So, I didn’t write anything last week.  I just didn’t have the gumption to write.  A nice case of the winter blahs descended, so I took a week off. I still did some research for my one story, so it wasn’t a completely lost week. I’m back, feeling more like I should.  And then I get to today and find I can’t figure out what to write.  So, I give you the Christmas/New Year letter that we never sent because…I don’t know.  We just didn’t this year.  I wrote it and then all of a sudden it was too late to send it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It’s time for a quick catch up again. We all survived this busy and sometimes chaotic year and are looking forward to next year. We didn’t do as much with our garden this year—rain came before we could plant everything and the ground stayed too wet for a long time. We did get some tomatoes and lettuce, and that was about it. However, we did get our flower beds around the front deck done and they looked wonderful this year! I’m very proud of how they turned out.

We also took in a lot of theatre this year, both local and in the cities. Locally, Matt and the girls went to see “The Mouse Who Roared” done by the Prairie Wind Players in Barrett; he and I went to “Greater Tuna” there as well. We also went to a play at the University called “A Midnight Dreary” which was about Edgar Allen Poe, and just by chance were able to see a play in Brainerd with our good friend, Mary, called “I Hate Hamlet.”

Mary also introduced us to a new-to-us theatre: The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. We first went there to see a short play called “Balloonacy.” That got our interest and since then we have seen “Busy Town the Musical” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” there. The kids love going to plays, and in fact a recent conversation with Kirstin told us just how much. “When are we going to see another REAL show?” she asked. She’s been perusing PBS Kids for ads to the next show at Children’s Theatre. Matt and I were also able to see “Book of Mormon” at the Orpheum in Minneapolis. We had fun that night riding the light rail to and from the theatre, and the show itself was phenomenal! We’re still singing the music from it.

We also took a trip to the cities this summer and spent a few nights there. We went to the sculpture gardens at the Walker Art Center, the Science Museum, the Mall of America, and Como Park and Zoo (and conservatories). It was a long weekend and a lot of walking, but we all had fun and no one complained TOO much.

Of course life isn’t just about going to shows and taking trips. The girls are growing up way too fast for my liking. Emily is now four years old and busy in preschool. She goes two days a week for all day. She loves riding in with her dad in the pickup and then riding home with her sister on the bus. She is very close to reading and is already picking up words here and there. She surprises us with her knowledge every day. She is very enthusiastic about everything she does, and even her teacher has commented about how refreshing her attitude is.

Kirstin is seven (and a half, as she always reminds me) and in second grade. She loves school and has tested really high in both math and reading (actually highest in her class for reading). She is fortunate to have an awesome teacher this year who has found her opportunities to continue her learning while still being in the classroom for most of the day. Kirstin has a “special” math class four days a week and a book club one day a week in addition to her regular class work. She thrives on learning new concepts and keeps us guessing what she is going to learn next. Science is a favorite subject, and she was thrilled to get a microscope and science kits for Christmas gifts.

Matt still works as an application developer and server administrator at the University of Minnesota, Morris; he also does some freelance work for a few clients on the side. This year he took the challenge of taking down the chimney. Floor by floor he worked until there were only three bricks left in the concrete of the basement floor. He hauled them all out by the bucketful and figures it was about 4.75 tons of “stuff.” The bricks will find new life as flower bed borders. The next portion of that project is finishing up the walls in the girls’ room and in the kitchen.

I’m still at home with the girls. At first it was a little strange to have two days a week alone while both girls were at school, but now I find myself looking forward to those days. I use the time to work on a few projects I’ve got going on and doing housework. I’m still a companion of an elderly lady and really enjoy the time I get to spend with her.  She’s a wonderful conversationalist and we have some really good times, even though coming from California she doesn’t think much of Minnesota winters. She always gives me a new perspective on life in general. I took some time out of a few days one week to go skating with Kirstin. I was rather apprehensive about being on skates again as the last time I fell and hit my head pretty hard, but nothing bad happened. Emily came along and we all skated together. I really enjoyed watching the kids as they learned how to skate.

That is our year in a nutshell—busy and full, with a lot of family time.

God bless!

Matt, Beth, Kirstin, and Emily

And then we were going to send out a picture with the letter: