Rouse Family Christmas Letter 2010

Happy Holidays from the Rouse House! December, 2010

Christmas is here and it’s time to stop and look around at what the year has brought!
It’s been a full and happy year here at the Rousehouse. We are blessed with good health, happy kids and rested parents!

Claire is in 3rd grade and excelling as usual! She is truly a dream-child. Smart, happy, kind, talented, caring, helpful, and just the right mix of sass to keep us on our toes! She continues to swim for the Walnut Creek Dolphins Swim Team. She also picked up piano this year and is progressing amazingly well. She is taking lessons from my childhood teacher, which makes me feel both proud and old! Claire has developed some very good, solid friendships this last year and is a great big sister.

Ella is conquering 1st grade with great enthusiasm and flair! She is so smart and has really found her talent as a writer! She is definitely a free loving spirit and is still one of the kindest and most caring people I know. She is following in her sister’s finprints, mastering the breast stroke and having a great time on the swim team. Ella is a great friend and sister and is so much fun to be around!

Avery, oh that Avery! What a kid! She is getting so big. I absolutely love spending time with her, laughing and being completely entertained by her personality and behavior. She is so funny and crazy smart! I can’t believe some of the things she comes up with! Avery is non-stop entertainment and always good for a hug and snuggle! She is doing great at preschool and loves playing with her friends and teachers. She is also Jack’s (our dog) best friend. She loves him and plays with him often.

David and I are so happy and content. After 10 years of marriage, 3 homes, 3 kids and many great life experiences we are very happy to be in the moment, every day, with our family. We love family nights, talking and laughing with the kids. We love to read, or be read to, bedtime stories. We love our Friday Night Date Night. We stay busy working (still at Hummel’s and DMACC) and volunteering (church and PTO) and playing (cards and Cranium are our favorites!) Dave and I know how blessed we are and we thank God everyday for those blessings!

This year our hearts have gone out to those we love battling cancer and other health problems. Our eyes have been opened to the treasure of friendship, the love of family and the fragility of life. We pray that we never take for granted the blessings we’ve been given. We praise God for his healing, his love and his grace.

We wish you all a blessed holiday season, filled with love and laughter!

Love,
David and Janelle
Claire, Ella, Avery and Puppy Jack
www.rousehouse5.blogspot.com

Over the river and through the woods....

to the Grandparent's houses we go....

I say this all the time, and it is true,

my kids are SO lucky to have such awesome

grandparents living so close!

I may be biased, but I think that my parents

are the best sets of grandparents around!

(and I know that my kiddos agree!)

Christmas weekend we were able to spend

some great time with both sets of grandparents

and Aunt Jamie and Uncle Kyle.

Let the spoiling begin ~

First stop: Grammy and Boppa's house

Fine looking family, I must say (Dave is the photographer)

Nothing like Christmas joy on a child!
Avery is never shy with her feelings.

This doll went right back in the box!

Dora and friends, however, she loved!

Happy again!

Ella showing Julie her new desk.

The girls' dolls got matching school desks.

Ella's big thank you to Claire,

for handing down her ipod!

Barbie mania!

Next stop: Grandpa and Grandma Johnson's house!


Beautiful Avery (I still miss that front tooth!)

"Whoa! That's a lot of presents!"

Claire's already thinking about her next itunes purchase!

Aunt Jamie and Ella taking a break ~

Avery kept Uncle Kyle very busy ~

The best gift of all: Grandparents!

Merry Christmas!

Santa came, Santa came!!

It was a very Merry Christmas here at the Rousehouse.

We are blessed with 3 beautiful, active girls.

All of them are at a great age to celebrate the holiday.

They're old enough to appreciate their gifts and

the real reason for the holiday, and they're still

young enough to really enjoy the ... presents!!

Santa brought Jack a great Christmas shirt.

"Thanks a lot Santa!"

Waukee Warrior bags with Walnut Creek towels in them!

Sisterly love~Ella gave Claire a personalized ornament

Claire had to start organizing her loot right away~

Ella was thrilled with the toys and the clothes!

Claire's excitement upon seeing her new itouch!

Ella's excitement upon seeing her new AG Doll, Julie!

Happy little lady~ makes for 1 happy mom too!

