Merry Christmas to all!

As you know, 2006 has been all about change for the Glisson family. We had heard that life flies by when children are born, but we had no idea what they were talking about until now. The most important elements of life have not changed - faithful service, family, church friends, home, and experiencing the new wonders of life through the eyes of our children - but the advance of time has increased dramatically.

In the past, our end of the year wrap-up letters and emails contain stories of trips to far away places, personal accomplishments or career changes, and all of the stuff that goes along with life. In 2006, we experienced all of those things and more with two precious daughters in-tow! Travels have included a springbreak week in Orlando with Rebekah's family (the girls' first time on an airplane), Kirksville for Miranda's (Rebekah's sister) graduation , Gulf Shores, and trips to St. Louis for July 4th week, Labor Day (Memorial Service for Gramma Gin), and Thanksgiving week, among others.

If you look back at our January blog entries, you will see two chubby babies, who are not yet sitting up; playing in their Exersaucer or with Mr. Star; taking a bath in the sink tub; and drinking formula out of a bottle. Notice - no crawling, walking, talking, etc. Skip to August/September and watch videos of dancing, walking, spinning, sitting in our laps and reading books, giving up the bottle feedings for sippy cups and teethy smiles! And you can start to see the changes.

Both of the girls don't back down from a challenge and become more curious everyday - climbing on furniture, exploring every drawer and door in the house, and being sisters. Yes, in the past few weeks, we have noticed not only the fighting, but the playing together, sharing, and signs of affection that every parent hopes to encourage. Abigail loves to read books outloud, although we can't tell what she is saying, yet. Sydney is taking to music and the comprehensible pronunciation of certain words. Every day is astounding.

Honestly, Brad and Rebekah are just trying to keep up. Rebekah added a new dimension to her fulltime Mom role with two days at her former employer, and Brad is able to spend more time with his daughters as Mr. Mom for a few hours on those two days. Being a 4 person family in this world is not easy, but we have been blessed beyond measure. We hope to see you on a trail at Radnor Lake, at Lifegroup, at church, or at the store during 2007 to share even more.

We pray that you, too, will be blessed beyond what you can imagine in the new year!