Christmas 2008

Season’s Greetings to you…

As we are writing this letter, we are enjoying some cooler weather here in Florida. We know most of you come to Florida for the sunshine and warmth, but Floridians really enjoy a break from the heat every once and awhile. 

2008 has been a great year for us! When we reflect on this year, we realize that we have had a wonderful year just simply enjoying life as a family of three…(four, counting Mikey) . Because all of our family lives out-of-state, we have taken many family vacations this year. In the spring, we drove to the Smoky Mountains for the annual Shackelford family vacation with Keith’s parents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. We love the mountains and spending time with Keith’s family. In the summer, we traveled to Indiana to spend time with Betsy’s family who all drove to Barrington, IL for a great weekend celebrating her uncle’s marriage with a beautiful garden reception. This fall, we traveled all the way to Disney World…wait a minute… we live at Disney World!  On this trip to Disney, we didn’t have to pretend we were on vacation, we actually were! Keith took time off work, and we stayed with Mom and Dad Shackelford at a fabulous Disney resort. It’s amazing how staying at the Disney parks can make you feel like you are thousands of miles away from home. Well, the year will soon be over, but we still have the holiday traveling coming up and we are really looking forward to that time with family and friends.
Elizabeth is now 21 months old and she amazes us with the new words, thoughts, and behaviors she brings to each day. What she likes to do most is “go bye, bye”, and usually that will be followed with “Wanwan” which is how she refers to Landon McIntire, her very best friend. We see Ryan, Jenni and Landon McIntire (our “Florida family”) almost everyday, and Lizzie and Landon play together really well, despite their 9 month age difference. Elizabeth is starting to be interested in some “girl things” now. She loves shoes, necklaces, purses, and hair accessories (although she won’t keep any in her hair!). This synopsis of Lizzie’s life would not be complete without explaining her love for “Dit-tee” (Mickey Mouse). If Mommy would let her, she would watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with a huge smile on her face all day long! When she saw Mickey and Minnie this fall at Disney world, her face lit up and we could not hold her back… well worth the hour-long wait to see that Mouse!
Keith continues to work as a Reliability Engineer for Jet Blue in their Live TV company. He is happy with his job and really likes his manager and co-workers as well as the troubleshooting that he completes on a daily basis. He spends his lunch hour two times a week playing basketball at L.A. Fitness and plays weekend games as well with some friends from church. He enjoys serving on the H2O Orlando worship band called Table for Two with Ryan McIntire, other great friends and musicians from our church, and… his wife!
In January, Betsy joined the H2O worship band Table for Two as a vocalist. Betsy has enjoyed serving in the band which plays every other Sunday and God has spoken to her through her willingness to serve. She loves to discover and sing harmonies, and enjoys the relationships that have been formed with others in the band. Betsy continues to work per diem as a clinical dietitian for Florida Hospital in Celebration and Kissimmee, but her full-time position is being home with Elizabeth. She feels blessed to have this opportunity to care for our daughter daily. Betsy enjoys the days with Lizzie by reading, coloring, dancing, play dates with Jenni and Landon, and of course… nap time! 
We hope that you all have had a great year and have had opportunities to spend it with your family. May you feel blessed with what the Lord has provided for you and have a wonderful holiday season celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

Love and God bless,
Keith, Betsy, Elizabeth, and Mikey


Lots of new pictures from October, November and December 2008 in Keith n Betsy's Pictures!