We have it in our calendars to write this on Black Friday. That’s kinda how we see our years rolling: 1 Dec-30 November. But we never write it that day–other things (not shopping) to do.

And thus we find ourselves doing the same thing we do “every” year. Writing it just before (or just after) Christmas. Once upon a time we thought we wanted to be adults and send out Christmas cards. But even when we had a real job, we just never bought them (or ever stood to have pictures taken) so we do this. (And sometimes (like last year) we stand and have pictures taken.)

We don’t have much to report, really, this year. Only that we’re like to be taking a lot more pictures in coming years.

Although not of ourselves…

In January, Jordan was working for “the Division” (which I’m pretty sure is what every “division” calls itself…) as the Native Forb Biologist (Division of Wildlife Resources (a Division of the Division of Natural Resources…(see where I’m getting? and what I have to work with?))). And yes, “forb” is a real word. It means “wildflower.” I dunno why it hasn’t caught on, it’s shorter and easier to say… And I was finishing up the last semester of my last master’s degree. Probably…

Nothing really important happened until April. Which is another foreshadowing of things to come…

April was also graduation. The ceremony. Not the actual thing. Because apparently you can go through the motions without having finished the work? The promise of “I’ll get it done” I guess. (Still waiting on one of the people in the pic to actually finish the work…)

April through June was heavily focused on packing up the house. We’d visited Manhattan, Kansas (the “little apple”) after deciding to move to Kansas State for Ph.D. work. So it was time to get ready to move and the place we were moving to was available at the end of June. The week before we had 2 vacation weeks planned back to back in Idaho and Montana.

So we drove a moving truck, asked the local ward for a bit of muscle and then didn’t go to church for 3 weeks with them.

They got us back though. Called us as Gospel Doctrine teachers. (Which of course is all Lee J has ever wanted. And Jordan’s been good-natured about it and hasn’t really complained.)

The Idaho and Montana trip ended up with us seeing 5 states (on vacation, and a few more returning to Kansas (which would equal 25 east coast states). We drove about 3000 miles in two weeks, visiting family we aren’t likely to see during the four years we’re in Manhattan. And celebrated Jordan’s 11th 29th birthday.

And we spent some time trying to tell people what we did in April. We weren’t very good at it. We really didn’t become good at it until November.

Lee J began working in his research lab in late July and coursework started in August. Everyone kept asking Jordan what she was planning on doing and she stammered out answers that amounted to “not working.” (Gratefully, she’s pretty bad at making up stories, so Lee J doesn’t have to worry about being lied to.)

And so it’s probably time to tell you what happened in April.

After years of discussion, disappointments, and invasive procedures (and one trip through a McDonald’s drive through), we elected to transfer another embryo to Jordan and try again to have a child. (IVF seems the only way–Lee J’s better at talking about it, but Jordan has more experience first hand.)

It wasn’t till late June that we were relatively confident the process led to a reliable pregnancy. Hence we started telling family. And in mid July, we found out she was having a girl.

Jordan started showing in July/August (according to Lee J (who knows–he saw it from a distance) but not according to Jordan, who thought she hid it till late August), but we were bad talking about it, so the Manhattan Ward was full of a lot of speculation for a few weeks. But Jordan told her ministering sisters, who threw her a shower that many of women in the ward came to. (It’s been wonderful to be welcomed, loved, and integrated so quickly.)

So basically our entire focus for the last few months has been nesting, prepping for baby, and packing for the hospital. Which we may not go to any time soon.

We wanted to put off writing this till she came. But that could be 5 January (the due date) and if we waited that long, this wouldn’t be a Christmas card. (Nor would we remember this needed to be written.)

So.

We’ve seen miracles this year. From showing up in Kansas in March on the only possible pair of days we could have overlapped with the people we bought our Kansas place from, to having an actual human (who probably is our genetic material*) grow inside of Jordan for the last 9 months, to settling in and loving and being loved, things are good for us.

We’re looking forward to another little miracle (who probably weighs about 8lbs right now) come and join us in the next two weeks. (She’s got some attitude, as you can see. She blows nose bubbles and she puts her face on the copy machine glass…)

Our little miracle has given us a different insight to the challenges Mary and Joseph endured, walking 100 miles before giving birth in a stable (or cave, but definitely an animal shelter), and the joys that come from any child. It’s given us time to ponder the symbolism of birth, involving water, blood, and spirit, and the elements necessary for exaltation (water, blood, spirit (Moses 5: 59-60)). And it’s made us grateful for the divine role of women in God’s plan, as well as the symbol they are of Jesus, who we all require as Savior in our journey back to our Father’s arms.

So we currently move forward, still just the two of us.

But it’s about to be three.

Merry Christmas.

We’re grateful for you in our lives.

* This is the academic bent of both of us coming through. The girl is our daughter–Jordan grew and nourished her, but there’s always a small likelihood there were mix ups in the lab and test tubes end up in the wrong place and she’s not our genetics. Chances of this with IVF are small, but not zero.
So it’s a joke.
Lighten up.