December 23, 2009

oUr fAmiLy nEwsLeTtEr "09

Dear freinds and family,

So greatful to tell you about our year!

Jordan/Jason/Wes/Taylor {JJWT} is best daddy/hubby ever and smartest in his law/biz/med/dental school class and gets killer grades and is sooo exited to graduate in spring so he can win provider of the year award! He lifts and runs and bikes and his bball team won in the whole 17 stake region and all the wive's made t-shirts they wore to the finals AND he studies all day AND he even made dinner once, how did TAMNers get sooo lucky??

Tiffany/Amber/Megan/Nicole {TAMN}
spent this year blogging her brains out, growing up tons as she transitioned from Joanns to Etsy and from lipgloss to lipSTICK and from PB to VINTAGE and from 5Ks to 10Ks of which she did a ton and she is now officially off diet coke again and handmakes everything in they're home that's not Anthro! Being in law/biz/med/dental school is so hard but so worth it. She lurves being a SAHM and going to the gym and her zero training, oops, "self taught" photog biz is BOOMING {email to schedule!} and she can't wait to share a new opportunity w/ you at her home party next weekend plz bring check or cash!

There two adorable twin's birthed naturally in March,
Alivyiah TreCole and Tridger Kaegrin, are such a total joy! Alivyiah is a total princess and Tridger is all boy! It's been challenging to adjust to their 7 PM - 8 AM sleeping schedules but we did it! They started crawling three months earlier then your kids ever did and can sign way more words than anyone in any of they're 8 playgroups! So greatful they are finally being challenged in the gifted pre-pre-school the mom's in our neighborhood run. Love taking pics of them in buckets, cowboy boots, train tracks and other bizarre props and then editing it so there eyes glow in the dark!

Living in DC this summer for our internship was such a growing experience only getting to come home every 2 weeks and meeting tons of diverse couples excactly like us in every way! Way hard being away from our McMansion but so fun to come home and redecorate to represent how urban we got! Between redecorating, hair appts, girls trips to NYC, tons of fam Pal trips and cruises galorre, it has been a cRaZy year but we feel SO blessed in our ability to conspicuously consume! Love you guys!

Sorry you lost your job. :(


{heart}
TAMNers, JJWTkins, Tridger and Alivyiah

67 comments:

andrew cottle said...

"Conspicuously consume." Freaking perfect. Solid wrap-up for the year.

Anonymous said...

I loved reading this it made e smile. I love the taking photos part in your childerns description. HILARIOUS!

Merry Holidays! (I can't say Christmas anymore, might offend =(

hubby and me - mumsy said...

I wish I had pics of my grandkids where their eyes are glowing in the dark. (And my daughter calls herself a photographer.)
Loved this post. Merry Christmas.

SuddenlySouthernCyndi said...

The ending was priceless. Oh, and train tracks? Yikes! But yeah, wouldn't put it past some of..well, you know, you people.

Kristina P. said...

I was feeling horribly depressed about us pretend losing our jobs, but your condolences at the end really put things into perspective and made me feel all warm and cuddly.

Who needs Santa or Baby Jesus when we have TAMN?

Sarah said...

"Sorry you lost your job" is my favorite line.

La Yen said...

Best one ever. Freals.

Michael and Blair Kannely said...

hahaha!You are SO blessed. I'm SO jealous.

Lizzen said...

BEST. POST. EVER!!! No really TAMN, you outdid yourself. BRA-VO!

Jules AF said...

He made dinner once?!? What an awesome husband! Did he babysit the kids a lot too????

Mary said...

Your letter totally puts mine to shame. Merry Christmas!

Cristin said...

"Sorry you lost your job."

That was the best line ever.

Liv said...

you're supposed to use a condescending tone to tell me that you just don't know what you'd do if your husband lost HIS job and you had to figure out how to survive!

i mean duh. that's what i hear all the time about my husband being unemployed time and time again.

Kristen Howerton said...

