Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2014

Christmas 2014

Friends and Family -

It’s another Stiller Family Christmas letter. This one is actually full of information NOT found on the blog, because I have three small children and blogging has taken a backseat to real life.

After more than four years working at Cigna, Danny took a new job this fall. He’s an account manager at Speech Privacy Systems. He’s selling Sound Masking and we’re hoping this will be a great, new opportunity for our family. Sound Masking is an engineered sound that sounds like whooshing air to render speech unintelligible in order to reduce conversational distractions and increase privacy in open office areas. It’s eerily similar to the white noise I play for the boys at nap time. Danny also became a certified Crossfit coach this year and works part time at a local gym in Plano coaching classes.

I’m still enjoying being a stay-at-home mom with the boys. We fill our days with trips to the Perot Museum, the Dallas Arboretum, the library and the park. I still enjoy meeting up with the Lens Baby group for photo shoots with our kiddos. I’ve been in this group since Cannon was six months old and it’s been fun to watch the kiddos grow. The boys and I also love going to Bible Study Fellowship each week. We all learn the same Bible story and it’s a nice break for me to enjoy a discussion and lecture with other moms. Photography has been busy and growing this year. I enjoy the creative outlet and appreciate the opportunity to hone a skill other than keeping children alive.

Cannon is four years old and growing like a weed. He still loves all sports, particularly baseball, and anything involving outdoor play. He and Cason could dig in the dirt, beat trees with sticks and jump on the trampoline wielding swords all day if they didn’t need food and rest. He’s a great big brother. He simultaneously toughens his brothers up with daily wrestling matches and also looks out for them and includes them in his daily activities/play.

Cason will be three years old in January and thinks he can do everything Cannon does. He repeats every question and statement Cannon says, which makes my days full of talking. He has really grown this year and I love watching him play and imagine every day with Cannon. Cason’s favorite activity at the park is swinging. He also loves book and is a fabulous cuddle buddy during reading time.

Colt is quickly finding his place with his brothers. He loves to be in the middle of things and is the quickest of all of them to make his voice heard. His favorite activity is taking lids on and off containers or putting clothespins into a soda bottle. He can empty a cupboard faster than I can fold a dish towel and we’re trying to figure out how to put that skill to good use. Colt is learning new signs and a few verbal words every week. He will take a step or two on his own and push his walker all over the house, but crawling is still his preferred mode of getting around.

Aside from Danny getting a new job, the biggest news for the Stiller Family in 2014 is that we’ll be adding a new little one to the gang. Baby #4 is expected June 18, 2015 and while Cannon maintains that he’s getting a sister, we already call the little one “him.” So 2014 has been an exciting year for us, and 2015 is shaping up to be full of new adventures as well.

Praying that you have a wonderfully Merry Christmas and a beautiful Near Year!

Danny, Laura, Cannon, Cason, Colt & Baby #4

thestillers.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2013

**Our Christmas letter this year doubled as Colt's birth announcement. There are two versions of the announcement below because I couldn't decide which I liked better. So, probably unbeknownst to you, you got one of two versions in your mailbox. Much thanks to Taylor of Barefeet Photography & Design for the amazing newborn/family photoshoot!**

Family & Friends -

Another year has come and gone and another Stiller baby has arrived in our home. The biggest event, and the moment we spent all of 2013 preparing for, was the birth of our third son on October 22nd. Colt Shepherd made his entrance in a beautiful water birth at Allen Birthing Center after five hours of our most peaceful labor and delivery yet. At 9 lbs 9 oz and 21 1/4 inches long, he apparently did not want to waste any time in catching up to his brothers in size. Cannon and Cason are completely smitten with him and love smothering him in hugs and kisses.

Cason, at 22 months old, is adjusting to being the middle brother. He wakes up looking for "Baby Colt." He loves reading books, bouncing/jumping on anything, eating everything in sight and doing anything that Cannon is doing. Our daily laughs are brought to us by Cason, as he's our little comedian and mischief maker.

Cannon is almost three and a half and reminds us every day of how he’s growing with his full sentence negotiations, creative ideas and imaginative play. His current interests include pretending he's a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, playing baseball (as always), watching the tv show Caillou, and singing "The Little Drummer Boy."

Laura is daily trying not to drown in the mess, laundry and dishes created by living with four boy. Her days are filled with library story hours, park play dates, trips to the Perot museum, and activities to entertain and wear out two very active boys. Aside from preparing for Colt's arrival this year, she enjoyed photographing families, children and newborns across the DFW metroplex.

