(Once again, we are not sending Christmas cards out in the traditional way - see the end of this post for more on that...We hope you enjoy this online version! If you regularly read my blog or see my Facebook posts, some of these stories will sound familiar...buckle up - it's a long one!)
A is for AL Amyloidosis - For those of you that don't know, my Dad was diagnosed w/this rare disease months ago. He has undergone chemo, an autologous stem cell transplant (it just means they took his own cells out, treated them and put them back in, rather than those of someone else), and a few other medical procedures for his heart. His heart was/is the organ most affected by the disease. Currently Dad is in 'isolation' of sorts, since his immune system is like that of a newborn baby =) Please continue to pray for his appetite to return, for his heart/physical well being and healing but also for a peace and joy to fill his soul. It's been a tough year and 'hiding out' at home, away from family and friends is not easy. We have missed having Dad at birthdays, concerts, and just random gatherings...We are hopeful for the New Year, that we can get back to 'normal' and celebrate special events together!
B is for Basketball Hoop and Band - This year we were talking about getting a hoop for the kids, when my Uncle John mentioned that he had one in his basement. He promised it wasn't pretty but it would get the job done! Sure enough - we picked it up one day and got the supplies to set it in the ground. The hoop has been up for a while and there were lots of days where you could find all of us out there shooting around! In other news, Moses is in band class this year. He is playing his Dad's saxophone! Just like the piano, his talent and ear provide us w/much entertainment - it was so easy for him to pick up this instrument he has never played and play whatever he wants! We've heard commercial jingles, songs from the various genres on the radio, and random stuff they are practicing at school. I am constantly in awe of the fact that both him and his Dad have this gift/talent. 
C is for Chicks, Chicago and Camping - A high school classmate of mine put a plea on face.book for someone to take some baby chicks off the hands of a friend who hatched them in her classroom. I happily drove to my hometown and collected a box full of babies! They cheep cheeped all the way home in the passenger seat! It was so much fun for the kids to see how they grew and how the cats were around them. Always an adventure out here! Another big adventure this year was camping in Chicago. Yes, IN Chicago! It is permissible to 'camp' in the parking lot of the convention center. There are no amenities, unless you count proximity to all that the downtown area has to offer. Which for us, was plenty! We did lots of outdoor free stuff, so pretty much a ton of things! It was BLAZING hot and sweaty...aka memorable. No electricity means sweating while you sleep, especially since there are no shade trees in parking lots! Despite that, we would do it again in a heartbeat. We camped many other places with many other people but some of the best times were when our kids were with their Arnold cousins! So many giggles and inventive games! We are truly blessed to be able to have a strong bond between our families.D is for Duck Creek Campground - This particular campground gets a specific mention in the Christmas letter for various reasons. We first camped there with one of my besties and her family. One of my other best friends came up and visited while we were there and it was awesome! There is a pond/lake, where you can fish and/or swim. One of the first times fishing, my lucky fisherwoman/daughter Colleen caught a fish bigger than her Daddy's foot!! As for swimming, there are these huge inflatables that *I* even had fun on! I laughed so hard trying to get onto that Jupiter ball....I am severely out of shape and bottom heavy, so my spindly arms could not haul myself up there! After an assist from Dave, I finally managed to climb on! I haven't laughed like that in a long time and I went to bed that night sore, tired but beyond happy. It was such a good time that when we were planning a camping weekend with Dave's sister and her family in the area, we suggested it again. I'm certain we will go back next year too! The funniest thing was that this fall, Dave was in the closet and he put on a hat we had found while camping in IL last summer. Would you believe me if I told you that it was from Duck Creek Campground?! IT WAS!!! We both laughed and commented on how it was the hat that sent us subliminal messages to go there all along.
E is for a lot of things, but nothing that really applies in 2017. So....we hope your state of ennui is ephemeral, and please do not exculpate us as we expatiate and elucidate the other exciting things from 2017! Consider it an education as you explore a dictionary and encounter some E words from the SAT exam!
F is for FORTY - Both Dave and I turned 40 this year. No, there was no big bash or anything, but throughout most of the year, Dave was willing to help me knock some things off my 'life list'. Some of them are mentioned in this post!