My eight-month-old just recited Luke 4 using baby signs. And my Christmas letter is way more humble than yours.

Kari said...

I was wondering when you were going to do your family newsletter?! LOVED IT!! Especially the part "Sorry you lost your job. :(" You are sooo sensitive and sweet to think of others in your newsletter!!!!

Little Lovables said...

Your letter is so heart warming! I'm officialy blessed to be your papyrus fonted friend!

I'm a little shocked you didn't mention how amazing your angelbabes is in cuddling and how adorable Alivyiah is in her bows so big she can barely lift her head. (frownsmile)

Are you sending a letter to Lynzii... bet that one will have EXTRA glitter on it!

Anonymous said...

"so there eyes glow in the dark"--best line I think you've ever written.

Anna said...

My new favorite post. Thank you.

Jo Holland said...

OH MY PERFECT.

Erin said...

Oh my gosh. "Conspicuously consume!" and "Sorry you lost your job." are my VERY FAVORITE LINES EVER! My husband and I both busted a gut! Nice.

April said...

Don't forget to include all your belly pix! I hope you got awesome stationary too with a swirly border to include in the envelope along with a digitley made christmas photo card with profesional photos of you all in Uggs and Anthro with glow in the dark eyes.

Rebecca said...

Yea for posting your Christmas letter! I'm so proud of you and your amazing family and I almost cried when you said your glorious hubby made dinner once. What a trooper! Next time be sure to write about your amazing spirichual callings you have in the church, bcs we all know that's whats important.

Sarah Mennear said...

Your best yet

Kris said...

So glad you had such an incredible year!!!! You certainly made mine more enjoyable!!!! THANX!!!!

Katya said...

"SO blessed in our ability to conspicuously consume!"

spot on, TAMNers, you are brilliant.

Jessica said...

Holy Cow! I had no clue you had your own photog biz! I should've known! I feel so silly. I hope 2010 is as good for me as 2009 was for you! I've got ALOT to live up to!

AnnaJ said...

The Papyrus font needs to be banned.

Kristen said...

I feel so blessed reading all about your awesome year (which sounds waaaay cooler than mine!) Please tell me you sent this with a DVD containing the "Best of 2009" pictures of your family (seriously, I have seen this done! WEIRD...but yours would be super cute).

Chelsea said...

That last line made me laugh so hard my belly hurt. Classic.

Anonymous said...

I didn't get hard-copy cards sent out this year and have been trying to decide between aiming for a New Year's card (or maybe Easter) or just doing a blog newsletter. You just helped me make up my mind for None Of The Above! I could never top or even match you're awesomeness.

Anonymous said...

P.S. I TOTALLY want to try that glow-in-the-dark eyes thing now. Is it too cold to take the kids out on the tracks for photos right now? Or do you follow the true untrained photographer's motto: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor lack of food in the little ones' tummies, stays us from getting just one more shot, (and another, and another)."

Madame Palmkey said...

I know you've informed us that Tridger is all boy before, but I'm thankful that your reiterated that. I recently read an article in the New Yorker (I know YAWNERS but it made me look way smart and sophisticated -- usually I just read the cartoons) about intersexuality, particularly focussing on the controversy around Caster Semenya, the South African runner. Believe me, I could not be more relieved to know that your son has both external and internal organs confirming his gender. I notice that you never affirm Aliviyah's gender however. Not to be rude or pry or anything, but does she have adorable wee button ovaries or not? because in the unlikely event that she ever does anything athletic other than cheerleading you'll want to be sure.

Camille said...

Just more evidence of what I have to live up to!

Mom always liked you better...

Merry Christmas! I'm sure Santa will bring you everything you asked for...

Moniker Challenged said...

Sweet mother of mercy. I will have to print this one out to clutch to my bosom ( or better yet, my lips) as I try to make my way through another year's newsletters without vomiting.

Anna@Exasperation said...

I just can't figure out how you get better all the time...

Elissa said...