Danny is still working at Cigna as a business analyst and enjoys the benefit of working from home periodically. He entertains the boys every afternoon with sports in the front yard, working out in the garage or woodworking in the driveway. Any free moments he may have are usually spent lifting weights in his gym in the garage.

The year has been a great year to slow down, try to enjoy life with our kids, and adjust to being a family of five. We hope you have had a grace-filled 2013 and have a very Merry Christmas.  As always, you can follow our shenanigans on the blog at http://thestillers.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas & Happy NewYear!

Danny, Laura, Cannon, Cason & Colt Stiller

Merry Christmas 2012

Family Photos 2012

Every year I use our Christmas cards as my excuse to get in front of the camera. I consider it my yearly treat to document our family as a whole. I love watching us grow. I mean, can you even believe that Cason was just a rumble in my tummy last year at this time?

My friend, Jennifer (remember her from this lifestyle shoot?), from Lens Baby took our photos this year and I love them all! You can check out all of her work on her Facebook page.

Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2011

Friends & Family                                                                                                                                                Christmas 2011

There is really no “new” news in the Stiller Family because it has all been blogged before. But, I LOVE receiving Christmas pictures and letters and can’t quite give up the tradition. 

Last year on December 31^st we closed on our very first home in Allen, Texas. It’s small and simple, but it’s ours. There are no stairs to climb, it has a washer and dryer and it’s only 10 minutes from free baby-sitting (aka: Laura’s parents). Some days we miss being able to call “maintenance” to fix things, but overall we’ve enjoyed having a home. (Our new address is at the bottom.)

Danny’s doing great at his job as a Claim Manager in short-term disability at Cigna. He’s found ways to lead and be involved on different teams and was recently accepted to the Leadership Development Program which will provide even more opportunities for him to grow and learn.  He’s still slowly chipping away at his Masters of Theology at DTS and took several classes this year. Graduation is still several years away.

I (Laura) feel like I am adjusting more and more to being a stay-at-home mom. I have found other mom friends through meetup groups and through coordinating a little, weekly preschool group for Cannon. I signed up to sell things at a small craft fair this month and rediscovered my love for crocheting, crafting and sewing. It’s a refreshing break to step away from the computer, photo editing and blogging and make things with my hands. My photography business has been growing this year. I’ve enjoyed the creative side of photography, along with the business side of creating a new logo, designing a brand, etc. and look forward to resuming photo shoots in March.

Cannon has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. He finally walked at 15 months and

communicates pretty well through signs and one-syllable words. I love taking him to play groups and watching

him interacting with other children. He is not shy and LOVES talking to other kids his size in his little gibberish language. We celebrated his first birthday this summer with family and friends and cannot believe it’s been

almost 18 months since we first became parents.

This summer brought the news that we are expecting our second son around January 6, 2012. We

are anxiously awaiting Cason Reed’s arrival, but hope he will at least wait to make his appearance

until after Christmas. Cannon has NO IDEA what is about to hit him and still pats his OWN

belly when we ask him where the baby is. We are excited for them to grow up together, and

Danny has a running list of things he can’t wait to do with his sons once they are old enough.

As always, you can follow our daily adventures online at:  http://thestillers.blogspot.com.

We hope you have a wonderfully Merry Christmas!

The Stillers –

Danny, Laura, Cannon and Cason

Merry Christmas from The Stillers 2010

Retro Kaleidoscope Holiday Card

Christmas cards and holiday thank you cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas pictures/letters should have already hit your mailbox, but here's the virtual version just in case. :-)

Merry Christmas Friends! Christmas 2010

I need to introduce myself. My name is Cannon Henry, and one year ago I was the size of a walnut and riding along while my Mom ran the White Rock Marathon. I’m afraid I missed the first half of the year, since I didn’t arrive until July 8, but those first six months were just spent preparing for my big entrance anyways.

According to the blog, my parents announced to the world that I was coming via a little video in January and then found out I was a BOY in February. In March, I tagged along on their quarterly review, and they marched me to the top of Enchanted Rock outside Austin, Texas. April brought Bradley birthing classes for my parents (someone should have told them that no amount of studying could adequately prepare them for childbirth) and rearranging of the apartment so I could have some space. My parents’ friends threw them showers and gave them all kinds of goodies for me in May and June. Then they played on the beach in Corpus Christi for a little Babymoon and to savor their last few days as a family of two. On July 2nd my Mom started maternity leave and worked her last day at Bessemer Trust.

Five days before my due date, it was time for my arrival. After eight hours of labor and only 25 minutes at the hospital, I made my grand entrance and life as Mom and Dad knew it was over forever. Ten days after my arrival my Dad started his full-time job as a Claims Manager at Cigna. He’s taking seminary classes a little slower now, so he can work and savor time with Mom and I in the evenings.

