It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and the Salls have hired me, Big Green, their two-story home with deep green siding, baritone voice, and a heart of gold to again write the Sall Family Christmas letter… it’s time to shake the dust off these shingles and get to writing about the banner year that was 2022 for the Sall Family!

The Salls rang in 2022 with one of life’s most exciting and amazing times, Brittany was full-fledged, super duper pregnant early in the year! Brittany truly loves to be pregnant, but in the third trimester, even I noticed just how long it took her to get up and get from point A (the bedroom) to point B (the bathroom), a trip she made frequently! :)

Brittany, Brett, and Phoebe all excitedly anticipated the arrival of the new Sall baby girl and in perfect, fashionably late style and with the most adorable dimple-chin to boot - Ruthie Kay Sall arrived ten days past her due date on March 14th, 2022 at 9:36 pm. This little pie-day baby (born on 3.14) is as SWEET as they come! Ruthie is named after Ruth in the Bible, and her name means “a vision of beauty, a compassionate friend." Right before B and B found out they were pregnant again, they had been specifically praying and asking God for a best friend for Phoebe. And when they found out the little baby on the way was a girl, God gave them the name Ruthie. A perfect name for this sweetheart of a girl that smiles at everyone she meets and when you gaze at her twinkly eyes, she gives you this look that makes you feel like you are the most important person (in my case, home) in the world.

Ruthie’s middle name, Kay, is also the middle name of both Brett’s mom and Brittany’s mom - a beautiful way to honor two incredible mamas + Kay means “bright, beautiful, a pure fortress, full of joy." If you see any photos of Ruthie or if you are like me and get to see her jovial presence every day, Ruthie fully lives into the rich meaning of her name.

Brett and Brittany were beyond blessed and thrilled to have another home birth, and I got a front-row seat to all of the action! Little Rue really knows how to make an entrance, from start to finish the labor time was around 3.5 hours! With this being the second home birth at Big Green, I consider myself a bit of an expert, just ask me any questions you have about contractions, dilation, effacement, etc. I clearly have a great atmosphere, and calming presence for labor and delivery as Brittany loves pushing out her babies in this ole’ house! Brittany and Brett are a rockstar team, and they are SO THANKFUL to the midwife team, functional medicine doctor, chiropractor, their family, and friends - so many amazing people that supported them through this pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period.

Nobody, I mean nobody, had a better reaction to meeting Rue than her big sister Phoebe! My oh my, her eyes welled up with happy tears, and she couldn’t wait to hold her. Phoebe and Ruthie absolutely LOVE each other and they both light up when they see each other come into the room!

Phoebe is now 3.5 years old and continues to be an absolute delight! She LOVES to play "nativity" and pretends to be Momma Mary (she even won a Christmas costume contest at the local Realtor association). Phoebe continues to love to play all sports, especially baseball - she loves the Rockies and was even on TV while at a Rockies game!

Shutters down her favorite thing to do is to go camping with her family - Phoebe LOVES to hike, fish, collect rocks, sticks, and all kinds of treasures, enjoy time around the campfire, S’MORES, and sleep in the bear’s den - her bed in CC (the travel trailer). B and B like to joke that Phoebe is the total package because she IS! As much as she loves the outdoors, she also loves to dress up! This year right before Ruthie was born, Brett took Phoebe to a daddy-daughter dance, and that little girl sauntered down my stairs with such cuteness and grace - it’s safe to say that B and B are ready to brandish their shotguns down the road when the boys start hanging around my front porch!

Brett and Brittany had another outstanding year of helping families buy and sell homes as The Sall Team at C3 Real Estate Solutions. Each year, they continue to develop and add more great features to the business to help their clients sell their homes for top dollar and with excellence - especially as the market shifted with the rise in interest rates, B and B continued to invest in the best for their clients to help create and take advantage of the opportunities in this market. The Sall Team would be nowhere if it wasn’t for God’s grace and favor and the amazing client base that continues to refer their family and friends to Brett and Brittany. In a business with a high turnover rate and many agents struggling, Brett and Brittany are very grateful that they have been able to thrive in this business for such a long period of time with Brittany starting her 11th year in real estate and Brett his sixth in 2023.

Speaking of homes, I spent the summer doing all that I could to get the Salls attention while they focused their wandering real estate investment eyes on another house. From trying to get washboard abs, I mean siding, to cleaning my gutters, to even resorting to waxing my floors - I still couldn’t get them to notice me. They were too busy putting their time, attention, and affection into their newest investment property - Lil’ Love Shack. Cue the B-52’s song cuz the Lil’ Love Shack has a tin roof and all! The Salls bought the property next to Lil’ Blue - so now I have them both to compete with.

Lil’ Love Shack is currently a mid-term furnished rental with hopes of turning it into another short-term rental. All I know is while that house got showered with trendy IKEA furniture and new boho chic furnishings - I was left to fend for myself. It’s fine, I’m fine. The Sall Family went all out decorating me for Christmas, even putting lights with good quality clips on my eaves so, you can say we’ve caulked things over.

Brett still loves working out at CrossFit Loveland, doing anything outdoors, fishing, hiking, and taking his girls camping. Brittany finds herself with her hands wonderfully full, so her hobbies include getting the occasional nap and/or shower, making sourdough bread with the girls, and drinking hot coffee. The entire Sall family loves their church, Foundations Church, and they especially enjoy taking the girls and guiding them as their faith grows!

As a home, I recognize just how valuable, necessary, and vital a strong home is - especially in our broken world and deteriorating culture. Inside my walls, the Salls have had their highest of highs and lowest of lows. 2022 was an all-around amazing year for the Sall Family, and they rejoice in the many blessings God has bestowed upon them, full well knowing that not all years, not all seasons are ones of such profound joy.

Ruthie is now nine months old, crawling, saying “Mama” and “Dada” - the most perfect blessing, their rainbow baby after the storm of losing Emma Grace, their sweet baby two Christmases ago.

I can remember Brittany as she cried in my living room, with such deep sadness, longing to hold the baby that she was no longer carrying in her womb. To see her today, nursing, holding, playing, and giggling with sweet Ruthie in that exact same spot is a beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness even in our darkest hour. His plan to redeem and restore always pans out, whether here or on the other side of eternity.

The Salls and this home know that the Christmas season can be one of intense emotions, joy, hope, and sometimes loss, grief, and sadness - our best encouragement is to hold onto the true hope found in Jesus Christ, the anchor that outlasts any storm, a firm foundation that is beyond anything that even I as a house could ever dream of. If there is a way that we can help you or your family, please don’t hesitate to ring my doorbell or give the Salls a call. If you receive this letter, you matter to us, and we are here for you.

We pray, hope, and believe that truly - the best is yet to come! From this home to yours… Cheers to 2023!

Big Green
on behalf of Brett, Brittany, Phoebe (3 yrs.) & Ruthie (9 mos.)