Family Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas once again to all of our friends and family!!! Another year (actually two years) has come and gone. Last year we had our Christmas cards made but we were so busy we never actually got them addressed and in the mail. We thought about making it an Easter card but the year flew by. We really wanted to write a Christmas letter before I sent out our cards but life just went on without our annual tradition. We were really busy having Michael's daughter pregnant and living with us for 6 months and then being pregnant ourselves. Since our letter two years ago the growing Niall family moved to a house (still renting but very spacious). Unfortunately, we had a very wet spring and our basement flooded in April bringing Michael's office and the classroom up to the main level of our house. In September of this year the newest Niall baby was born, Thomas Gabriel. What a gift from God. I hope our family finds you and your family well this Christmas. Please let us know and stay in touch with us either by email ajniall@hotmail.com or contact us on facebook. You can always check out our families activities on our family blog niallfamily.blogspot.com. Mama tries to blog at least once a month but often a little more. Here's what has been happening in our family.

Michael (or grandpa as his new grandson calls him) is still plugging away at our family car business but has changed the name from Opus Sanctum Repair to My Mobile Mechanic. We changed the name for a number of reasons but the main reason was to expand the business and to reach all different people without having to explain the name, the mission is the same. Michael went through a Veterans business class (they call it a business gym) and shortly after joined their business association, Veteran Business Owner Association (VBOA). This group and the man who runs it have helped Michael immensely. My Mobile Mechanic has been growing and we are so grateful to God for it. The business has been growing so much Michael is looking for helpers and has hired an office assistant. While Amanda was with us she was helping him with the business too. Because the business is growing so much Michael has not been able to run as much as he would like and the rest of the family truly enjoy the few hours we are able to spend with him. We look forward to Sundays.

Adrianne is still trying to perfect being a mom and learning every day. She is so happy that God is not finished working on her, He is teaching her every day. She enjoys planning fun activities but is slowly learning she has to do the tasks she does not enjoy with as much passion (laundry, husbands and children get us to heaven). Homeschooling is a challenge as she learned last year. Did I say I was going to teach Adriana to read? Well 2 years later she is still learning but always progressing. Being a homeschooling mom is challenging but I wouldn't change it for the world. Baby number three has changed our family dynamic but what a joy. Mama had a really fun time planning a cross-country trip to visit many friends but she didn't get to go on that trip. Another lesson learned and a hard one for the once gypsy Mama. She was settled down into home life but misses the yearly travels. The birth of Thomas was another hard one. Mama recovers quickly and although she tried to have a natural birth once again it was not God's plan. Adrianne is working on a great catechism/bible study program, the Light Weigh, and she is very hopefully there will be amazingly awesome outcomes.

Adriana loves being a big sister to both of her brothers. She truly believes she is a little mother. One of her favorite things to do is go to work with Daddy. She is learning to read but it has been a struggle for her. She works really hard at penmanship and math comes naturally to her. She enjoys Irish Step and practices hard. Her favorite summer activities were our trip with Grandpa to visit Great grandpa in Buffalo, NY and her visits to Maine with Nana. She loves to swim and enjoys the seasons of New England because sledding is at the top of her fun things to do as well. She is very social (unlike her mother, hahaha) and very much enjoys visiting with friends and family. She often reminds mama to pray the rosary. She really misses her big sister, Amanda and nephew, Henry. She really enjoyed getting to know them while they were with us.

James is an awesome big brother. He loves Thomas so much and enjoys making him laugh. Every baby doll he has is named Thomas. James is still really happy. He really loves to play. He will spend hours outside with or without his sister. He entertains himself. He loves cars and balls. We can already picture him playing sports, he is such a boy. We were really shocked to see that he was a blonde this summer; he looked like a surfer boy. Adorable!!! James, like his mother and big sister, is very chatty and social. We were also amazed by how fast James was potty trained. Mama decided she was ready for that step but with the help of his big sister and a movie James learned in days!! Mama was forced to help following his lead he was potty trained in less than a week, day and night! Although he can be handful at mass his expression of love for Our Lord is so precious.

Thomas the newest member of our family was born on September 18^th, 2010. He is so happy. He looks like both Adriana and James depending on the day. He eats, sleeps, smiles looks cute, changes by the minute and then sleeps some more. He was baptized on October 2^nd, 2010. We are all so enjoying him.

God is so good to us. We hope our family finds you well this Christmas season and have a wonderful year!!!

Love,

Michael, Adrianne, Adriana, James, and Thomas Niall