The last five months have been a beautiful mess of sleepless nights, spontaneous smiles and lots of cuddles. My parents can’t believe how quickly I’ve doubled my birth weight, how good it feels to be sleeping through the night again and what on earth to make of these little two teeth that cause me to be so fussy! I had my first taste of solids this week, if you can call rice mush “real food,” and have all kinds of other tricks up my sleeve, like rolling over and crawling, that I will be debuting soon.

In October, we took a big family picture with my Mom’s family to commemorate the newest additions to the family: myself, of course, and my new and only Aunt Mandy, who married Uncle Matt in June. In November, I went on my first airplane ride to visit my great-grandparents on my Dad’s side in New York, Henry (my namesake) and Marilyn. I can’t tell you how much I love all the hugs and kisses I get from my great-grandparents, Nana and Papa, Rocco and Glammy, aunt and uncles.

Aside from my birth, the other life-changing event currently in the works is that my parents are purchasing their first home. They are scheduled to close on December 30th and move in the first of February. I’ll actually have my own room, and hopefully I’ll have all kinds of tales to tell you next year about playing in the yard and working on the car in the garage with Daddy.

I hope you have a wonderful celebration of Christ this Christmas!

Cannon
(and Danny & Laura too!)

Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2009

Family & Friends –

For the first time ever in four years of marriage, we haven’t moved, found new employment, changed schools or made any major life decisions. Meaning – I got to cut and paste all of the contact information you see at the bottom of this page from last year’s letter. It might make for a boring Christmas letter but a very happy and stable Stiller family.

Danny has finished over half of his seminary education, and, as of January will only have three semesters until graduation. I (Laura) am not counting down the days or anything ridiculous like that! In commemoration of all the hours Danny spends reading at the DTS library we decided to preserve the memory with our Christmas picture. I am still working as the administrative assistant at Bessemer Trust and after almost two years have enjoyed settling into the routine of organizing the office every day.

After an injured hamstring deterred me from running the White Rock Marathon last year, I decided to train with some experienced runners this season. In July both Danny and I joined the Dallas Running Club. We’ve enjoyed training together and meeting new friends. Everyone keeps telling me I’m going to get addicted, but I’m still waiting to feel sprightly after running for four hours. Hopefully, after December 13, you’ll read on the blog that Danny successful ran his half marathon and I completed the full marathon without keeling over.

One piece of news that I never thought I’d write about: we got a dog this year! She’s a five-year-old Pomeranian/long-haired Chihuahua mix named Chanel that flew to us all the way from Danny’s brother in Arizona. I was an apprehensive dog owner, but her little personality has won us over. We’ve discovered that we love reading and relaxing at the dog park, although Chanel finds other dogs torturous and spends most of the time cowering in our laps.

Our biggest trip this year was to Tacoma, Washington to attend Soma School. Soma School is a week long immersion and leadership development experience where we learned to live on mission and in community with others. We observed first-hand how Soma mobilizes groups of people to live like family and to be a blessing throughout a city by serving and communicating the message of the Gospel. We were also taught how to use storytelling to communicate the big picture of the Bible. This trip was invaluable, not only for leading/planting a church one day, but for learning how to live out our identities as Christians now in our natural rhythms of every day life.

And those are the highlights of our year. The blog (http://thestillers.blogspot.com) always has life events on it – if a few weeks behind.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Danny & Laura Stiller

Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2008

Dear Family and Friends –

This year we get to send out our Christmas pictures from the same address as last year! This is monumental for us. While we enjoyed renewing a lease instead of packing boxes, we still had an eventful 2008. And so, we bring you:
The Top 10 Highlights of 2008:

1. Danny started his second year as a student at DTS and is on his third semester of Greek. We are counting down the semesters until graduation in May 2011 and are open to what God has planned for us after seminary.


2. Laura left her job at Voice of Hope (the inner city ministry in West Dallas) in February to work as an administrative assistant at Bessemer Trust (a financial firm in The Crescent in downtown Dallas). Aside from the culture shock, the stable hours have been a blessing.


3. After a year of working at UPS and over 10 months of waking up at 2:00 am to work the pre-load shift, Danny quit his job as a package handler. He opted to increase his hours in the A/V department at DTS in order to have more time for our marriage, studying and life.


4. While Danny was working those early morning hours, Laura was running and in November ran her first half marathon. Marathon training was put on hold due to tendonitis and a strained hamstring, but look for the full-marathon photo on the blog some time in 2009.


5. Danny’s car was totaled in July. So, in true urbanite fashion, Danny opted to ride his bike to school, and Laura started taking the bus . . . until one day it rained! We enjoyed being a one-car couple when gas prices skyrocketed.


