Christmas Letter 2009

So I had intended to send out our Christmas letter this year.  I had spent a good hour writing it, edited it, and had addressed every single enevelope and had written a personalized note on  EVERY.SINGLE. ONE.  I was about finished and thought "i'm going to read the letter one last time"  well in doing so i realized a huge grammer error.  now, mind you i am not good at English or not even close to a perfectionest,  However, it bugged me enough, and after 3+ hours of addressesing envelops the letters went into the trash.  i know, not a big deal right?  well it was just one of those things i just didn't want to do all over again!  NEXT YEAR. so, i decided to post it on our blog:  ENJOY! 

Merry Christmas to our dear family and friends!

We sincerely hope God has blessed you throughout the year! Change was definitely a recurring theme for the Houcks. Here are some highlights of 2009:


On January 2nd I found out I was pregnant while on vacation with the Huhn family. That was the highlight of the trip to Orlando! Nine months later on September 10th our handsome little son, Tucker Sage, was born. We love being parents and it keeps getting better and better!


At the beginning of May we headed west to California to visit my sister while she had an internship at Saddleback Church. We had a great trip visiting the San Diego Zoo, hearing Pastor Rick Warren preach (author of the Purpose Driven Life), going to an Angels baseball game, hitting up the beach and being apart of the live television audience for the Price is Right! Overall, it was a great trip.


In May, after nearly 10 years (5 years at Country Kitchen & 5 years at Hickory Park) in the service industry, I hung up my serving apron to become a stay-at-home mom. I love being able to stay at home with Tucker. Later that month, we branched off the family business and started our own appraisal company called Midwest Appraisals. We have really enjoyed being business owners and meeting the challenges and blessings that come with it.


Ryan continues to impress me, especially as a dad! In his “spare time” he plays 6:00 A.M. basketball, co-leads our small group at church and plays City league basketball. He really enjoys fatherhood and all that comes with it!


At the beginning of July we moved to one of our duplexes in south Ames (**please note our new address: 630 Garnet Drive Ames, Iowa 50010**). We really like the additional space it provides for our family. We hope to take on a remodeling project this next summer for the entire upstairs.


This fall we’ve been busy cheering on the Cyclones! Last December my Uncle Paul was announced as the new head football coach, and we have been blessed to attend many games (Thanks to the Rhoads family!).


By Christmas Tucker will be a little over three months. I cannot share how much we absolutely LOVE being parents. He is a very social little guy and loves to be where the action is. He loves to coo and talk to anyone who will listen. Almost everyone has said he looks like his daddy!


We would love to hear from all of you, and the blessings you’ve had throughout the year! May God’s grace and love, through His Son Jesus Christ, be with you this holiday season and throughout the New Year.


Much Love,


Ryan, Ashley & Tucker Houck


P.S. Please check us out on the web throughout the year! http://www.rahouck.blogspot.com