Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Card from the Crosby's

 

As the year closes during this wonderful Christmas season, we want to share with our family and friends all that has happened this year. It has been a year of many positive changes and accomplishments.

In January 2011, Chris started something simple; he started running. He trained for his first 5k using the Couch to 5k Program. It was a program that lasted for 9 weeks, and it really helped him prepare for the race. In the beginning of March, Chris and Jenn (with the help of his brother Steven and some friends) finished their first 5k. Jenn finished it in just under 30 minutes, and Chris finished at a time of 43:50. Both were extremely proud of each other, and both continued to train and run in different races throughout the year.

After the Couch to 5k Program ended, Chris joined the Jeff Galloway group to keep him motivated in his training. His next big goal was to finish the Bass Pro Marathon. Because he missed a few major long runs in his training due to illness, he decided after his recovery to train for the half-marathon. He continued to push forward all the while fundraising for the American Cancer Society. Chris ran the race in honor of his Papa Crosby and Uncle Drew. He ended up finishing the race in a time of 2 hrs. and 37 min.! Jenn also ran the half-marathon and finished it in 1 hr. 45 min.! Since she decided to support Chris in his running by doing the same thing herself, she has found a talent she never knew she had before. For her most recent race, she won First Overall Female in the Shelby’s Run 10k. The improvements Chris has made are amazing. In November, Chris ran a 5k in 31:07! That’s almost 13 minutes faster than his first race! He has lost almost 90 lbs. since the start of this year and is a much healthier and active person. He continues to improve and is training with Nixa Running Group (one of his biggest support groups) for the Little Rock Marathon in March 2012!

The decision he made to run had an enormous effect on our family. We eat healthier as a family, and we are much more active together. Micah ran his first race with his mom and dad in June. He finished a mile run in 13 minutes! He jogged the whole way, and his parents were so proud of him! Paige and Devon are great cheerleaders as they (as well as Micah) are the major reasons why Chris decided to get healthy in the first place. His success story is inspiring family and friends to find a more active lifestyle, too. For his complete story, you can check out his blog, Heavy Steps. (http://heavysteps5k.blogspot.com)

In others news, Chris (finally) got a new job! He started at the end of November working for Expedia, Inc., Hotels.com division. He’s a sales agent, booking reservations for hotels and receiving commission for those reservations he finalizes. He’s had ups and downs learning his new position. But knowing Chris, he is going to be amazing once he gets the hang of it. We feel blessed that he has found something that he enjoys and is apart of a company that can give him the opportunity to move up in his career.

Jenn is a stay-at-home mother and is still loving it! There is no other place she would rather be than at home with her children. She loves teaching them and making sure they have a safe and nurturing environment as they grow. She loves to support her husband in his career and activities that involve him in the community. Jenn is also a homeroom mom for Micah’s kindergarten class. Her responsibility is to plan (with the help of another homeroom mom) an activity for the PTA’s annual fall fundraiser, 3 holiday parties (Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day), and Teacher Appreciation Week. Being a homeroom mom has helped her meet lots of other moms involved in the school, too, which she has enjoyed.

Micah turned 5 this year, and we celebrated at our house with family and friends. He also started kindergarten last August! So far, he has done really well. His teacher said he listens well to instructions, is progressing in his learning, and plays well with his classmates. He’s even been to a couple of birthday parties hosted by his new friends. Micah is definitely a social person. Almost every day after school, he will ask to play outside with his friends across the street. If they aren’t outside yet, he will knock on their doors to see if they can play. What a go-getter!

Paige is not the social butterfly, but she is very smart. She already knows the whole alphabet, upper- and lowercase letters, can count to 10, and knows several shapes and colors. Chris and Jenn are planning on enrolling her in Preschool for next year. She is still potty training, but for some, the process is longer than for others. She is truly a special and sweet child (notwithstanding the occasional temper tantrum.)

Devon is everywhere! She may be more active than Micah was at her age. If you blink, you might miss her. You may also chase after her before she goes somewhere she shouldn’t. Her vocabulary is growing; she really tries to say the different words that her mother tells her. Oh, and she loves to eat! There is no problem getting her to chow down on what is in front of her. Ever. Just recently, her parents found a cuddly side to her. Both her and her sister love to read books, which is something her mother is very happy about.

The Crosby’s are a happy, healthy and blessed family. We hope you enjoyed reading glimpses of our adventure this year, and we look forward to hearing about yours. We wish you a merry Christmas! May the new year bring you hope, love, and many blessings!