6. This summer Danny co-led a team of leaders from The Village Church in organizing three services projects at a school in South Dallas. His team led over 200 volunteers each weekend in creating mosaic murals, painting classrooms and renovating lockers.


7. In August, Danny and Laura traveled to Michigan for Laura’s family reunion. They enjoyed Lake Michigan, learning about Laura’s family history and taking over 1,000 pictures of relatives.


8. The trip to Michigan was intended to double as the 3rd anniversary celebration, but the very next weekend Danny surprised Laura with a night at the Corinthian Bed & Breakfast right here in Dallas after dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse and chocolate cake at TruLucks.


9. Our home group through The Village has become an integral part of our week, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed building relationships with other young couples. The group has grown by leaps and bounds, and we look forward to leading a home group in our apartment when our group splits into smaller units.


10. And finally, there were the countless date nights, more quarterly reviews, money saved through couponing and Danny's head shaved more times than we could count that make us smile at the last 12 months.

That is our year in a nutshell; check the blog for more details! We pray that you had a wonderful 2008!
Danny & Laura Stiller

Pictures of Christmas' Past:

• Christmas 2005


• Christmas 2006


• Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2007

Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
Isaiah 12:5

Dear Friends & Family

After living in two states, three cities, and four apartments since getting married in August 2005, we have finally come home to Dallas, Texas. Almost two and a half years of marriage and life is as exciting and challenging as ever.

Our last six months in Columbia, South Carolina were full and busy. Danny worked full-time at City Year as a Program Manager and part-time at Pizza Hut delivering pizzas to save for seminary. Laura continued working as a proofreader at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and as a school bus driver for Richland II School District.

Outside work, we were blessed to build some amazing friendships through the newlywed Sunday School class at Shandon Baptist Church. We enjoyed ice cream parties, Bible studies, cooking sprees, Prison Break watching sessions, and wonderful fellowship.

At the end of July, we packed up the largest truck U-hual had to offer, and with the help of Laura’s brothers, moved everything we own back to Texas. We found a cozy apartment 10 minutes from the heart of Dallas. And, while we miss the beaches of Charleston, the rivers of Columbia, the Carolina mountains, and our friends, we are enjoying exploring the nuances of the big city.

Danny began attending Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in August and will be working towards his Masters of Theology over the next four years. Yes, you read that right. We will be in Dallas for at least four years, and Laura couldn’t be happier to be in one place for so long! Aside from studying, Danny is also working part-time at UPS as a package handler, and we are blessed by all the tuition and insurance benefits. Laura found a job as a PR/Marketing/Volunteer Coordinator at an inner-city ministry in West Dallas called Voice of Hope.

We are enjoying getting to know other DTS couples through our Spiritual Formations small group. It is encouraging to walk through seminary with others at the same stage of life. We have been attending The Village Church in Highland Village and look forward to getting more involved there after this semester’s crazy schedule ends.

In August we spent a weekend at Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas where Danny proposed back in May 2005. It was our first time back to Bryan/College Station since our wedding, and we took over 500 pictures as we remembered our years at Texas A&M and in TruLife.

That is the short and sweet version of the Stiller’s year, but if you’d like the long-winded compilation, just visit us at: thestillers.blogspot.com

We pray that 2008 finds you well and knowing the Lord more than ever before.

Danny & Laura Stiller

P.S. I must give mad props to our fabulous photographer, my friend, Miriam. We have received more comments on the Dallas skyline picture, on the professional quality photos, and just the great photos in general! So, much thanks to Photography by Miriam for braving the crazy Dallas drizzle, the ghetto Trinity river levee, and the stray dogs to nab this wonderful pictures for us. Her professional blog and website will be finished soon and featured here again!

Merry Christmas from the Stilers 2006

Family & Friends -

And so it’s Christmas. Another letter has arrived in your hands, and in 1,000 words or less I am going to attempt to tell you about our year. This will not be an easy feat, after all I am married to Danny Stiller. I could use 1,000 words just to tell you what we did yesterday morning. He makes life fun, exciting and full of Christ.

In January Laura was enjoying her job at Starbucks and trying not to hurt the 25 little rascals she tutored after school, and Danny was wondering how long he was really going to have to sell insurance. After traveling to New York for Christmas, we then traveled to Dallas, and back again to New York, at the passing of Danny’s father.

February found us paying off Laura’s car and rejoicing with student loans being the only debt left to tackle. The end was in sight. Laura tried to win the “Coolest Wife” award by taking Danny to Freestyle Motorcross for Valentine’s Day, and Danny melted Laura’s heart with a homemade shower curtain. By the end of the month we were off to Dallas to celebrate our mother’s birthdays.

