2009 Quist Family Christmas Letter

M is for Months that have Passed. It has been at least 12 months since we last sent out Christmas cards and Christmas letter and we just wanted to update all of our wonderful family and friends on everything going on in our lives. Since the end of this year has been so busy for us we were not able to get cards out on time. Sorry for that.



E is for Education. Thom is still teaching 8th grade Language Arts at Lake County Middle School. This is his second year and he is still enjoying it. This year the middle school has switched to a block schedule, and it has been an adjustment only seeing his classes every other day, but he still enjoys it, and he loves the people he works with.



R is for Reunion with the Hortons. This summer we drove down to Arizona for the annual Horton Family Reunion. It was nice to spend time with most of Laci's family. There were a few who were not able to attend and we missed you guys. We spent our first night camping and the rest of the time at a resort in Sedona. We went to a place called Wet Beaver Creek and went on a small hike, then we found a great place to play in the creek. Tailynne really enjoyed that part. Other activities we did were: swimming at the resort, our annual Horderve party and gift exchange, shopping in Sedona, spending time with family, and playing games. We were sad to see the time pass so quickly, but we look forward to next year's reunion that will be in Breckenridge.





R is for Reunion with the Quists. We also had the first ever Robert and Wanda Quist Family Reunion in Hermit Park. Hermit Park is located near Estes Park, Colorado. It was a beautiful location to have a family reunion. Thom's family used to go on family trips to Hermit Park when he was growing up, and it was great to be there again with everyone. Thom's parents, all of his siblings and their families were all there, along with Thom's Uncle Glenn and Aunt Bernadette (making 41 people total). Most of the families stayed in cabins, but our family stayed in a tent, which, thankfully, didn't let the rain in. Some of the activities we particpated in were the Q-lympics, hiking, games, catching up with family, holding babies, and shopping in Estes Park. It was a lot of fun and we look forward to the next Quist family reunion in 2012.




Y is for Y-Chromosome. That's right, we added a Y-Chromosome to our family! On November 15 at 5:45 pm Camden Robert Quist joined our family. He weighed 3 pounds 10 ounces and was 15.25 inches long. He was not due until the beginning of January, so he came about 8 weeks early. He spent 4 weeks in te University of Colorado Hospitals NICU. When he was released, he had grown to 4 pounds 12 ounces. He is a handsome little guy and is welcomed and loved by his parents and his older sister, Tailynne.





C is for Church Callings. Thom is staying busy serving as Elders Quorum President in the Frisco Ward, and Laci is serving as the Ward Librarian. Tailynne loves to attend nursery or "church" as she calls it. Camden has not yet attended our ward.




H is for Home at last! Due to complications with Laci's pregnacy she was admitted to the Summit County Hospital at the end of October. She went for her first, and hopefully last, ambulance ride to University Hospital in Denver, where the doctors are trained for high risk pregnancies. We found out that she would be in the hospital until she had the baby, which was not very encouraging for our family. Thom had to work, so with Laci in the hospital, we had to find someone to keep Tailynne for us. We were very blessed to have Thom's mom and dad take care of Tailynne, but this meant that our family of three was in three different cities. This was a huge challenge for our family but we are so happy to say that after eight weeks of living like that, we are home at last and instead of a family of three, we are a family of four!




R is for Running a 5k. Thom decided to run in the Manassa Pioneer Day's 5k race. He started training while he was coaching middle school track. In July, Thom spent a week with Laci's sister Micah and her family where he helped them work on their new house. On Friday of that week, Laci and Tai came down for the weekend. Saturday morning Thom got in the starting line for the 5k. When the gun shot fired, he took off running and ran around "M" mountain. He did awesome, Tailynne and Laci were so proud of him.


I is for Imagination. We have loved watching Tailynne grow and change this past year. One big change is that her imagination has gone wild. We love to watch her play. She cooks pretend food for us, she has her barbies (and her silverware) have conversations, she talks on pretend phones, and she plays with her cousins even though they are nowhere near her. For about a week, she talked about birds flying around in her bedroom. These are just a few things that she does on a regular basis, but daily she uses her imagination and surprises us with something new.



S is for Smiles. Tailynne is all smiles. We love to hear her running around and laughing. If she knows that you are looking at her she will trun and give you the biggest cheesiest smile you have ever seen. She has a way of making others smile when they are having a bad day. We love having this little girl in our family.



T is for Theatre. As if Thom is not busy enough, he had a great oppertunity present itself and how could he resist it? The High School Drama Coaching position opened up and he decided to apply for it. He was offered this position right after the interview. It has kept him busy in the evenings. This fall was his first set of shows. He directed 4 one act plays that turned out great. During the Spring semester he is preparing for an improv night and a musical. Thom has always loved Theatre so when this came up there was no way he could let it pass him by.


M is for Museum. Laci spent her second summer working at the Healy House Museum here in Leadville. She works as a tour guide and a sales person in the gift shop. The gift shop is actually where she spent most of her time this summer. Laci loves working at the museum because she meets great people from all over the world, and she learns a lot about Leadville's history. While Thom was out of school, he took care of Tailynne, but when he started work again Tailynne joined Laci at the Museum. Tailynne also enjoyes the museum and loves getting spoiled by Laci's boss.




A is for Answered Prayers. We have had many answered prayers this past year, and we are so grateful for them. We are grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves us and blesses us daily. We are also grateful for the many prayers on our behalf that have also been answered! In all the weeks that Laci was up in Denver, Thom was able to make it up to see her every weekend. Even in the winter storm the weekend Camden was born, Thom was able to find a safe place to stay the night, and make it up to Denver in time to be there for Camden's birth!



S is for Safe and Happy Holidays! We wanted to wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday Season. We hope that as you celebrate this Christmas Season that you will have the Spirit of Christmas with you!





Merry Christmas!

Love,

Thom, Laci, Tailynne and Camden