2008 In A Nutshell

A Christmas Letter From the Higgins Family

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve written about a lot of adventures in our Christmas letters over the years … going back to school, moving out of state, living in Norway, becoming parents. But this year has been the adventure of all adventures. Looking back on 2008 it seems either as if our lives stopped, or as if they took off. I suppose you could say that adding twins to our family in January has confused us a bit! (In the best way possible, of course.) The first weekend in January I went into preterm labor and was put on bedrest until Marin and Silje were born three weeks later. Marin entered the world screaming and only quit when she found her thumb a couple months later. Silje spent some quiet time in the NICU for a few days, though you’d never know it now that she is crawling like a speed racer and screaming like a banshee.

Ailey, who turned three in April, has enjoyed them from the beginning, thankfully not understanding that it was their fault that her world turned upside down. She has been a great big sister, helping me here and there, consoling the babies when they’re sad, and doing her obligatory duties like pushing them over and stealing their toys as well. She started preschool at our church this fall. She loves her teacher and enjoys the activities and her classmates. She broke her arm falling off her bike toward the end of summer and started school with a purple cast – her 3rd stint wearing a cast, if anyone is counting! She continues to show her creativity with her singing, stories and art.

Andy changed jobs again, or rather returned to an old one. He spent the first half of the year in Sammamish, loving his job there only to be lured back “home” for his third tour with the City of Seattle building department, this time in management. He also went from a 2-3 hour daily driving commute to a scenic train ride along the Puget Sound. He tells stories about watching fish jump and the sun set while he reads the news. He actually used the words “love my commute” one day! He also continues to design and build things. This year his outlet was a beautiful fence for our backyard.

Marin and Silje are 11 months old. They’ve made us a family of five, but they are each their own little person. Marin looks like a Higgins, shows many of the independent characteristics we remember her big sister having at this age, and when she smiles her whole face lights up. Silje looks like the Johnson side of the family, is very animated and emotional (alright, she’s a little drama queen!), and alternately sounds like ET or an Ewok at any given chatty moment. We look forward to seeing their personalities grow as they do.

I am staying at home doing a not-so-swell job of keeping a clean, organized, smooth-running household. I’ve heard various stories from other twin moms about when life gets back to a sort of “normal”, but I’m not holding my breath just yet. The kids are well tended to, so I figure it’s a job well done. I joined the local twin-moms club and keep busy socializing there. I also started this blog as a creative outlet ... and to help me remember as life goes on.


That's our year in a nutshell. We have enjoyed, and will enjoy, hearing from our family and friends this holiday season. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!