Meeting Great Grandma Clinch

Last Saturday our whole family went up to the Columbia Valley/Cultas Lake area so that Carlon and Aiden could meet their great grandma. She is my mom's mom and our only surviving grandparent. We tried to visit her before Christmas then again at New Years and then again on her birthday, January 24th. All three times we were thwarted by weather. So we planned on Valentines Day and prayed for a dry day. God was gracious (as always) and we had a beautiful day for the nearly two hour drive to gramma's house. She turned 91 this year and lives in this house all by herself on twelve acres of land. Her nearest neighbour is about a good kilometre away but, she likes it there. So we go and visit her whenever we can. We wanted to have a whole family shot but my dad was home sick and we couldn't figure out a way to effectively prop the camera to take a pic of all of us so John took the family shots. Here are a few of the best.

I love to laugh... Ha, ha, ha, haaa....

a visit with my cousin

yesterday my auntie linda and my cousin aiden came over for a visit... it was awesome! i was asleep when they first got here so it was a nice surprise to wake up to. i smiled at aiden when i saw him but i don't think he remembered me because he looked a little confused. mommy said it was probably because this was aiden's first time at our house so he was just getting used to things. she's probably right... by the time they had to go aiden had smiled back quite a few times. near the end of the visit mommy and auntie linda put me and aiden beside each other and took some pictures and a video...

i sure like sucking on my fist!

as the title explains... I've discovered my fist, which I mentioned in the last post, and mom took some footage.

lookey what i can do!!

Over the last few weeks I've gotten really good at holding my head up. Mom and dad got photo proof of my efforts. The video isn't as convincing but, that's because I had been working at it for a while and was getting tired. The other interesting thing going on is that mom thinks I might be in the early stages of teething, I'm not convinced myself.. although.... I have been drooling a little bit... sometimes... and the other night my cheeks were red, kind of.... and I really, really enjoy chewing and sucking on my left fist. I guess we'll just have to wait and see....

two big milestones : ) Zzzz

Carlon, at 2 months almost as if on cue had two wonderful things happen. One night he slept for 5 hours straight (YAY!!!) and he is having real smiles. I say real, not in reference to gas as some might think, no, Carlon's gas has always been preceded by cries. I'm talking about smiles that happen because he knows it's mommy or daddy talking to him. The morning seems to be his happiest time... who can blame him? I know I'm always happier the longer I sleep. And speaking of him sleeping, it's slowly getting to be longer sleeps at night. It started as 5 hours and has gone to 6 and 7, one night it was even 8 hours! I'm thinking now that was a fluke because it hasn't happened since, I will not give up the hope that it will happen again though. Now he's averaging between 6 to 7 hours each night and is full of smiles in the morning. Here are a few of the best shots so far. And the video is just a small example of Carlons sleeping habit, you might need to turn your volume up for it. All I can say is... like father like son....

Our Christmas Letter

Weeks ago Colleen and I talked about the fact that we could actually get a Christmas letter written this year. It seemed like a great idea and, like many great ideas, it was saved until it was almost too late. The reality is that although we have managed to write this letter before Christmas it is likely that you won’t receive it until after Christmas. I’m ok with that... so I hope you are too!

It has certainly been an eventful year. The first part of the year is always a busy time for youth ministry at Bethany. The return to school means the return of the regular youth programs. The spring was a great time for Brad with the youth and he continues to enjoy his ministry at the church.

At the end of March we discovered that Colleen was pregnant... and the adventure began! We had many appointments with many doctors to make sure that the pregnancy continued with no problems. The doctors were great and Brad was able to discover all the free parking around the Royal Columbian hospital.

We knew that life would change greatly at the end of November so we took a few trips this year. In May we spent a few days in one of our favourite cities, San Francisco. We flew down, checked into our hotel and headed straight to Fisherman’s Wharf for some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl... one of our favourites.

We also spent some time in Edmonton visiting with Brad’s family. Strangely enough, while we were in Edmonton we were able to visit the “Heritage Days” festival, which features many foods from many lands. If you think that there is a requirement for lots of food on any Reid trip you would probably be right!

Summer was a busy time as Brad headed down to Nashville for a youth conference. Yes, while he was there he had some genuine Tennessee BBQ and kept up the tradition of good food while on a trip.

Colleen continued work as a receptionist at Fraser Chiropractic and Massage in Vancouver. Despite a commute that involved crossing two bridges she enjoyed her time there. However, in mid-August her days at work came to an end. Colleen had to spend 14 days in the hospital because of early contractions. The doctors and nurses were great but she was very ready to come home (especially after spending her birthday in the hospital!).

Once she was home it was lots of bed rest and some regular visits from nurses. It was tough to make such a big adjustment... especially because she could no longer bake. We’re not sure who found that to be tougher: Colleen, who loves to bake, or Brad, who loves to eat whatever she bakes!

The bed rest did the trick and eventually Colleen was able to do more and more. Especially exciting was being able to go to a shower that the church held for her on October 23rd. We remember the date very clearly because early in the morning on October 24th we once again headed to the Royal Columbian Hospital, found one of those free parking spots, and headed up to the delivery ward.

Carlon Timothy Reid arrived at 2:31pm on October 24th. He was 4 weeks early but you’d never know that based on his weight of 7lbs 10oz. From the very beginning he was very healthy and we are thrilled to be his parents. It has been a huge adjustment but one that we have truly enjoyed. God has richly blessed us with such a wonderful and beautiful son.

Since then we’ve done our best to adjust to having a son. It hasn’t always been an easy adjustment (especially on those nights when he decides to spit up all over the place at 5:00am!) but we wouldn’t change a thing. He is now almost 2 months old and is over 13lbs.

Colleen and I hope that this letter finds you all at the end of a wonderful 2008. God has greatly blessed us and I hope that He has greatly blessed you as well. We look forward to hearing more from all of you!

Brad & Colleen Reid

Carlon Timothy greets the world!