The "Real" Rasmussen Family Letter

I'm always so amused by Christmas letters. Not everyone can have had a busy year, every child can not be good at everything. So I set out to write an honest family update-- without being too negative. Its still pretty cheesy-- here is my attempt at honesty...

2011 has been eventful for our family. We found that we outgrew our Brandon home, so we moved to a larger, newer home in the neighboring city of Riverview. We love having the elementary school, parks, pools and tennis courts right in the neighborhood. Here is the condensed version of the Rasmussen clan this year:

Chase (2) is in the throes of terrible twos. He prefers grunting and physically pushing us around to actually speaking, but isn’t afraid to yell at us if necessary. We sure do love the kid—but are so glad he’s the last one! He loves playing outside and eating crackers. He looks and acts just like his Dad (who also grunts and eats crackers).

Tobin (4) started preschool this year. Lately, he’s has been trying his hand at comedy—with mixed results. Typical 4 yr. old boy, most of his punch lines have something to do with poop. Potty humor and all, Tobin is just an easy kid to have around.

Zoie (almost 7) is a 1^st grade phenom—particularly with reading and spelling. However, with genius comes a bit of attitude. She has an inner diva that comes out when we dare to “make her mad” (her words). She loves to draw and act out plays for us.

Kira likes to think she’s a fantastic Mom—but deep down she knows better. She loves her husband to death and loves her kids most of the time. She was released as the ward Primary President when we moved, but was relieved to be put right back in the Primary as soon as we arrived in the new ward. She is a graduate student in the field of Educational Leadership. We worry about her addiction to microwave popcorn.

Lance has been traveling quite a bit in his role as Project Manager for a restoration company. This year, he has run jobs in Houston, Jacksonville, Naples and all over Tampa Bay. We can’t help but wonder of Kira’s addiction to microwave popcorn hasn’t come as a result of single motherhood—due to Lance’s travel schedule. When he’s home, he is the resident playground and stand-up comedian.

We love this time of year when we have a reason to shop, eat sweets non-stop for a full month, open presents, and listen to cheesy Christmas carols. Most importantly, it’s wonderful to celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for all of our blessings. Merry Christmas!