Merry Christmas from Stephen, Erica and James
We have spent our third full year in Dallas, Texas and are continually grateful for the many blessings we have received. This year was particularly special, as we welcomed our beautiful son James into the world.
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| The family together after James' baby blessing on July 24, 2016 |
2016 was a year of changes for us. In early 2016, Erica's body was changing as she entered the final months of her pregnancy. Her attitude was always positive, even when the physical demands of being pregnant were not easy.
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| Erica at White Rock Lake in Dallas on March 26, 2016 (5 days before her "official" due date) |
On April 6, 2016 we experienced the biggest change of our lives, as we welcomed our beautiful baby boy James Grayson Tanner to the world. Feel free to read Stephen's experience about that day on a
previous blog post here.
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| Erica with James the morning after his birth |
Ten days after James was born, our extended family changed as Erica's brother Palmer married Autumn Templeton in Dallas, Texas.
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| The Child family on April 16, 2016. |
A major decision we made was to move away from Dallas to Plano. We needed an extra bedroom for the baby and also wanted to be closer to Stephen's work. With the help of the Child family, we were able to move all of our belongings in 2 days in June. While only a 20 minute drive away from where our Dallas home used to be, we are grateful for the experiences and relationships made with people in Dallas.
In July, we took our first major trip outside of Texas with James during Independence Day week at Lake Tahoe with Stephen's family. It was great to get away from the hot Texas heat and be with loved ones.
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| Happy Independence Day! |
In July of 2016, Stephen was accepted into the University of Texas - Dallas Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management program. The program offers the first year of graduate classes for a Masters in Public Administration over a two year span. Stephen's employer, the city of Plano, decided they would pay for all of the educational costs for the program. Once completed, Stephen plans on finishing his Masters.
We have enjoyed becoming parents for the first time. While a major change in our life with lots of stressful situations, we love seeing James grow in curiosity as he discovers the world. We wish you and your family Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
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| First time swimming |
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| The zoo was in town for Halloween |
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| Ready for the colder weather |
Love this. Love you and Erica. Love James Grayson! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteAww James is so adorable! Such wonderful things happened for you this year. I hope we get to see each other soon and that 2017 is just as great, if not better!
ReplyDeleteI loved getting a glimpse into your lives, Stephen and Erica! Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove this so much! Thanks for sharing your year with us. We miss seeing you guys!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are awesome. Beautiful fam!
ReplyDeleteLove that little James.
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful family. Thank you for sharing your personal pictures.......It's great fun to work with you all year long.
ReplyDeleteso cute! I just love you guys! Next year in San Diego we'll have to meet up again! Congrats on the school program, Stephen. that sounds fun - good luck! You guys look like awesome parents! (but we already knew you would be)
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