A little late posting this but . . . . here it is anyway!
Hello family and friends,
Wow! It’s hard to believe another year is coming to
a close and Christmas is only a few days away.
We hope this Christmas greeting from our family to yours finds you happy
and healthy and that you are making time to relax while “soaking” in the “JOY”
of this special season.
This has been a fun and blessed year for
our family and we would like to share a few highlights.
It has been another eventful year for
Michael and Amanda. In June they were
double blessed and we celebrated the arrival of Brooklyn Louise and Renee
Elizabeth into our lives. They were born a few weeks early on the same day as the
worst “hail storm” the area had seen in quite some time, but came to us healthy
and beautiful. They are “happy, happy,
happy” babies and their smiles light up our lives. Both are such a blessing to
all of us, each has a precious little personality of their own and they are
growing and learning new things every day.
Hannah turned 10 this year and is in the fourth grade. She loves school
and makes “straight A’s” on her report card.
She played soccer again this year and her team won 2nd place in their
age group. Hannah scored several goals
during the season and she has a large group of “very loud” supporters at all
her games. As most young girls do, she
loves stylish clothes with glitter, shopping and music. She is a wonderful big sister and a natural
“little mother” to the twins. Lilly will
turn 6 in January and is in Kindergarten this year. She attends the school where her Aunt “KK”
teaches and she loves having her close by. She is doing excellent in school and
it is amazing to see how much she has already learned. They say that children say the “darndest”
things and our Lilly is no exception.
Her innocent humor and child-like wisdom keep us laughing and on our
toes. She loves riding, brushing, feeding and being around horses and playing
with her big sister Hannah. Michael and
Amanda stay on the go with work and the daily activities that come with keeping
up with four beautiful little girls. Since
June they haven’t gotten much rest or sleep but they are still smiling and
loving on the girls and snuggling and rocking those sweet little babies. They
love being parents and are finding lots of joy in this special time in their
lives. If Michael was writing this
letter, he would say “GO Cowboys.” If Amanda was writing this letter, she would say “GO
Longhorns.”
Brad and Katelyn are doing well and
their days are filled with a variety of activities. This year they became the
official home owners of 812 Bridgewater Lane. They have done some remodeling
and Brad has completed several projects around the house including a nice new
deck out back. He has also spent some
time landscaping the yard and has it looking very nice. Katelyn has refurbished a few pieces of
furniture and has redecorated adding her own personal touches resulting in a beautiful
and cozy new home. They love to
entertain, hang out with their friends and when possible spent time relaxing and
enjoying some quiet time together. They were able to get away and have some fun
on several short trips this year and I think I also remember several “girls” and “guys” weekends too. When Brad has free time, he loves to run, fish
and play golf along with several other sporting activities. He continues to work as a pastor and teacher
at “The Gathering Place” where he serves with passion and a loving heart. This is Katelyn’s second year teaching at
Beasley Elementary School. She loves
being able to teach as well as encourage and motivate the kids while having fun
and has mentioned how thankful she is for her new teacher friends and co-workers.
This year she was her school coordinator of the “Cowboys for Kid’s Run” and with
her excellent recruiting skills, well surpassed the previous year’s number of participants
involved in the run. She even persuaded me and Barry to sign up and with great
hesitation we agreed. It was a lot of
fun and Katelyn finished the run with Lilly riding on her back. Brad and Katelyn also help out with and make time for Hannah,
Lilly, Brooklyn and Renee. The girls adore Uncle Brad and Aunt “KK” and always
look forward to spending time with them.
It seems as though Barry and I have been
quite busy this year, some days were hectic, some full of laughter and some
just plain crazy! After almost two years
of searching we finally found our new home in the country. Each morning we sit at our breakfast table, look
out the window and enjoy the beautiful view.
We are so thrilled and are so thankful for this wonderful gift. We also made two road trips back to Georgia to
move the horses, tractor and a few other things that we had left behind. We spent
some of our summer working in flower beds, clearing around the pond and working
in the barn area. I helped build my
first fence, horse stall and arena along with tackling several other outside projects
that are completely foreign to this “city girl.” In addition to what we have already done, we
still have a few things we want to work on next spring but for the most part everything is functional
for now. With the exception of a minor barbed
wire fence accident and an abscess foot for Cody, both he and Hussy are
adjusting well and love their new home in Texas. Barry is working hard and seems to enjoy
“most” work days, is happy to have his “boy toys” and horses with him now,
enjoys his time hanging out at “The Ogle Farm” and loves being a “Paw” and
playing with the girls. In June, I celebrated
a monumental birthday and I won’t mention a number. My sweet children gave me an awesome surprise
birthday party! They invited a few of my
close family and friends, decorated with balloons and happy birthday greetings
and cooked some yummy food for everyone.
I was totally surprised and had absolutely no clue they were planning
the party. They even went to the trouble
of hiding the cars down the street or at the park. I opened the door and was greeted by some of
the “very special” people in my life. I
will always remember this birthday and how much effort the kiddo’s put into a BIG
surprise just for me. This year, unpacking
and organizing things at the house has occupied quite a few of my days and I
have also tried to spend as much time as I can having fun and playing with my
precious granddaughters. In the coming
year I hope to get some decorating done as well as find a few cool pieces of furniture
for the house. I also want to plant some
fruit trees and berry bushes so I can harvest some delicious fruit in a few
years. Also on the wish list, we want to
get a couple of ducks that will hang around the pond and we definitely need
some “laying hens “so we can have fresh eggs every day. It has been a wonderful year and we are so
happy to finally be settled in our new community and new home. Life is good at the “Ogle Farm” and we
are truly blessed!
May this coming year be full of hope, opportunity and miracles,
May each and every moment include nothing but HIS TRUTH and LOVE,
And may our journey be lead by the loving spirit from our Father above.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ~ Love, Barry & Tina Ogle
