Well folks, here we are again. No time at all and another year has flown by - full of good times and tough times, growing kids and grocery bills, and not at all enough time visiting with family and friends! Which, of course, is why we do these updates. Even if we've not been able to be together, we certainly want you to know what is up in the Reid house these days. So lets get started :)
January always begins for us with a very Christmassy trip to Flagstaff, Arizona to go sledding in the snow and enjoy the winter wonderland we can never seem to escape to in our busy December. Daddy enjoys the drive up, Elijah (and now Jordan) love the sledding, and mommy gets a kick out of watching daddy running up and down a slippery hill, hollering at the kids and working up a sweat in the freezing weather while she sips her cocoa. Then we drive two hours home with screaming kids, silently wondering what it is that draws us back each year. Good times.
We have been going for several years now to ChurchUSA that meets in a nearby school. Tiffani and I both sing in the choir, and Tiffani took on a very big project this year of helping to get our new Awana's program off the ground. It's finally chugging along and seems to be growing already. We hope that this wonderful kids program will be an effective outreach to the kids and families in the local community. Tiffani's sister Farrah and her family also attend Church USA, and we were excited this year to dedicate Jordan and Farrah's little boy, Micah, on the same day. We prayed for protection over the boys as they grow, and that God would not allow us to become conceited because we have the best looking and smartest kids around. Amen.
Elijah was thrilled when he got the opportunity to visit the BUILD A BEAR workshop where he built a Darth-Vader Monkey, turning what Rob thought was a somewhat feminine activity into a perfectly masculine experience. His new little friend even came with a real birth certificate, all at an unreal expense. Rob had to borrow from Elijah's college fund to pay for the little fellah.
In June, little Jordan turned a year old and was excited to finally start eating real food. He was even more excited to discover that he could also wear it. Thus began the food wars; an ongoing, intense battle of wills that includes food throwing, hand slapping, screaming, compromise, negotiations, taste testing, and occasionally resolution.
Elijah got into the fun little habit of going to Lowe’s on Saturday mornings during the summer for their 'build & grow' program (long-term customer retention strategy); - each week they learn how to build a fun new toy of some sort. It also helped confirm to us that Elijah probably won't be pursuing a degree as an engineer or builder, and to follow our instincts of helping him develop his more artistic abilities :) kidding of course.
sort of.
We were also thrilled to take Elijah to see something every child should have the chance to see: Barnum & Baily's Greatest Show On Earth, where you get to sit for an hour eating candy and popcorn and watching elephants poop and amazing stuff like that. We had so much fun I was worried Elijah might run off and join the circus.
We celebrated the fourth of July in AZ by turning the A/C as low as it would go! Just kidding, that's how we celebrate half the year out here. We stayed home this year and watched other people celebrate on TV. We did manage our own tasty meal of hamburgers and hotdogs, which is basically what the 4th is all about anyway, right?
In July, Tiffani and I celebrated our 9th anniversary by going to one of those vacation club things where they try to sell you a time-share. Question for you; Does anyone know at what year in your marriage you stop trying to get something for nothing? Just curious. We fell for this one at like year 3 or 4 too, and we can't quite remember why we didn't learn our lesson then. (we didn’t buy) Still, we had fun and kept telling ourselves that once we've been married a decade we can start spending real money on vacations.
We did go on a short trip together to TN. to take part in the 2010 Lee University Celebration. It was so nice to get back on campus and see the amazing things God has been doing since we left. Rob also got the opportunity to teach a seminar on campus about our business and his work in the field since graduating from Lee in 1998. Tiffani worked out an intricate series of hand gestures so she could warn him from the back of the room when he was in danger of putting everyone to sleep. Boy was she tired after that class!
Tiffani went from our event at Lee to Charlotte NC to be with Rob's parents and the boys while Rob began what would turn out to be the busiest month ever for The Reid Effect. We shot two documentary's, several other misc projects and worked in five different states during that period. We're so thankful for the growth we've seen and are excited about the coming year. There are lots of potential opportunities up in the air right now as we seek the Lords guidance about where to go and how to grow. Go here to keep up with what we’re doing these days: www.thereideffect.com
November always starts with an exciting event. Elijah’s birthday party. This year marked half a decade. Since we were potentially going to be out of town for his birthday, we celebrated early by having a Costume party with all his friends the day before Halloween. We smashed a pinata in the yard, fed everyone candy, and sent the parents home with wired children. It was great fun. The boys were so cute. Eli was Goliath and Jordan was David.
Thanksgiving and the holidays arrived faster than ever. We celebrated in AZ with Tiffani's family - and left the next day to Sedona with Dwayne and Shari, Farrah, Abel & Micah for a few quiet, cold and christmassy days up in God's country. It was nice to get out of the frenzy of life for a few days and just slow down. On the way home, we went by Flagstaff and started what will now be a Reid family tradition of cutting down our own Christmas Tree. It was great. - Rob got to cut down the tree and everything - and no one got hurt, so we were thankful for that. :) We strapped it to the roof and sang Christmas Carols all the way home.
December rolled into Arizona with chilling 80 degree weather, so Tiffani pulled out the Dicken's costumes and began preparing for the calls to start as they always do this time of year. For what, you say? Why, for the Arizona Christmas Carolers, Tiffani’s splendid, Holiday Entrepreneurial Enterprise. In it’s third year now, the AZ Christmas Carolers is poised to become Arizona’s ‘must have’ addition to any reputable holiday party in the desert. They’ve enjoyed great success, and Tiffani is enjoying running her own business. Visit www.arizonachristmascarolers.com for more info :)
This past weekend marked Elijah's very first solo performance at Northridge Community Church, where Tiffani's dad is the music minister. Eli sang "Away in a Manger" and did a splendid job. He had no stage fright. We were shocked and happy that he had so much fun. He must be a natural!
So here we are, getting ready to leave soon to Charlotte to celebrate Christmas with Robs family, and more than ever, we’re determined not to let the fast pace of our culture fling us through the season without taking some time to reflect. On everything:
On the beautiful simplicity of a baby in a manger, and the astounding impact that has on our lives.
* On the year behind us, and how all the single events combine to form a tapestry that God is beautifully weaving together for His glory.
* On our friends and family; the ones who share this journey with us. We're so thankful for all of you and your contributions to our lives. We are better because of you. LIFE is better because of you!
* On the Road we're walking; doing our best to manage the precious things God has entrusted us with - each other, our children, our business, our walk with Him. It's scary at times, but God is gracious. We know He doesn't expect perfection - just steady commitment to follow where He leads.
So Merry Christmas to all of you! We hope you have been blessed this year, and that 2011 will be filled with all the things that make life beautiful. We pray God's blessing and protection over you and hope our paths cross again sooner than later!
Love, The AZ Reid Family (Rob, Tiffani, Elijah, & Jordan)