Avery with her collection of pillow pets!

It was a great Christmas this year. Yes, the stuff was great.

Lots of presents, lots of wrapping, lots of wishes granted.

But it was also great in another way. Lots of gratitude.

Everyone was happy and appreciative with each other.

There were no cries of "not fair" or "I didn't get that" or

"that's not what I wanted!"

Everyone enjoyed each other.

It was fun to watch the girls, so excited to hand out their presents.

They took such pride in thinking of others this year.

Once the wrapping was cleared and boxes thrown out,

I can say it was a very merry Christmas indeed!

Praise God on this most wonderful day and Thank God

for another great year!

Holiday 2010 Traditions

Two great new traditions were started this year at the Rousehouse

First: Holiday Treat baking with Grammy and the girls~

It all started with a sad and lonely grammy and

traditions of the past.....

As you know, I have 3 sisters and 1 brother in California

and 1 brother in Minnesota. Every year, at least some

fraction of them come home for the holidays, always.

Well, not this year. For the first time ever, I am the

only "Wangerin" child home for Christmas.

This means 3 things: 1. very sad grammy and boppa

2. lots of pressure on me to "entertain" the folks! : )

3. grammy goes a little "coocoo"

Well, by coocoo, I mean she decided to bake. Not just a

batch here or a pan there. I mean, she spent 3 straight days

baking and shaping and rolling and sprinkling.

All with the goal of mailing some "homemade goodness and love"

to the missing siblings.

So, the girls and I headed over there on day 2 to start

a new family tradition, "baking with Grammy!"

Avery spend most of her time with Boppy or the TV

Claire is quite the baker, no surprise


Roll, roll, roll that dough...


Ella even got in on the fun

I had a pretty good time as well, although

my favorite part was the eating...

'Reindeer cookies' were the favorites!

When the cookies cooled and the mess was cleaned,

we vowed to do it again next year no matter

who was in town to enjoy!

Next: my girls and I started our own Rouse tradition.

Pottery painting!

I have always wanted to take the girls to the

local pottery painting store to make unique gifts

for our loved ones, but, you know... Avery.

Well, this year I decided to brave the paint and

breakables and it was great!

The big girls each picked 2 pieces to decorate for

anyone of their choice. They also each painted

an ornament for their school teachers.

Avery painted 3 ornaments (I thought small and flat

would be best for her!)

Besides a few drips here and a "mommy meltdown" there,

we had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year!

If you don't receive one of our one-of-a-kind

creations this year, don't worry, you'll be on the list

for next year!

Avery took it very seriously, at first....

Ella was definitely in her element!

Claire paints like she does everything,

thoughtful, meticulous and lovely~

Happy Holidays to you all!

Enjoy your family traditions this year!

Just a little sample...

This is some video I took of Ave's on Christmas Eve morning.

I love it because it shows so many of the great sides of Avery ~

"grumpy Avery" - with the scowl

"funny Avery" - laugh, funny talk

"annoyed Avery" - "forget it!, I'm leaving!"

"crazy Avery" - "Pillow Pet" in scary voice

"teenage Avery" - "oh mother..." (at the very end)

She really is quite the character, and I love every one of them!

White Christmas!

God blessed us with every child's dream

A White Christmas!

We took advantage of the beautiful snow

and warmer temps on Christmas Eve Day

to go out and play in the snow!

Avery's snow angel ~

Ella's awesome snow man ~

Poor Dad, less play and more work!

Creeping toward comfort

I was trying to think about how I would describe this post and "Creeping toward comfort" was the best I could come up with.

As you know, my dear Ella was born with Pulmonary Stenosis (and a hole in her heart, which until today I forgot, or I'm not sure I even knew, existed). When she was born she came out fast, angry, red-headed and purple. As happy as we all were to see her, the general concensus was that she looked "a little purple". We asked several times if everything was okay, and were reassured that it was. "She just came so quickly she got all banged up." "All newborns look a little rough right after birth." "Her APGAR score is great, she's great." So we smiled and snuggled and tried to convince ourselves that she was just fine.

Ella was born at 2:46 pm. My world changed in that moment. I became a mother to two. I became a mother to a redhead. I was filled with joy!

