When what to their wondering eyes should appear, but a prompt Christmas letter and one crying toddler! (Don’t worry. Ian and Anna rescued Lucy from the clutches of that red-suited terror moments after the photo.) Yes, it’s a Christmas miracle: the Scherling family’s annual awkward, third-person Christmas letter has arrived in inboxes around the world before December 25!
2018 has been the wildest of rollercoasters, starting off with the vacation from h-e-double-hockey-sticks. In February, Ian, Anna, and Lucy flew to Denver to meet up with Ian’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law for what was supposed to be a relaxing mountain getaway in Breckenridge. Instead, Lucy got bronchiolitis at altitude, threw up at a fancy family dinner, spent a night in Children’s Hospital Colorado urgent care, and got discharged with an oxygen tank, all while Ian’s mom, Micki, was having her own medical adventure. Ian and Anna are hoping Lucy doesn’t turn medical tourism into her thing.
Redemption came in April during daycare spring break (woo!). Both Lucy’s grandmas and her great-grandma Judy flew to Boston to host a week of Grammy Camp, culminating in a first birthday celebration the grandpas flew out to attend. Lucy loved hanging out with friends and family, but was less thrilled with her first cake experience, which she seasoned with tears.
Summer brought not one but two trips back to the Midwest. In July, Ian, Anna, and Lucy attended Anna’s cousin Brian’s wedding in Quinter, welcoming Jaci to the family. In August, they spent daycare summer vacation in Denver. Lucy loved swimming and playing outside, which, coincidentally, also happened to be some of her favorite things about summer in Boston.
Ian, Anna, and Lucy’s travel schedule only picked up in the fall. They joined Ian’s parents on the Cape for a weekend of beaches, ice cream, and seafood sans summer tourist crowds. And the next month, they hosted Nathan and Sara, Anna’s brother and sister-in-law, for a classic Boston-in-the-fall experience—complete with apple picking and oysters, before sending them off to leaf peep in Maine. The very next weekend, the Scherlings road-tripped to Philadelphia for the annual American Society of Landscape Architects conference (thanks to Matt for being the consummate host!). Anna and Lucy adventured all over the city while Ian was stuck attending sessions. Despite Lucy’s refusal to take stroller naps, they had a blast! Finally, they headed back to Denver in November and celebrated an early low-stress Thanksgiving with Ian’s family.
And between all that travel, they also squeezed in work. In July Ian received a well-deserved promotion to senior associate at Sasaki, and in September Anna took a half-new job, splitting her time between her current job as studio assistant for Sasaki and a new role as executive assistant for the Sasaki Foundation. Not to be outdone, Lucy received a promotion to the toddler class at daycare, with lots of new responsibilities including art creation and toy cleanup.
As the holidays approach, Ian, Anna, and Lucy are deeply thankful for everyone who has reached out and supported Ian’s family in what has turned out to be a rough year of health. This year especially, they are looking forward to spending the holidays with family and friends in Kansas and Colorado. They hope your season is merry and bright, with a brilliant 2019 ahead!
Want more? Read past Christmas letters.