Merry Christmas All Y'all!

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Dear Family and Friends,

I can hardly believe that 2010 is nearly behind us. It has been such a wonderful year for our family.

While 12 years ago our move to Dallas was suppose to be temporary, we find ourselves this Christmas still living in McKinney, Texas. Marty is now a Senior Manager with Ernst and Young and I am a part-time reading tutor and free lance writer. In addition to work and the kids' activities, we are quite involved at our church. This year, Marty and I began serving as small group leaders for 6th graders in our youth group at First Baptist McKinney. It has been a wonderful new adventure for us both and we have discovered that we love tweens.

The kids are all busy with church, friends and school. We thoroughly enjoy this busy season of life with them. It is so rewarding as we watch each of our children discover their gifts and talents. And we praise God for the wonderful friends with whom our kids spend so much of their time. Truly, childhood is even more fun the second time around.

Jack is now in 7th grade and he loves middle school. Last June, after two years of hard work, he earned his Black Belt in Taekwando. He plays the French Horn in the Dowell Middle School Band and is involved in the drama department at school as well. Just a few weeks ago, he was invited to participate in a district wide drama competiton called Drama Rama. To everyone's surprise, since it is an 8th grade competition, Jack took home 3rd place for his prose reading of a passage from The Hobbit. He seems to have found his passion in acting. This summer he served on a mission team on the Gulf Coast and assisted several churches there. Recently, he was invited to be part of the National Junior Honor Society. Jack is playful and kind and is always quick to laugh.

Lily is in the third grade and loves dance. This past fall, she took up Jazz dance and she has blossomed as a dancer. In October, she was able to dance with the Boyd High School drill team, the Bailadoras. Now she can't wait to become one herself! Dance practice is truly the highlight of her week. Lily has fallen in love with performing and loves being in front of an audience. We are all anxiously awaiting her dance recital this December. The routine is quite lively and fun and she will be performing to the song, "Run, Run Rudolph." Lily also has a beautiful voice and loves singing in the church choir. Charming and sweet, she sparkles from the inside out. And,to top it off, she has her Daddy's twisted sense of humor as well. She is so much fun!

Sofie, aka Honeybug, is now a big first grader. While she hates to sit down, Sofie has discovered that reading can be fun. The trick is getting her to be still. Recess continues to be her favorite time of day at school. ha! She is quite a busy little bee. Without a doubt, Bug is the athlete of the family. This fall, Sofie discovered Soccer and she is fierce and fast on the field. This winter, she is also playing Upward Basketball. To her delight, Marty is her coach. She is also running her first 1K this weekend in the 2nd Anuual Tiger Trot, a toy drive for Toys For Tots at her school, Glen Oaks Elementary. Like I said, she loves sports! In addition, Sofie is involved in Girls in Action through our church. She loves serving others, and I am often humbled by her kind heart and caring ways. Sofie is passionate and strong and fills our home with life.

While life keeps us very busy, we managed to get away several times this past year for a little playtime. In March, we took our annual weekend trip to Beaver's Bend in Oklahoma. This summer, the kids and I escaped to Iowa for a week. They loved playing with their cousins and visiting the campus at Iowa State University. And I was thrilled to reconnect with family and treasured friends. Late in the summer, we went to our favorite beach, Okaloosa Island, Florida and had a little fun in the sun as a family.

This week, our family has been part of The Christmas Journey. It is a live drive-thru depiction of scenes from the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Dressed in Biblical costumes, we have been able to experience a bit of first century life, and I gotta say, dressing was much more complicated back then. Still, the gift of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

As we prepare our hearts for Jesus' birth, I pray each of you are blessed by God's peace. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. May 2011 be a year of joy and peace for you and yours.

Much Love,
Marty, Heather,
Jack, Lily, and Sofie Arbuckle