . He’s working toward his Masters Degree in Space Systems. He’s really enjoying all the things that he is learning and is excited about how he’ll be able to apply them throughout his career with NASA. This year, the Space Shuttle has begun its retirement. It was a bittersweet experience to be able to see the final launch, but Dwight is really looking forward to being a part of what is coming next in the future of “Manned Space Flight”. Between helping to retire the Shuttle, working on the logistics for the new programs and taking two courses each semester for school, Dwight stays pretty busy. But he takes every opportunity he can to play with the kids and spend quality time with me. His hobbies and grass mowing have had to take a bit of a backseat while he’s doing school, but family is still his #1 priority.

I (Peggy) am still enjoying every second of at staying home with the kids. It is such a blessing! I am also blessed with the opportunity to sing in two ensembles, Broadsteet, a soon-to-be-complete octet, and Soliloquy, a trio that’s about to become a women’s quartet. Dwight really encourages and supports me in being a part of those groups and strengthening my talents. I never feel burnt out from spending the majority of my days with kids since I get to look forward to rehearsals, performances, MOPS group meetings and playdates with some amazing friends! If I have a few spare moments I try to get caught up on my craft projects and reading.

Jonah, who will be 3 in January, is quickly becoming the funnest, most intelligent and handsome little man there ever was! I don’t think our days can ever be dull when they begin with his sweet little voice singing “Good Morning to You”! Some of his other favorite songs are ABC’s, Hugga Bugga Boo, Families Can Be Together Forever, and most recently Santa Claus is coming to town and Jingle Bells. And along with the singing comes plenty of dancing. He also loves anything to do with rocket ships (including Buzz Lightyear who is his hero), trains, bubbles and Mickey Mouse. He loves going to parks and has asked Santa for a swing set (which Santa will hopefully be able to get put together before Christmas). He has several little friends he gets to play with on a regular basis. We love our playdates! And he says the sweetest little prayers. In fact, he’ll let me know if I have forgotten to say a “prayer Heavenly Father”. We are very lucky parents to have him in our family!

Becca, who just turned 1 on 11-11-11, raced through her first year of life! We can’t believe how fast it’s gone and how quickly she’s grown! She is such a beautiful little girl, and so smart! She started mimicking us very early and mastered her fine motor skills before she was even rolling over. She’s not very interested in walking just yet, but she tries very hard to do most everything else that she sees her big brother doing, including singing (it’s so sweet to hear her melodic coos) and playing with our dog, Sahara. She absolutely adores her Daddy, but doesn’t like to be held by anyone but Mommy if she’s in the same room as me. Occasionally I can get her to keep a headband on, but more often I’ll just opt for the pig tails because they are harder to pull out. One day she may tell us that she’s done with ribbons and flowers, but until then, I love playing dress-up with my beautiful baby girl. She has got quite a personality, very strong and very fun. She’s definitely our little princess. We can’t imagine our family without her!

This has been a very happy year for us. We’ve loved every moment of watching our two little ones grow and learn and develop their beautiful personalities. We’ve strengthened relationships with old friends, have made some new ones and have spent time some quality time with our extended families even though they live far away. We’ve done a little bit of traveling including a trip to AZ for Becca’s blessing at the beginning of the year and other one for my brother Cody’s wedding last month. Dwight and I had an opportunity to go on a cruise in October without the kids. It was the shortest cruise we have ever been on (3 nights) but we couldn’t wait to get back to our sweet kids. We are so blessed to be able to have friends who allow us to go on dates and trips as a couple, but we always look forward to being back with Jonah and Becca when they’re over.

This next year we have a couple of exciting events to look forward to. We’ll be doing the East Coast road trip that we’ve been talking about for years so that we can attend Dwight’s 10 year King’s Point reunion. We’re also toying with the idea of spending a week with some friends in a cabin sometime around next Christmas so that the kids might actually get to see what real snow is like. Other than that, next year will hopefully just be another wonderful year of growing closer as a family while our watching our children grow taller and smarter.  We feel truly blessed in our lives, relationships and testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ and how His Gospel helps us find true joy!

We hope that this next year brings you many blessings and that we are always able to keep in touch. Remember, you always have a place to stay when you come down to Florida!

Lots of Love,

Dwight, Peggy, Jonah and Rebecca