In March we were exploring the parks, hiking trails and hot spots of Greenville, SC. Laura left Danny alone for an entire week to go back to Bryan, TX to help with Camp Agape. She ended up crashing, sick at Susan Lee’s house, but still managed to get in a few shaving cream fights, Bible studies, hot dog lunches and hugs from her favorite kids in TruLife. We scurried away to Charleston, SC at the end of March for our second Quarterly Review and could not get enough of the beaches, old homes and fresh seafood.

April brought winds of change as we planned to move to Columbia, SC. Danny took a job change from Humana to Instil (a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of SC). This time we hired movers, rented a first-floor apartment and Laura did not break down in tears. It was a much more pleasant experience than the move to Greenville, which included too many heavy couches, too many stairs and one too many roaches. We also visited Nan & Poppi Morse in NY for a weekend to record their family history, take pictures and capture video clips of them telling childhood stories. It was a memorable trip. On the way home we decided to drive by the White House and ended up spending over six hours exploring D.C. on foot.

By May we became official South Carolinians when we changed our licenses plates. Laura still proudly displays her “Texas A&M Association of Former Students” sticker though, in hopes that people will realize where their true allegiance lies. We then flew to Texas for Jonathan’s (Laura’s little brother) homeschool, high school graduation. It was then into the car for a 12 hour drive with the Reeder’s to Pensacola, FL to watch Jonathan play in the Homeschool World Series. Beaches and baseball, what more could we want for a summer vacation?

June found us canoeing the Carolina rivers, painting a house and celebrating nine months of marriage. By this time Laura had started, and within two weeks quit, working at a bank and was beginning her job as a proofreader at BlueCross BlueShield. She discovered that she would rather play with words than with numbers.

We joined Shandon Baptist Church in July and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know other young couples in the newlywed class. Laura read tons of books by the pool, while working part-time at BlueCross Blue Shield, and Danny still didn’t like selling insurance, so he changed jobs. He became the Program Manager for a non-profit organization, City Year, that focuses on leadership development, civic engagement, tutoring and mentoring.

We spent August traveling to Texas and back for weddings. We also ate our year-old cake topper, started teaching 9th grade Sunday School, helped Jonathan move to Chattanooga, TN and went to Boston, MA to celebrate one year of crazy wedded bliss. During our fourth Quarterly Review in Boston we enjoyed a friend’s wedding, fabulous food, taking pictures, learning the history and walking all over the city. Upon returning from Boston we received an acceptance letter from Dallas Theological Seminary. Danny will start online classes in January, and we will be moving to Dallas in July. Next year’s letter should include all the juicy details from that adventure.

Come September, South Carolina was finally feeling like home, and we were reveling in all of the outdoor activities it had to offer – like rivers, bike trails, beaches, mountains, and more. This was the first month in our marriage that we didn’t get on a plane or a car to travel out of town.

By October Danny and Laura were both involved in men’s/women’s weekly Bible studies through their newlywed class at Shandon. The leaves were changing colors and to our surprise we could not walk down the street without them falling all around us. We went camping in North Carolina with another brave couple, and despite the frigid nighttime temperatures, we loved the fellowship, fresh air and food (when else do you get to eat s’mores and trail mix). We also went to the State Fair and vowed never to get on another fair ride after eating Fried Snickers again!

In November we both turned another year older. Laura’s now halfway to 50, and Danny’s closer to 30 than he is to 20. (Meaning we’re 25 and 26 years old, respectively.) Laura went to Cove Camp with the Shandon youth group in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and then we both flew out to AZ for Papa Gus’ funeral and to visit Danny’s brother, Chris. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with Danny’s side of the family in Columbia.

December has arrived. We sawed down our own Christmas tree this year and are looking forward to the Christmas parties, since we actually have friends to celebrate with this year. We anxiously anticipate going home to celebrate Christmas with Laura’s family in Dallas. Danny will be breaking out the hunting gear while Laura stocks up on girl movies to watch with her mom.

It has been a year of great change and great blessing. The Lord has provided things we were praying for last year (non-insurance jobs, friends, fellowship, a church home, growth in our marriage and more). We look forward to telling you more of His goodness in the year to come.

We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thess. 1:2-3

Danny & Laura Stiller

Merry Christmas from the Stillers 2005

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas letter, along with the above picture, has been sent out to all friends and family (either via snail mail or email). If you have not received yours email us with your address and we'll get one right to you!

For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given,

and the government will be on His shoulders.

And He will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

- Isaiah 9:6