Another Year Gone By ...

Dear Friends and Family,

We love you all and would love to send out pictures and a family letter like many of you have done. We think about doing it every year, and somehow lack the motivation every year. So for now, this post will have to do.

We have had a fantastic year in the Higginbotham household.

Holden is still very busy with his post doc in neuroscience at UNC. He is also enjoying mentoring graduate students part time, has a demanding church calling, plays basketball once a week most weeks, and has lots of fun tickling Belen and playing hide and seek with her. He continues to be an avid reader. He recently read "Team of Rivals" - a book on the life of Abraham Lincoln, and is now reading Shakespeare's Richard III. He is also busy with job applications...look out, we may be relocating to an area near you!

Nicole has been learning how to be a mom which has been challenging but mostly very fun and exciting. She has done a little dance teaching on the side, and had an enjoyable Harry Potter reading obsession for a few months when she caught up with the rest of the world on all the books, but mostly keeps busy with Belen, friends in the neighborhood, and the typical household stuff. Oh yeah, she has been busy being pregnant as well, almost forgot, for the past 6 months-ish. We expect baby girl number 2 around April 2 2011!

Belen has had a big year: learned to crawl, learned to walk, got some teeth, turned one year old, saw the ocean, more teeth, learned lots of words and most recently has joined the nursery at church which she loves. She is such a good girl, and so much fun to have around; she is constantly doing something cute, learning something new, or teaching her parents that they have lots to learn about... well lots of things: disciplining, feeding a toddler, patience... :) We love it. She loves monkeys, playing outside & with her friends, coloring, singing, reading books (and TV if she can get it), and pushing her little pink stroller around. She helps out around the house by chucking the silverware into the drawer one by one, pushing the start button for the dryer, and making smoothies with her Daddy in the morning.

As a family we've enjoyed trips to see family in Utah, Oregon and California, and had family from Utah visit us also. We've taken a couple of trips to the ocean as well. Holden and Nicole danced a west coast swing at the church talent show, put a puzzle together for many at home date nights, and celebrated 3 happy years of marriage. The random event of the year is that we won a flat screen TV from our auto repair shop. Nice of them, huh?

We are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives which will include lots of great adventures learning to be parents to two little girls, a new job for Holden and a move to nobody knows where :) We hope you are all well and wish you a very happy year in 2011!

Love,
The Higginbothams