The Christmas Card!

January 1^st 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

The year 2009 brought us many things; most importantly it brought great joy into our home! We have cherished the hundreds of hugs and thousands of kisses on two perfect little cheeks. We have come to fully realize the meaning of the words Joy in your posterity! This year has been full of adventure and discovery for all of us.

Jared finished his 4^th year of residency and now is in his 5^th and final year. Thank Goodness! This last year has been the busiest for him due to new responsibilities as chief at work and becoming a member of the Bishopric and most recently the Bishop (Yikes!! What were they thinking!!?) Jared got accepted into a Facial Reconstruction Fellowship in Syracuse, New York so this coming June we will be moving across the ocean and country to a new adventure. Jared has been able to participate in a couple of humanitarian missions through work, taking him to the small island countries of Yap and Palau in Micronesia, which he loved and is the reason he became a doctor. He has spent what free time he does have surfing, torturing Kai, and just relaxing. With Jared being gone so much we wondered if Kailie really knew who he was but a few weeks ago she spotted him sitting on the stand at church and got all excited and kept trying to go to him so apparently she does know who her daddy is!

Gina has spent this year enjoying motherhood! Spending her days playing with one little squirt, surfing with wonderful friends, rollerblading, teaching Pilates, taking pictures of Whales, trying out new recipes and serving in the Young Women’s program which she loves! It has been a year full of adventure watching Kailie learn and discover everything for the first time!

Kailie has been busy learning how to be like us. She started with rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking, laughing, semi-talking, eating, swimming and even threw her first temper-tantrum in a store the other day (not that we do that)! She has become quite the traveler in her short life so far and has been on 6 round trip flights from Hawaii to the mainland. Words can’t describe how much we have enjoyed having her in our lives, whoever knew that babies were so much fun!!

As a family we have enjoyed many trips to Utah, Lake Powell, San Diego and for Jared and Gina spending three days kayaking the Na Pali Coast on the island of Kauai.

We have been trying to soak in the last of our Hawaiian sun since we will soon be departing this beautiful place and would like to remind you all that you have only a few more months to come on a beautiful Hawaiian vacation with a place to stay, a car to use and most importantly your own personal tour guide. Any and all are also invited to visit us in New York.

Although 2009 has brought us much joy there has also been much sorrow. I am reminded of the words of one of my favorite poets Kahlil Gibran in his book The Prophet “When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

This year we have lost some dear loved ones and have loved ones that have lost loved ones. We mourn for their loss and miss them and pray for those left behind. We have learned through these losses to appreciate the time we have on this earth. We never know when it will be over and hence we need to take advantage of every moment before it slips away! Spending quality time together whether it be, going for walks, playing games, surfing or just enjoying the simple things of bath time, reading together, eating dinner and watching Kailie throw her food everywhere. We are so grateful for all the blessing that our Heavenly Father has given us and for the Plan of Salvation. We know that we will see and be with our loved ones again and that brings us great peace!

We hope and pray that 2010 brings much Joy and Peace to each of you and that we will be able to spend time with all of you this year!

With all our love,

The Theler Family,

Jared, Gina & Baby Kailie