Merry Christmas! Today I’m sending you a virtual Christmas letter with lots of love from my family to you and yours. 

In the Micciche house this year, we had a lot of changes! My kids are 7, 4, and 15 months, and our youngest, Theodore, sailed through so many milestones this year. As the calendar changed to January at the beginning of 2021, he was barely 3 months old and still in the newborn phase of life. As 2021 comes to a close, he is walking, laughing, and flaps his arms like a bird whenever he gets excited. 

He’s very spoiled with love from my older kids, as they often argue about who gets to play with or feed Theodore, or as they call him “Bubba Sweetheart”.

It’s been a joy to watch him change and grow so much this year, and he is just the sweetest and happiest baby. 

My son, Cameron who is 4, started Pre-K this year. He loves school. It’s a lot of fun to watch him tinker with cars and tools, and keep himself busy with his toys and puzzles. He thrives as a middle child because he loves playing with his older sister and his baby brother, and usually doesn’t mind being bossed around by his sister. Cameron is smart and stubborn, and knows how to push his limits. He’s sweet and lovable too, but “why?” is his favorite question when I ask him to do something. Even though he is my most challenging child to parent at this stage, my favorite part of the day is putting him to bed. Most nights, we snuggle together in his room and talk about his day with his head on my shoulder. In those quiet moments, alone with him, my heart is just bursting with love for him, and he reminds me daily of what matters most. 

My 7 year old daughter, Keegan, is the typical oldest child. She loves drawing, coloring, dancing, and helping around the house, eagerly does her chores, and does her homework and keeps her room clean without being asked. She’s so tidy that she doesn’t even want to play with her toys because she doesn’t want to mess up her room, and she has a heart attack whenever Cameron tries to come into her room to play. She’s very social, loves her friends at school, and just loves being with other people. For Christmas this year, she asked that we plan a special day with just the 2 of us doing something fun together, no boys allowed! 

My husband, Troy, came to work full-time with me at True North this year. Our business has grown tremendously over the last few years, and I needed someone to handle operations, compliance, accounting, payroll, and HR stuff full-time. It’s fun to work with my husband, and his background as a CPA makes him a much-appreciated addition to our team. 

The biggest undertaking of the year for me was the remodel of our home. My husband knew better than to get too involved, so it was mostly my project to manage, and it took the better part of the year to plan and execute. We started demo in mid-July and lived with my inlaws for about 2 months while our house was going through a major renovation. 

I don’t recommend extended stays with a dog and 3 small children with your in-laws, but I’m very grateful that they opened their home to us, and thankfully we all survived and everyone is still talking to each other. 

It was a lot of fun to see everything come to life, but also very stressful to make endless decisions about everything from plumbing and light fixtures, to carpet, to countertops. At one point I had 7 different white paint color samples in about 5 different spots in the house, calling 2 of my friends who are designers, asking them to come over and give me their opinion as soon as possible, because I was under the gun and needed to make a decision right away. If the painters didn’t order the paint by the next day, we were risking a delay to our project because of supply chain issues and paint shortages. If you tried to paint your house this summer, you know what I’m talking about. A lot of people couldn’t even get paint, especially for larger projects. I never thought picking a white paint color could be so hard or so stressful! 

Before I wrap up, I just want to take this opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate you. I am always so encouraged by your emails, and  I know that this podcast is helping you make smarter and more informed decisions about your retirement and finances. 

So thank you so much for listening today. My name is Ashley Micciche and this is Retirement Quick Tips Podcast

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