family christmas letter

wow - i've been so busy lately that i haven't even had time to read other people's blogs much less write my own! i will write something soon but for now here is our family Christmas letter that we sent out this year:

2009 has been a very busy year with a lot of ups and a few very hard lows!

Some of the ups – We spent most of the summer in the water – either going out on the boat or to the local water park or to the neighborhood pool. The girls took swimming lessons and the first grader can actually swim now (hopefully she won’t forget it all by next summer)! The four of us took a trip to Chicago in July to visit my brother Mike and his wife Erin. We had a great time visiting and playing tourists (although the water in Lake Michigan was COLD)! The hubby and I went to the NASCAR races again this year in April and he went to the Chicago race in July and to the Texas race in November and we also took the girls to the truck race in June. The hubby and I saw Robert Earl Keen in concert three times this year but the best was when we went to see him at Gruene Hall on November 13th with my aunt and uncle. It was awesome! We stood right in front of Robert Earl Keen during the concert and then I got his autograph!

A few of the downs – Our dog, Kitty, died in April. She was almost 14 years old. We have not gotten another dog yet. Unfortunately, my 98 year old paternal grandmother passed away on November 5th. She was such a kind-hearted woman and will be greatly missed. We went to Rayville, LA for the funeral. It was a bittersweet trip because we got to see some family that we hadn’t seen in a long time, but we had to say goodbye to a person who was such a joy in all of our lives.

The hubby is still working for the same heating/air conditioning company based out of Dallas. Because he was able to get a very good deal on a set of golf clubs, he has started playing whenever he can. Funny how we saved so much money buying this set of clubs, yet he has to spend so much to play the game! His 1972 Chevy step-side is still a work-in-progress, but it looks pretty good now!

I am still a stay-at-home mom but have been extremely busy with all of my work at the first grader’s school. I am the room mom this year as well as last year. I was the treasurer of the PTA last school year and am now the PTA president and treasurer. I am no longer babysitting for our neighbor’s daughter, Sophie, but we do get to see her often since they live next door! I am in relatively good health and am even more thankful for it after going through a medical ailment this summer. For about a month and a half, I had severe joint pain. It started off minor and progressively got worse until I could barely move (even while on prescription medications). I saw my primary care doctor and a rheumatologist and had MANY tests run and they finally put me on steroids which made me feel so much better. I still don’t know what caused it, but I’m just happy that I feel better now!

The first grader (6) is still doing gymnastics and really enjoys it. She is in 1st grade now and has been on the A-honor roll (both 6-weeks). She has lost 2 teeth so far (with 2 more very close to coming out). She may even be singing “All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth” in time for Christmas. Just last month she went to a Dallas Cowboys football game with a friend from school – at the new stadium – in a suite!! She is now the only member of the family that has been to the new stadium! Brooke will be singing a solo in the Christmas program at school. She has been practicing A LOT!

My little one (3) is doing gymnastics now too. She loves it and her teacher says she is a natural. This is the first year that it has just been the two of us alone everyday and I’m enjoying it so much. She is at that age where she wants to do things just to please you and wants to help out. She is my little helper and I couldn’t ask for a better one!

We hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2010!