Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Dear Friends and Family

This past year has been one for the record books. We started off in Pflugerville, TX. After several thousand prayers and a huge drop in the price we finally sold our house in TX, thus officially closing out the TEXAS Chapter of our lives… Off to Arkansas we went to start another great and fabulous DeLong adventure. We were dangerously close to buying again, but it never really felt like it was the right decision for our family, so at the last minute we pulled the plug and decided to rent. We literally were looking on Craig’s list for a place to live 2 days before we had to drive across country to our new life in Arkansas. Nothing like adding a little sense of urgency! However it all worked out, like it always does. We’ve been in Rogers Arkansas 4 months now and we love it!!! Here’s a brief synopsis of what each of us have been up to:

Dan still spends the bulk of his time on the road. Most weeks you will find him at a Hampton Inn either in OK, AR, or LA. He has put some serious miles on his suitcase and LOVES the weekends home and the time he can spend with his kiddos. .

Angela is currently 7 months pregnant and excited to be officially done. She continues to make friends wherever she goes and she stays busy keeping the family afloat.

Tarin is 8 years old. She got baptized in October on her Grandma Welling’s birthday. She has started piano lessons and is doing GREAT. She is very disciplined with her practicing and has a great love for it. She has also started attending activity days at church and loves feeling like a big kid. We were too late getting here to get her into soccer, but she is looking forward to starting in the spring. Tarin was also elected by her classmates to serve on the student council at her school. She is a natural leader and has lots of friends.

Ella is 5 and started kindergarten this year. She is LOVING it and is doing SO well. She reads like a champ and her teacher says she is catching on quickly to each new concept. She has lots of friends at school and is enjoying it. She has a long day for a little 5 year old. They catch the bus at 7 AM and then don’t get home until 4 PM, needless to say, she comes home pooped and ready for some down time. Another big accomplishment for Ella is that she learned to ride her bike without training wheels. She just decided to do it, and she did. She is a very determined little girl. Once she sets her mind to something, it usually happens. Most afternoons you can find Ella coloring at the table, as that is her new-found love.

Walker is so big and is doing so great. We always joke that he has more friends here than any of us. He has a playgroup that he goes to a couple days a week and he LOVES it. He learned how to ride a bike this year and that is where you can find him most every afternoon. Hopefully next year we can report that he has been potty trained and has no pacifier, but as for now, he is clinging onto the last strings of his babyhood.

We hope this letter finds all well with you and your families. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Dan, Angela, Tarin, Ella, Walker and new Baby Boy DeLong