G is for Garden and Gymnastics - Two things that are on our list every year! This year Dave built a serious garden 'cage' to prevent critters from getting to my plants. Like always, there were plenty of experiments going on - we learned that beans do REALLY well, especially when I double plant them! Cabbages do well, too. Some other things did not get into the ground early enough though, so that's a goal for next year. As for gymnastics - there are 2 of our kids on the team this year! Both Moses and Bert are on the team and have competed in 2 meets so far. At the second one, Bert came home with a 1st place medal in almost every event! His face light up so big when they called his name!! It's been fun to watch them both grow, learn and enjoy the sport.
H is for Hollandfest - The town we live in is Dutch. No, I mean they are VERY DUTCH. They celebrate their heritage every other year. One of the things I wanted to do this year was attend the festival where they wash the streets, dance and race in wooden shoes and serve ollie bollen. It was fun to see people we knew from the community and the kids saw lots of their friends.
I is for the Ice Age Trail - One of the things Dave wanted to start was hiking the IAT in segments. Obviously with small kids, work and WI weather, we are not able to hike huge segments at a time, but we did have some 11 mile days in there! It's been fun traveling to other parts of the state and hiking in different weather too. We've been to where it starts/ends in Door County and might do more of it over Christmas Break.
J is for Jesus - Christmas is a time to celebrate His birth...yet so often the season is JAM-PACKED with decorating, shopping, parties, kid's concerts, baking, wrapping, eating, etc...please know that the Lord sent His One and Only Son Jesus to the Earth in the form of a man so that He could live, suffer and die for our sins. (John 14, specifically verse 16, but the whole chapter is good!) Even when life drags me down, I have a joy in my heart because I have a personal relationship with Jesus. The gift of eternal life is for everyone, not just me, and I pray that all who read this letter know that they are LOVED! If you have questions about my faith or want to learn more, you know how to find me!
K is for Kayaking - Six people, four kayaks...it works! Sometimes there are 3 little people in one kayak and sometimes there's a kid in with one of us grown-ups, but Mo is almost always on his own. We've done some kayaking in rivers and lakes this year, mostly in Waupaca area and the river here, maybe once we got out into Lake Michigan. I think next year we might investigate a better trailer...we thought about adding to our fleet, but so far the little people are not so great at paddling and steering, so they usually get towed.
L is for Lineage - This year I really wanted to get all the cousins on my paternal side of the family together. I see the cousins from my maternal side quite often, mostly because they live in close proximity. You know how you always say "We should really get together!" but don't? I hate that. Call it part of my birthday present to myself, I was determined to pull the cousins together! Not everyone was able to make it (hello? Work, plane tickets are not cheap, etc...) but it was so good to be together with family!! I chose to kick the weekend off with a visit to the cemetery where my grandparents and one set of great-grandparents are buried. The legacy those people left, both in terms of people created, physical traits and character traits, is absolutely overwhelming. I am so blessed and grateful that I was able to share some laughs and get lots of family hugs that weekend!!
M is for Middle School and Mom Moving - This year Moses started Middle School!! Yeah, did you blink too? It just seems not possible but it is. He's doing online Spanish, band and STEM as his interest classes. He is learning a lot about responsibility...let's just leave it at that. For the most part though, it seems to be going well! I think we could say the same for Dave's Mom - she moved last weekend! It was a big move - almost all the way across the state, to the same town where Dave's sister lives. Now when we visit, it will be a two-fer! We'll get to see 2 factions of the family on the same trip! We're excited to have family Christmas at her new house this year and the cousins will be together again, which will probably lead to another M word = mayhem!
N is for the Ninja Mud Run - This is an annual event in my hometown. My parents love watching my brother's son and my own boys in this event! We had great weather for it again this year and even bumped into some friends. The boys are already looking forward to doing it again next year!
O is for Optometrist - This year Moses got glasses. We had a lot of laughs trying on different frames and the ones he liked the best were a pair of prescription safety glasses! There ya go, kid, you're all set to work in the factory...(no, I did not let him get those)...but it reminded me how little I know and/or care about fashion. Like the 40 year old Mom that I am, I was looking at all these practical, functional frames while he was looking for flashy, trendy, sporty, what in the world is on your face kinds of frames! Ah well, in the end we found a good compromise and the poor kid can see the clock and the scoreboard.
