Christmas 2010

Crowell Family 2010 
Hilton Head, South Carolina


I hope this letter finds everyone healthy and happy this Christmas Season. We decided to save a tree and write our Christmas letter on our blog this year. I have severely neglected my blog this year due to being crazy busy so hopefully this will get me blogging again. 2010 was a year of MANY changes! Here are a few of the major ones:

• Aaron left Phase 5 Consulting and accepted a position at MTM as their VP of Sales. He is enjoying his new position but does travel frequently. This has been an adjustment to say the least but also very rewarding and satisfying. He remains a partner at Phase 5 Consulting.
• I accepted a position at Nurses for Newborns as a nurse in the North City/North County area of St. Louis. I absolutely LOVE my job and have been so blessed by the clients that I serve. My eyes have been opened to extreme poverty that on some days will take my breath away and bring me to tears. I feel that God completely lead me to this work and I pray every day that I can make a positive impact on their lives.
• Rachel and Madison are in their last year of middle school and will head to high school next year. I can not believe that my baby girls will be 14 in a couple of weeks. They are typical teenagers with extreme highs and extreme lows. Whew! Exhausting to say the least but fun!
• Jordan is in 6th grade and is also looking forward to Rachel and Madi moving on to high school. Apparently they often come into her classroom and kiss and hug her. And if you know Jordan, she isn't really into affection. She continues to LOVE soccer and actually went undefeated this season. Their team scored over 40 goals and had 4 scored against them. There is talk of the team going to Scotland in 2012. Should be an adventure.
• Olivia is in 3rd grade and is loving school. She is starting basketball right after Christmas and is so excited. Olivia is a sweet girl that LOVES her dog Sonny, Barbies, dancing and snuggling.
• Our family traveled to South Dakota again this year to work on the Lakota Indian Reservation. This was our second year going on this mission trip. Our girls absolutely love the children on the Reservation which broke our hearts once again leaving them. We endured tornadoes, sickness, and a host of other problems during this crazy but amazing week. Check the posting before this one to read about our trip. The children will melt your heart!

Our family was blessed with 2 very special additions in January. Aaron's sister, Megan, had a little boy named Lucian. He lives in Portland so we can not see him very often but love when we can spend time with this darling little boy. As you can see, the girls LOVED him. Also in January, my brother Michael and his wife Jessica had a daughter named Elle. She is an absolute doll that we immediately fell in love with.

Our family also experienced loss this year.

My cousin Kelly passed away in October at

the age of 39. Growing up, Kelly and I spent

a lot of time together but lost touch after she

moved to California as a teen. We were able to

spend some very precious time this summer

and these are the times that I will forever be

grateful for. I was honored to give the eulogy

for this sweet woman and will always remember

her with love.

We also lost our sweet, sweet G.G. last month. Aaron's Grandmother was such an important member of our family. She was at every birthday party and holiday that my children can ever remember. She had an amazing sense of humor right until the very end. Olivia was named after her and even spoke at her funeral. There wasn't a dry eye in the whole place. We will miss her tremendously but her love will always remain in our hearts. XOXXO

And so as another year comes to a close, I am filled with peace and humility for the many ways that our lives have been changed this past year. I look forward to 2011 with wonder to see what God brings our way. We have experienced blessings as well as loss, happiness and pain, challenges and disappointments. But through it all we have experienced undeniable comfort and love from God. We have discovered the constants in our life...the love of our family, the grace of God and friendships that have stood the test of time.

May the peace and love of Christmas fill your hearts this beautiful season.

With Much Love,

The Crowell Family

Aaron, Jenn, Rachel, Madison, Jordan, Olivia and Sonny

XOXXO