As always, we hope you and your family are well this year! We'd love to say that 2009 has just flown by, but the truth is, we've been waiting and waiting all year for December to arrive. Not only is this the month that my little sister comes home from Iraq (she has been there since January with the U.S. Army), but the kids are at an age where they can't wait for Santa's arrival, either! That's not to say that the past year hasn't been fabulous, because it certainly has. We took several small trips to visit family members this year, but didn't make it down to Iowa, as we would have liked. (That just means we'll have to go at least twice this next year!) Our longest and most interesting trip was to Colorado in April. We drove out there to visit my dad and took a trailer with us so we could bring a motorcycle back to Minnesota. Both Chris and I were nervous as to how the kids would do on such a LONG road trip, but as it turns out, the kids were spectacular. They're troopers, that's for sure! The trip to Colorado was SO much fun and Caleb is still talking about seeing the mountains and some wild animals that we don't get to see in Minnesota. :)
Chris got to have a couple "guy weekends" this year as he went to Colorado with some friends in May, and also went on his annual hunting trip "up north" in November. Deer hunting was extra fun this year since Chris shot an 8-point buck, but the weekend was not-so-great when he tore his bicep. (He has healed just fine, so all is well.) While in Colorado, the guys visited a couple of beer breweries and also had lunch at the famous Stanley Hotel. They had such a great time that this trip might become an annual event. :) Chris' newest hobby this spring has been spending time working on a 20-year old boat he jointly purchased with his dad and brother. They've had
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a great time "tweeking" it and also testing the waters up on Lake Superior in September. The family only got on the boat a couple times this past year, but promised that we'd make more time for boating and fishing in 2010.I am still keeping busy with my local MOMS Club and Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group. This summer, I felt like I had too much time on my hands, so I jumped at the chance to join the leadership team for my MOPS group. I'm the current "hospitality coordinator" which is really fun for me, since I get to learn and use tons of decorating and crafting ideas. Speaking of crafting, I'm also still enjoying the card-making events I often host at our house, but had to cut down on the frequency of them when our schedule got busier this fall. I did get to take some time away and spend a "girls weekend" in Santa Barbara, California in June. Two friends of mine and I did a wine-tasting and took in the beautiful California scenery for about four days. I had so much fun that I want to go back in 2010....but bring the rest of the family with me this time! :)
Caleb turned
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four in September. One of his major talents is that he keeps us laughing every day. He's blowing us away with his quick learning on things like spelling his name and writing the alphabet. One thing that he's really gotten interested in lately is drawing. It seems like he wasn't interested in creating art for so long, and then all of a sudden, he could sit at the table and draw all day long. (It's a great talent to have, I think!) Caleb is going to the same preschool as last year, but he's attending three days a week instead of two. In fact, he is in the same classroom as last year and even has two of the same teachers. He loves his class and also loves that he gets to swim once a week with them at the local YMCA. Both Chris and I think it's a great program for him, but I'm going to need to take Spanish lessons soon since Caleb can now say more words in Spanish than I can. :)Hannah wi
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ll be turning two this month. Much like her brother, her sense of humor keeps us giggling all day. She gets her humorous-side from her father, but, unfortunately, gets her "gift of gab" from her mother. She is really good at talking non-stop, which definitely makes for a noisy household and noisy car-rides! Her two-year old personality is also shining through these days, so it's pretty safe to say that she's the "boss" of our family. She can definitely hold her own when it comes to playing with and arguing with her older brother. Luckily, they are very loving towards one another and so we don't hear "mine! mine! mine!" too often these days. :) Hannah also attends a Friday program that is in conjunction with Caleb's preschool program. She has a great time painting and playing outside on the slide during those Fridays and it's cute to see how proud she is when we hang her art on the fridge next to Caleb's art. Also, Hannah's favorite color is pink so almost everything she wears or does these days HAS to involve that color. (This must be that two-year old personality again....) 2010 is going to be a busy but fun year for our family. We're looking forward to a family trip in January, including Hannah's first plane ride and Caleb's first plane ride that he'll be able to remember. The kids are also looking forward to more swimming lessons soon and Ca
leb has informed me that he wants to take soccer when he's five. So, needless to say, our days might be even busier in the next year, but we'll enjoy it just the same.
We hope that you have a wonderful holiday and a fabulous New Year!!
Love,
We hope that you have a wonderful holiday and a fabulous New Year!!
Love,
The Christenson Family
1 comment:
Thanks Katie, and Merry Christmas!
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