for real….
I am feeling pathetic about getting blogs in lately. I am currently compiling my new years list of goals for 2010, and blogging on a regular basis is definately one of them!!! Sorry, folks. I am going to get another “ketchup” blog in and than hope that I can start my new years resolution early!! I apologize in advance for the long post. Enjoy!
First, I’d like to start with posting a few Thanksgiving pics. My sister, Becky, did a beautiful job hosting this year in her new townhouse. I promised her a few pics of her table setting. It really was pretty. Now I feel a little pressure for Christmas………..
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Joel and I were able to be one of the 3 hosts for our annual neighborhood progressive dinner! It was a good excuse to get motivated and fill almost every empty frame in my house, while dusting and cleaning in areas that I didn’t even realize dirt could get into. Michelle—I didn’t get to the ceiling fan, as I’m sure you noticed it running for that reason. Let’s just say, it was a GREAT time! We really do have the best neighbors in the entire world! Angie and Chris, thank you so much for co-hosting with us! Angie, thanks for coming up with the homemade pizza theme, while preparing and taste-testing all of them first!!! You are a true friend. I envy your organizational skills. With your help everything went so smoothly!
Of course, here are a few pics. Note the cowboy hat that I won at the first house! Yee-haw!!!
A little karaoke at the 3rd house! I can’t remember what song Joel sang—but I remember being so proud of him for trying!
This is Joel’s, “I’m a stud” face! For some reason this picture brings me back to our college years together!
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Both Claire and Charlie came home with their report cards last week! We are so proud of both of them! It is so interesting to see how different they each are from each other, yet so alike in other areas. This is a summaryof each: Claire is so academically talented. She loves to be challenged and succeeds. She has a contagious personality and enjoys being a good friend to her peers. Charlie LOVES to have fun at school and comes home with a new “best friend” daily. He is well-liked by his peers. He aims to impress, and therefore tries very hard to learn. Lots of patience and repetition is key for him. I just dance inside to see his strong desire and determination to learn. I am amazed at how much he has already accomplished! We couldn’t ask for better teachers or a better school for the kids to learn at. As I drive by the church to pick the kids up from school, Will yells out from the backseat, “Jesus’ house”!! It is a great reminder of how happy and fortunate we are that we have St. Vincent’s.
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Here is a precious moment that I had to capture on the kids’ day off last week! Seriously, I just LOVE having all the kids home together! How heartwarming is this??
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Finally, one of the highlights this year has been Claire starting violin lessons. It has been just magical listening to her practice and learn new songs. She has been able to take lessons during school, which has been so convenient. She loves it so much that she asked to join the school’s orchestra! It probably was influenced by the fact that her cousin, Caroline, was joining as well! We all attended their first orchestra concert last week. They played for the entire school. Here are a few pics. It gets me so excited for her first solo recital in St. Paul this saturday. I’ve already got the kleenexes packed and ready to go.
Sweet Caroline with the cello!
I think you need to take that picture of Charlie and Will down, I can’t take it!