My world changed forever at a little after 7:00. I wish I could remember her name. I can remember how friendly her "hello" was when she walked in the door. I can remember that she was our new nurse, the 7:00 shift change. I can remember how she looked. I can remember every line on her forehead. I can remember the way she leaned over Ella, listening to her heart. I can remember that tiny flexing of her muscles, the most unnoticable shadow that crossed her face. So subtle, yet it fell on me like a mountain. I knew instantly something was wrong. "I hear the tiniest murmur." she said. "I'm sure it's nothing, but let's go ahead and call the doctor." I wish I could remember her name, my angel sent to stop and listen.

I don't remember the rest. Just bits and pieces. Doctors, NICUs, warming lamps, big words, my husband. My mom. Panic. Late night visit with the pediatric cardiologist. A restless nights sleep. (Not Ella, she slept a lot back then!) The official diagnosis came the next day, Severe Pulmonary Stenosis.

Thanks to God-inspired intervention, we were able to go to Iowa City to have the world-renowned surgeon who had help develop the surgical procedure work on Ella. The surgery was a huge success, but there were warnings. We were told that, because she was so little, we could expect more surgeries, possibly as soon as 2 years. We didn't know how the heart would respond to a non-functioning valve. Would there be huge backflow issues, would it swell back up again(those are my medical terms!)? With all these questions and uncertainties, we took our baby back home and tried to go on with our lives, enjoying every minute of it.

Fast-forward through the next 6 years: I'm scared every day for Ella. I smile, I function, I enjoy life. I don't talk about it much. Don't share pictures about it. I never miss a cry from Ella, a short breath, a pale face. Years go by, check ups come and go and every time we hear the same thing, "I can't believe how great she's doing!" "I can't believe how great the heart is performing!" She's growing, she's thriving, I'm still watching like a hawk.

Now today. 6 years later. Ella is showing a few uncomfortable symptoms. Things we've been trained to watch for. While I fear the worse, I am strangely calm. Is that me? No! It's faith, it's God's grace holding me up. It's the realization, finally, that no matter what, we are all going to be okay. Does my faith mean that her heart will be healed and we'll never have to worry again? No. But my faith means that I can send her to school, I can go to work, and I can go to her appointment confident that we will walk out of there together and okay, regardless of the outcome.

She is a miracle! I can't say that enough. Her heart is strong, and good, and healthy as it can be. It's not perfect, but it's working perfectly for her. Finally, today, I think I'm creeping toward comfort. I'm finally ready to say, she had this, but we're moving on. It will not define me or her or us anymore. Is it all over? Not quite. But we don't have to go back for 3 years. 3 years! That's a long time for this little girl!

When Ella was having surgery, I refused to take pictures before she went in. When she came out okay, my mom snapped a few, knowing that someday I'd want to see them. I've looked at them only a few times over the years. But now, I'm ready to share them. I don't see them as scary anymore, I see them as what it was. A little girl in a great hospital, getting great care.

To all of you who have walked with us, beside us and carried us sometimes, thank you! Your strength and love has allowed us to walk through this and hopefully return the favor as you walk through your tough times.

God bless ~

After surgery, getting ready to head back home

Look at her now!

Musicals and mud huts

Claire's class is studying Native American tribes and she was

assigned her first "research project". She had to research what

a typical Cherokee homestead would look like and then create a

model and explanation of it. In true Rouse fashion, she waited

till Sunday and then got to work!

It was so cute to watch her research and take notes and

go back and forth about what she thought was important

and what she wanted to focus on. I definitely saw a little

of her momma in her in this project.

The best part, watching how excited her Dad got!

I don't know who had more fun, Claire or Dave!

When it was all said and done, she did a nice job, and had

some great bonding time with Dad. Not a bad day!

Final product: A Cherokee Home, complete with farm and fire

We also had Ella's Fine Arts Night this last week.

I was so proud of Ella. She was excited to perform with

her class and even more excited that she had a

"special part".

When we got there she was a little nervous, but once

she hit the stage the performer in her came out!

She sang and laughed and even chatted with her

neighbor once or twice.

All in all, it was a fabulous performance!

Shuler's 1st grade stars!

Ella on the xylophone!