P is for Play, Packers and Pudgie Pies - In the beginning of the year, I had a very small part in another play. It was so good to see 'my peeps' again! I know I've said it before, but it means a lot to me that I am able to participate in things like that. The next one is Packers - we drove up and took in a Packers practice this year! Bert kept tracking Clay Matthews, giving me a play by play report of which end of the field he was on, while the other kids had fun yelling for AARON!!!! Thankfully Aaron Rodgers was willing to wave and make faces at all his adoring fans =) Afterwards, Mo got high fives from a bunch of players as they left the practice field and Ernie got an autograph!! It was a big day. Also, just recently Davon House was at our local grocery store so the kids got another autograph and photo op! The next P is MY favorite one of all! At some point, my cousin posted something about a Pudgie Pie cookbook and I had to have it. I love making pies when we are camping and this cookbook had all kinds of recipes! I'm not exactly a foodie, but I do like to eat...anyway - I promise that if you camp with us next year, we can make a bunch of these recipes!
Q is for Quotidian - You didn't think you were going to learn so much from a Christmas letter, did you? The truth is, learning is a quotidian activity. This year I attempted to slow down and focus on the quotidian tasks of providing security to the little people. I learned a lot about their needs and tried my best to improve the quality of our quotidian lives. (I think that's enough of that word now!)
R is for Rock Painting - Early in the year 2016 there was a viral news story around here about someone who painted rocks for kindness or something...well the kids started seeing them around and there's a facebook group for painted rocks in our community. So we joined! The kids like painting rocks, hiding them, and hunting for them! We've found rocks on hikes, at grocery stores and therapy. It's been interesting to see the artwork and hear about who found what rock.
S is for Summerfest and Sibling visits - It was the 50th year for Summerfest and as part of my 40th year celebration, I requested to go and see one of the bands I love from 'back in the day' (when I was less than half my current age). Dave and the kids sat through some early 90s rock for me but we got to sample lots of other bands and styles of music! We heard the Badger Band which is always a highlight! Another highlight has been foster family visits. Starting in October, we began meeting with Bert and Ernie's biological siblings and their foster families (they had been previously meeting as a bio family, including their mom, with no foster family members present). It was a new experience for all of us, since it was the kids who had something in common and not the grownups! We have shared some laughs and look forward to getting together again in the future.
T is for TPR and Timm's Hill - TPR stands for Termination of Parental Rights. In fall the boys' bio parents rights were terminated which means they are legally free for adoption. It also meant that visits with bio parents ended. No adoption date has been set - there is an appeal process so we are waiting out that time line. This was a huge step in the legal process though! We feel like we are halfway up the mountain. Speaking of high points, this year we climbed the tower at Timm's Hill, aka the highest point in WI. I am that weird girl who plans trips to see odd landmarks. I tried looking for the lowest point but since Lake Michigan levels are constantly changing, that data doesn't really exist. Also, did you know that there are a large number of world city names for towns in WI? Lima, Florence, Paris, Troy, Vienna...
U is for Unanimous - some events of the year have left uloid marks on our hearts, others reminded us that we don't live in a utopia...still we are unanimous when we say that we are blessed!
V is for Vegetate - we plan to do plenty of that this Christmas Break! At one point this season, an ad came into the house with a family on the cover all decked out in matching jammies. The kids kept saying, "Awww!" and commenting on how neat that was...personally, I think it's a little corny, but later that night I was researching the cost of 'family pajamas' (no, it's not one big pair of jammies that everyone crams into - that's what I think of when I hear that word!!) and wouldn't you know, I found some I could stand. We passed out the jammies over Thanksgiving weekend and slept around the tree! We have some fun family photos of everyone in the Christmas jammies and I have officially retired from snorting whenever I see a family all matchy-matchy. My crew looks pretty cute and VERY happy in their matching pajamas! WORTH IT!
W is for Wildlife - as always, we see a lot of wildlife in the yard and woods. This year we even saw a buck!! It never gets old.
X is for Hexagon - yeah, ok it doesn't start with x! Neither does Six, but I'd like to use these to describe our family right now. There are 6 people in our family and consequently 6 sides to every story. This blog post, though, is pretty much one sided since I'm the only one writing it!
Y is for Youth Group - this year Moses is old enough and has begun attending youth group through church. I have chosen to go along and it's such a joy to see how the kids are learning and growing.
Z is for Zip Line - This year Dave installed a zip line in the backyard. He researched all the equipment, including what would hold 300 pounds so guys like him could ride it! (No he's not 300 pounds, but better to over-estimate than under, right?) We put a deer stand under it and attached both a swing and a bar from a playground set. It's about 100' and a quick ride between 2 trees! It's given us a lot more ideas for how to get around in our woods!
So now you know our ABCs and stuff, next time won't you make memories with us! (Terrible rhyme, but you can't blame me for trying!) Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May you have many blessings and friends to share them with in the New Year!
