Holiday Tidings

Well, here it is. December. Unbelievable how fast the year went by. Baby, Jobs, Dogs. What else could go on? Anyway, here is an update where and how our family is doing. If we don't see you often, please remember you are in our thoughts!

Youngest first, Madelyn is 11 months old now. She weighs about 28 lbs, and does not sit still. She is trying to crawl, up on her knees, but hasn't quite made the jump yet. She can stand by herself for about 45 seconds before tipping, and is really so close to walking it is scary.

Avery has actually had a great year so far in 1st grade. He is a head taller than the other kids his age, and has them all by a good 20 lbs. But he is so sweet, and is sometimes victim to the bullies, even though he is the biggest! So far, he has good grades, has been behaving well, and excelling in reading and science. Yah!

Aaron and Jake are in North Carolina with their Mom, and we miss them very much. They were able to come down for Halloween and Thanksgiving. And they will be back in a couple weeks for Christmas, so that helps. Aaron is in 2nd grade, doing very well- he is exceeding all the grade level expectations, and he is starting basketball again soon. Jake is also handling high school like a pro- even joining the debate team! He is wearing a suit already to the debate tournaments!
All the kids are doing so well, we are very lucky!

We have had a bittersweet year, with welcoming Madelyn, and then recently losing our beloved Eddie (our bulldog). Eddie got a blockage in his intestines, which led to a rapid toxic situation he just couldn't handle. We will miss Eddie greatly. He was a Great One.

After Eddie, we tried to help the animal world by donating money, and then ultimately adopting two (yes 2) bulldogs. One, Lucy, lost her home in a foreclosure in West Palm, and the other, Nola, is an elderly girl whose family could not take care of her. Hopefully Eddie is proud that we helped some fellow bullies through this tragedy.

Anyway, Todd and I are going great. Of course, we need to find time to exercise, relax, eat dinner together and perhaps get a good night's sleep once in a while, but we are very happy. We have a great big, loud, boisterous, full life with all that comes with it, down to two cats! We hope all of you have a peaceful, happy holiday and a great new year!

Please remember to the link on the sidebar to view all our family photos located on flickr.com