"conspicuously consume"--wow I'll bet that wonderful hubby of yours helped you out with the newsletter, giving you tips on the big words. What a sweetie!

Becky T said...

"self taught" photog biz and glow in the dark eyes. OOOH! This is #1 on my list of favorite posts now. Defiantly.

Christin said...

I'm so glad that you finally mentioned your photography bizness, I always felt like this was the only thing missing from your blog.

Salt H2O said...

The sad thing is- I actually got a Christmas Card that sounded just like this. (Except they left out the 'sorry you lost your job' part)

But they were one step ahead of you TAMN, she MADE her own cards with Heritage Makers so there was LITTERALLY 25 different pictures of her family on her Christmas Card.

GladysIcanbe! said...

"sorry you lost your job"---would have seemed a teensy insincere if you'd put it in glitter.

GladysIcanbe! said...

"sorry you lost your job"---would have seemed a teensy insincere if you'd put it in glitter.

Muum said...

SCReech that was funny. I am glad I didn't get to the annyal Christmas letter this year. maybe I'll just copy and paste and pretend I am you. ttyl!

Brian and Janette said...

10ks? What about your marathon?

Jessica said...

this is so good.
it's so true, why do moms always have some photography biz on the side?

j and s (but mainly s) said...

love that last line.

David B said...

Glad you showed some love to the less fortunate at the end of your letter. Proof that you’ve grown soooooooo much since last year—way to go!

Frau said...

My sister and I have been talking about the glow in the dark eyes for awhile. I wonder if her disapproval for that fad is the reason why she is inactive.

Familia Fowler said...

Once again; so accurate it is scary!

: ) Paula said...

Congrats on graduating to both Etsy AND lipstick. "Conspicuously consuming" needs to be adapted into a wasatch front movie production, of at least slipped into lyrics of a [2009's Janice Kapp Perry] song.

* said...

Family Christmas newsletters usually make my skin crawl with all the uber accomplishments, accounts of children reading encyclopedias by the age of 4, etc.

But this? A work of art. (grin) Thanks for the holiday giggles.

Brynn said...

I.Heart.This! Braggy Christmas letters are hilarious!

LJ said...

Merry Christmas, dear TAMN. Your conspicuous consumption and blagging makes my year merry and bright. Heart!

Dani said...

What a lovely family you have.

Sarah said...

Just when I thought I couldn't love this blog any more...

Marla said...

seriously.
you must crack up when you write these things. really, you are verrrrry very clever and so spot on it hurts.
xoooox merry christmas!
ps why don't you reveal who you are on oprah? i'm sure she'd book you.

Amanda said...

Favorite post yet!

Lindsey said...

Spot on, as usual :)

Mandy said...

Laughed all the way through this! It fits right in with all the other "newsletters" that actually came in my mailbox! I hate freaky glowing eyes on kids - hope that trend goes out of style real quick.

Moniker Challenged said...

Okay, I've missed the glowey-eyed thing. Is someone willing to link to an example? Has anyone considered that these children might be the illegitimate vampire spawn of Twilight moms?

Garbett Family said...

This was a fantastic post--loved it! I need help though--what in the world is Anthro????? I missed the glowing eyes bit also... is it just a Utah thing? Us poor saints in CA miss out on all the good stuff... :)

Carina said...

HEART CHA!

A. Gama said...

Love it and laughing out loud. . .from your newest follower!
Amie @ http://funfrillsnmore.blogspot.com/

Kerry said...

Conspicuous consumption...puke. love ya!

Lauren said...

"eyes glow in the dark"

Loudest I've ever laughed.

Little GrumpyAngel said...

Late to the party but just wanted to say this is the best post! :-) Never thought I could be outdone in the bragging-est newsletter department! "Sorry you lost your job"????? Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Heartless! Simply heartless!

JenB said...

I almost died laughing when I read the last line. SO GOOD! I bask in your awesomeness.

mommyof5 said...

Your blog is sooooo awesome! I love random thoughts. It makes life interesting!