H is for Hollandfest - The town we live in is Dutch. No, I mean they are VERY DUTCH. They celebrate their heritage every other year. One of the things I wanted to do this year was attend the festival where they wash the streets, dance and race in wooden shoes and serve ollie bollen. It was fun to see people we knew from the community and the kids saw lots of their friends.
I is for the Ice Age Trail - One of the things Dave wanted to start was hiking the IAT in segments. Obviously with small kids, work and WI weather, we are not able to hike huge segments at a time, but we did have some 11 mile days in there! It's been fun traveling to other parts of the state and hiking in different weather too. We've been to where it starts/ends in Door County and might do more of it over Christmas Break.J is for Jesus - Christmas is a time to celebrate His birth...yet so often the season is JAM-PACKED with decorating, shopping, parties, kid's concerts, baking, wrapping, eating, etc...please know that the Lord sent His One and Only Son Jesus to the Earth in the form of a man so that He could live, suffer and die for our sins. (John 14, specifically verse 16, but the whole chapter is good!) Even when life drags me down, I have a joy in my heart because I have a personal relationship with Jesus. The gift of eternal life is for everyone, not just me, and I pray that all who read this letter know that they are LOVED! If you have questions about my faith or want to learn more, you know how to find me!
K is for Kayaking - Six people, four kayaks...it works! Sometimes there are 3 little people in one kayak and sometimes there's a kid in with one of us grown-ups, but Mo is almost always on his own. We've done some kayaking in rivers and lakes this year, mostly in Waupaca area and the river here, maybe once we got out into Lake Michigan. I think next year we might investigate a better trailer...we thought about adding to our fleet, but so far the little people are not so great at paddling and steering, so they usually get towed.
L is for Lineage - This year I really wanted to get all the cousins on my paternal side of the family together. I see the cousins from my maternal side quite often, mostly because they live in close proximity. You know how you always say "We should really get together!" but don't? I hate that. Call it part of my birthday present to myself, I was determined to pull the cousins together! Not everyone was able to make it (hello? Work, plane tickets are not cheap, etc...) but it was so good to be together with family!! I chose to kick the weekend off with a visit to the cemetery where my grandparents and one set of great-grandparents are buried. The legacy those people left, both in terms of people created, physical traits and character traits, is absolutely overwhelming. I am so blessed and grateful that I was able to share some laughs and get lots of family hugs that weekend!!
M is for Middle School and Mom Moving - This year Moses started Middle School!! Yeah, did you blink too? It just seems not possible but it is. He's doing online Spanish, band and STEM as his interest classes. He is learning a lot about responsibility...let's just leave it at that. For the most part though, it seems to be going well! I think we could say the same for Dave's Mom - she moved last weekend! It was a big move - almost all the way across the state, to the same town where Dave's sister lives. Now when we visit, it will be a two-fer! We'll get to see 2 factions of the family on the same trip! We're excited to have family Christmas at her new house this year and the cousins will be together again, which will probably lead to another M word = mayhem!
N is for the Ninja Mud Run - This is an annual event in my hometown. My parents love watching my brother's son and my own boys in this event! We had great weather for it again this year and even bumped into some friends. The boys are already looking forward to doing it again next year!
P is for Play, Packers and Pudgie Pies - In the beginning of the year, I had a very small part in another play. It was so good to see 'my peeps' again! I know I've said it before, but it means a lot to me that I am able to participate in things like that. The next one is Packers - we drove up and took in a Packers practice this year! Bert kept tracking Clay Matthews, giving me a play by play report of which end of the field he was on, while the other kids had fun yelling for AARON!!!! Thankfully Aaron Rodgers was willing to wave and make faces at all his adoring fans =) Afterwards, Mo got high fives from a bunch of players as they left the practice field and Ernie got an autograph!! It was a big day. Also, just recently Davon House was at our local grocery store so the kids got another autograph and photo op! The next P is MY favorite one of all! At some point, my cousin posted something about a Pudgie Pie cookbook and I had to have it. I love making pies when we are camping and this cookbook had all kinds of recipes! I'm not exactly a foodie, but I do like to eat...anyway - I promise that if you camp with us next year, we can make a bunch of these recipes!Q is for Quotidian - You didn't think you were going to learn so much from a Christmas letter, did you? The truth is, learning is a quotidian activity. This year I attempted to slow down and focus on the quotidian tasks of providing security to the little people. I learned a lot about their needs and tried my best to improve the quality of our quotidian lives. (I think that's enough of that word now!)
