11 Highlights of 2011

Happy Holidays to all our family and friends! 2011 has been a very eventful year for the Winder Family. Here are some of the highlights (in chronological order):

1) Melissa passed her boards in February, becoming a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Acute Care! After graduating in December 2010 from Duke's Nurse Practitioner program, she had a wonderful time just hanging out with Hannah, her friends, and occasionally James (in the rare moments that school wasn't consuming his time!).

2) James graduated from Duke's MBA program in May. It was a VERY busy program, but I was so proud of all his hard work and accomplishments in school and as the co-president of the Private Equity Club and the LDS Student Association.

3) We spent a wonderful week at a beach house in the Outer Banks with our great LDS Duke MBA friends. It was the perfect way to end our time together before we all spread out all over the country for new jobs and internships.

4) We moved away from Durham, NC :( to a temporary home (at our parents' houses) in Utah before James started work. We loved our two years in North Carolina and are so grateful for the wonderful friends we made there.

5) James took a job as an Associate at Oppenheimer & Co., an investment bank in New York City.

6) At the end of June, James' parents took the whole family to Palmyra, NY and Kirtland, OH for a church history tour. We loved the opportunity to be in the places where so many events in the early days of the church took place. Hannah really enjoyed spending time with her cousins, and she still talks about them almost every day! Thanks for a great trip, Mom & Dad Winder!

7) In July, we moved to New York City! We camped out in Jordan (James' brother) and Kristi's apartment for almost two weeks while we found a place to live. Roosevelt Island became our new home. We have LOVED living in the city and have made some really great friends. There is an endless number of activities to do, and we are trying to take advantage of as many as possible (James works crazy hours, but joins us on as many adventures as possible, especially if it involves trying a new pizza restaurant!).

8) Hannah is growing up too fast! She quickly caught on to using the potty and was fully trained by August. She also started eating vegetables (FINALLY!!) and learned to say her L's (kind of - I still have her say Cinderella when I need a good laugh!). She loves dancing and singing and anything to do with princesses. Hannah says the funniest prayers ever, and she can't wait to become a Sunbeam in January!

9) Abigail Anne Winder very rapidly joined our family on September 22, 2011. She weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 20.5 inches long. She has been such a blessing in our lives, and she is so adorable! We love Baby Sister!

10) Melissa accepted a job as a Nurse Practitioner in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at New York University Medical Center. She is set to start at the beginning of January and is looking forward to getting back into the hospital (though she'll miss hanging out with the girls every minute of the day!).

11) Now we are looking forward to spending Christmas as a family in New York! The city is magical this time of year, and we have had so much fun exploring all the holiday events and sights. Hannah and Abbie have already been to see Santa (and there were no tears this year!). Hannah walked right up to him and asked for a stroller for her baby!

Merry Christmas! We love you all! Thanks for all the support during our many changes and adventures this year!