Merry Christmas from the Ellis family!

Hello everyone! Lincoln Paul Ellis here.


Mommy and Daddy usually send a photo Christmas card, but it’s been a big year so I thought I would write a letter for us instead. I see them write stuff and put it in the mail all the time. I try to eat it sometimes, or help them out by coloring on it but then I get lectures about how “that’s not food”  and “we only color on coloring paper.” Blah, blah, blah. All that from people who eat Brussels  sprouts and use yellow markers in their Bibles. So here we go! My first ever Christmas letter!!!

This has been a great year. Mommy and Daddy’s lives have pretty much revolved around me, so I think we can all agree that that is awesome. In January I kept them busy adjusting the baby gates on the stairs. All I had to do is stand at the stairs and shake those gates and say, “Whooooooa!” and they would come running. Absolutely wonderful. Now that I’m good at going down the stairs, we don’t have gates anymore. Ah, those were the good old days. 

In February winter started to feel really long, so Mommy and Daddy took me on lots of outings to the library, the mall, and the zoo. They called it the “pet store,” but I know it was a zoo. Where else can you see so many puppies in one place? I also know it was the zoo because we never got to take any puppies home. 

March, April, and May were just normal months. I spent Thursdays playing with Anna, the most awesome babysitter on the planet. The snow finally started to melt so I could play at the park. Daddy kept chipping away at his dissertation for his PhD in theology from Vanderbilt, working in the early mornings and during my naps and late at night. Mommy says you can tell how hard Daddy’s working by how many coffee mugs are in his office that he’s forgotten to bring back to the kitchen. Daddy will be done with his PhD by May of 2016, and he says I’m going to get my own graduation robe because those robes are awesome. 

In June we moved to California, and Mommy and Daddy started new positions as Co-Associate Pastors at Church of the Master in Mission Viejo, California (that’s a mouthful—Mommy had to help me get it straight!). Mommy and Daddy share the position, so they take turns at church and hanging out with me. It’s a good setup, especially because I get lots of Mommy and Daddy time. I didn’t see Mommy much before since she worked so much. I missed her! We were all sad to leave Wisconsin, though—we had a wonderful home and I especially loved First Presbyterian Church where I had so many friends! We all miss everyone there very much. 

Our move to California was a big one. Our furniture didn’t come on time, so we camped in our condo and Mommy’s friend Michelle brought us cots and pillows and towels! Luckily there was a park and pool down the block, so I could get my wiggles out while my toys were in transit. Mommy and Daddy seem to really love it here, but more importantly, in California I have my very own garbage truck! It comes every Wednesday and our condo sits on a cross street, so I can watch it pick up our trash and then all our neighbors’ trash, too. It’s the best 20 minutes of the week. I am deeply in love with that garbage truck and that the garbage man--Max--has the best job ever. Either that or my doctor who gets to have giant drawers full of Band-Aids. I want to be either a garbage man or a doctor when I grow up. I’ll let you guess which one my parents would prefer.

In July I started attending nursery at church, with Miss Cheryl the world’s best teacher. She teaches me about God and I come home every week and tell Mommy and Daddy about him. Once I learned that I was a sheep and Jesus is my shepherd, and every time I did something naughty and Mommy or Daddy would scold, I’d say, “I’m a sheep.” Then they’d laugh and say, “Yes, you are,” and forget they were mad. That was a good trick. Got me out of some tight spots.

In August we went to a family reunion in Michigan. I loved the Lake Michigan beach and loved seeing my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great-grandparents even more! My cousin Hudson tried to take me down, since apparently he was “learning to walk” and “using me for balance,” but I learned to hold my own. Also, to run really fast.

Daddy was ordained in August. Daddy’s family and friends came to celebrate. He felt so loved! There was an ordination service at church, which seemed kinda boring to me, but afterward we got cookies. Mommy found me running laps on the church patio with my sweater-vest on crooked and lipstick smudges on my forehead. She said it looked like I’d been to Vegas, but really I was just soaking up the love of all those church ladies. Apparently there’s this awesome thing called “sugar” that Mommy and Daddy weren’t telling me about. It is to die for—you really should try it. One of the best things about church is that Mommy and Daddy can get distracted, and then I can 
almost always find a nice person who will feed me sugary snacks. I love church.

This September I celebrated my 2nd birthday. Grandma Ya-Ya came to see me, and then Ga, Pa, GranTad and GranDeb celebrated with me on another. Turning 2 was great! 

In November we celebrated “Thanks-Christmas-giving” in Wisconsin at Pa and Ga’s with Mommy’s side of the family. We got a Christmas tree and ate turkey and there was this white sand outside all over the ground that my cousins called “snow.” Wow, that stuff is cold. I’m glad we don’t have any in California! My cousins also introduced me to the song “Let it Go” from Frozen. Now sometimes I walk around the house singing, “That perfect girl is gooooooone!” This cracks Daddy up. I’m not sure why. It’s a good song, people!  Pa also taught me the Hokey Pokey, which I loved. Truly the Hokey Pokey is what it’s all about.

December has been awesome. Lots of concerts at church. Lots of friends to play with. Lots of Christmas festivities. Rumor has it we get to see Grandma Ya-ya Christmas Eve, and then GrandTad and GrandDeb (along with my aunt, uncle, and cousin Taylor!) on Christmas Day. I can’t wait. I hope I get a car from Santa. I don’t understand Santa, but I do invoke his name every time there’s something I want that Mommy won’t buy. So far I’ve decided that Santa will bring me a car carrier, a cement mixer, a Costco-sized bag of M&Ms, and, of course, a garbage truck. Mommy says “we’ll see.” That’s usually code for “No way, mister,” but I’m keeping hope alive.

We had a really good year and we are excited to see what is going to happen in 2015! There is probably a special way to end Christmas letters, but I think I see an M&M under the couch, so I think I’m just gonna go. Finders keepers. 

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

With love,

Lincoln, on behalf of the Ellis Family