R is for Rock Painting - Early in the year 2016 there was a viral news story around here about someone who painted rocks for kindness or something...well the kids started seeing them around and there's a facebook group for painted rocks in our community. So we joined! The kids like painting rocks, hiding them, and hunting for them! We've found rocks on hikes, at grocery stores and therapy. It's been interesting to see the artwork and hear about who found what rock.
S is for Summerfest and Sibling visits - It was the 50th year for Summerfest and as part of my 40th year celebration, I requested to go and see one of the bands I love from 'back in the day' (when I was less than half my current age). Dave and the kids sat through some early 90s rock for me but we got to sample lots of other bands and styles of music! We heard the Badger Band which is always a highlight! Another highlight has been foster family visits. Starting in October, we began meeting with Bert and Ernie's biological siblings and their foster families (they had been previously meeting as a bio family, including their mom, with no foster family members present). It was a new experience for all of us, since it was the kids who had something in common and not the grownups! We have shared some laughs and look forward to getting together again in the future.
T is for TPR and Timm's Hill - TPR stands for Termination of Parental Rights. In fall the boys' bio parents rights were terminated which means they are legally free for adoption. It also meant that visits with bio parents ended. No adoption date has been set - there is an appeal process so we are waiting out that time line. This was a huge step in the legal process though! We feel like we are halfway up the mountain. Speaking of high points, this year we climbed the tower at Timm's Hill, aka the highest point in WI. I am that weird girl who plans trips to see odd landmarks. I tried looking for the lowest point but since Lake Michigan levels are constantly changing, that data doesn't really exist. Also, did you know that there are a large number of world city names for towns in WI? Lima, Florence, Paris, Troy, Vienna...U is for Unanimous - some events of the year have left uloid marks on our hearts, others reminded us that we don't live in a utopia...still we are unanimous when we say that we are blessed!
V is for Vegetate - we plan to do plenty of that this Christmas Break! At one point this season, an ad came into the house with a family on the cover all decked out in matching jammies. The kids kept saying, "Awww!" and commenting on how neat that was...personally, I think it's a little corny, but later that night I was researching the cost of 'family pajamas' (no, it's not one big pair of jammies that everyone crams into - that's what I think of when I hear that word!!) and wouldn't you know, I found some I could stand. We passed out the jammies over Thanksgiving weekend and slept around the tree! We have some fun family photos of everyone in the Christmas jammies and I have officially retired from snorting whenever I see a family all matchy-matchy. My crew looks pretty cute and VERY happy in their matching pajamas! WORTH IT!
W is for Wildlife - as always, we see a lot of wildlife in the yard and woods. This year we even saw a buck!! It never gets old.X is for Hexagon - yeah, ok it doesn't start with x! Neither does Six, but I'd like to use these to describe our family right now. There are 6 people in our family and consequently 6 sides to every story. This blog post, though, is pretty much one sided since I'm the only one writing it!
Y is for Youth Group - this year Moses is old enough and has begun attending youth group through church. I have chosen to go along and it's such a joy to see how the kids are learning and growing.
Z is for Zip Line - This year Dave installed a zip line in the backyard. He researched all the equipment, including what would hold 300 pounds so guys like him could ride it! (No he's not 300 pounds, but better to over-estimate than under, right?) We put a deer stand under it and attached both a swing and a bar from a playground set. It's about 100' and a quick ride between 2 trees! It's given us a lot more ideas for how to get around in our woods!
So now you know our ABCs and stuff, next time won't you make memories with us! (Terrible rhyme, but you can't blame me for trying!) Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May you have many blessings and friends to share them with in the New Year!
We hope you enjoyed this green version of our Christmas card! (If you still wish to receive a paper copy, leave a comment.) There are lots of reasons we decided to do things differently this year (again!)...here's a few:
1) Save postage. We love you, but we're cheap!
2) Save paper. You just recycle those cards after you read them...you do recycle them eventually, don't you??
3) Save printing costs. See reason #1!
4) Save stress. Nothing to print, sign, stuff, address...
5) Expand our options! Now you can see a practically limitless amount of photos.
6) Our greeting to you is saved in cyber-space for posterity!
7) It went so well the past years...we heard a lot of positive responses, and even some people who said they'd try it themselves. Welcome to the dark (green) side! (Sorry that was a goofy Star Wars joke...)
No comments:
Post a Comment