Family Photos: December 2005

It's family photo time!

It is sometimes hard to keep this blog updated, so having a theme helps. At least once a month, I want to get into the habit of posting new photos of the family. The pictures you see now will also be displayed in my monthly birthday/anniversary letters.

What? You don't know what the birthday/anniversary letters are? If you don't know, I have been trying to collect birthdates and anniversary dates of my close friends and family. The best way I could think of to do this was to send them a letter on their important dates. It also means I get to stay a bit more committed to my picture taking and letter writing. I sure hope this helps, because I sincerely love to keep in touch with all of you.

Family Photos

I plan to take a new photo of each family every month, and include the photos in the letter. I am attaching the photos that will be included in all the January letters. If you have a birthday or anniversary in January, here's a preview of what you're going to see:

Rusty, Age 5

Rusty is the dog we inherited from Livonia's Mom last year. It did not take too long for him to become a part of the family. He's part cocker spaniel and part poodle. This makes him a "cockapoo," otherwise known as the worst sounding name for a dog mix... EVER. I think he's knows it too. Maybe that why he walks around the house ashamed. Either that, or it's because of the nice treat he left behind the couch...

Kayly, Age 5

Kayly is the first family pet we've ever owned. We picked her up in 2000 from the pound. I went on business trip and came home with an animal in my house. My wife told me she's part bull terrier, part labrador. I told her this dog is a pitbull. She didn't believe me until I bought a book on pitbulls and turned to a page that had a picture that looked identical to Kayly.

Lovely.

When we got Kayly, Nathan was not quite a year old. Was I worried? Heck yeah I was! I used to wrestle with Kayly and get her excited to see what would happen. I would get her all worked up and then stick my arm in her mouth. She never bit me. I still wasn't convinced. One day, I walked into the family room to find Nathan's finger in Kayly's eye. He had grabbed hold of her eyelid and was pulling it in and out. Kayly just licked Nathan's arm.

She became a permanent family member at that point. I call her my purebread mutt, because we got her from the pound, but paid nearly as much as you would pay for a purebreed. Why? Shortly after we got her, she dislocated her hip playing with the boys. We either paid for hip surgery, or we put her to sleep. At the time, it was a tough decision, but looking back on that decision I am pleased that we made the right choice.

Gabriel Lee Winkles, Age 2 months

Okay, so technically he's not two months old until next Tuesday, but you won't fault me for that, will you? Gabriel is the only person in the house that has blue eyes. A lot of babies have blue eyes at birth, but they fade away over time. We are crossing our fingers with Gabriel, because we love his eyes. Don't you?

Nathaniel (Nathan) Lee Winkles, Age 6

Now we come to Nathan. The kid I cannot get to smile in a picture. Try as I might, he won't smile. After the picture is taken, he will give me the brightest smile I've ever seen, but not while I'm taking his picture. This is a rare moment in this shot. He's smiling, but just barely.

Christian Lee Winkles, Age 7

This picture also took some to take. Christian was trying to make a big overbite on this picture. He sincerely tries to smile, but doesn't always make a good one. I think we need to spend some time with him trying to explain the mechanics of a smile. He recently lost his two front teeth. One has come in, the other is one it's way. It makes for an interesting smile, if you ask me.

Esaiah Dasman Harlan, Age 15

Can you believe my son is 15 now? It is very hard for me to believe my son is actually a Freshman. Yeesh! He's a tennis player now, and enjoys it a lot. This is his first year. We signed him up for Junior Tennis, Level 1 at the Tennis Center. After the first clinic, the coach requested he join the Level 3 players. After he completed one class of Level 3, he joined the Junior Elites. He is learning very fast and has a natural talent. One of the coaches at the tennis center even gave Esaiah a $380 racket to entice him to keep playing! Pretty cool, huh? I tested him this week and told him we can just skip practice. He said "No Dad. I like tennis. I want to go."

Yes! Finally a sport he likes!

Livonia Chelette Winkles, Age (you wish)

Here's my beautiful wife, eating some shrimp off the roadside in Thailand. The man in the picture is Boonchan. He was our driver when we lived in Thailand from August 04 until December 04. Yes, this picture is old, but it is not easy getting a picture of my wife. First, she has to slow down long enough for me to take the picture!

Roger Lee Winkles, Age 33

We have now reached the end of our picture portfolio. This is me, taking a picture of me in our backyard. As I look at my picture, I realize that my hairline is moving further south and my face is looking much more "prosperous" than it has in past years. It's funny how I can look at a picture taken years ago and think I still resemble the image. Pictures have a sobering way of making a person realize that things do change over time. The good news is that my smile is much more genuine now than it ever has been. I have so much to smile for. This Christmas I have a new son and my family is complete.

Yes, that's right. I said complete.

One of my actions for next year is to close the door on any more children. I know that my wife and I have talked and talked about "should we have one more," but my family feels complete right now. When we close the door, it means we can truly focus on the four beautiful angels we have now, and enjoy each of them to the fullest.

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and if you are a Christian, I hope you share our same thankfulness for the birth of Jesus Christ. Me and my family feel very blessed indeed for everything He has provided us, and for his continual protection.

Until next time...