So this year I have recieved a number of Chirstmas letters via e-mail as an attachment and seen them on people's blogs. I think it is a little crazy, but I can understand. This year we did not send out our typical 50+ because we were trying to save a few bucks, so with that being said here is our letter and the picture that we sent with it.
OHIO COIL CHRISTMAS 2009
Bay Village is still our home and it is nice to still be here when we think about how the past four Christmas letters have come from four different states. This has been a tremendous year of growth since our last letter. Topping the list is Molly, our adopted Golden Retriever still in her toddler years. Little home projects have definitely turned our house into a home with pictures on the wall, a new sandbox in the backyard and our own personal toy warehouse in the basement.
Andy is halfway through his second year in his Emergency Medicine residency and loves to leave the house with his wife saying “I hope you get to stick something in someone or get blood on your Crocs.” He completed the most physically demanding test of his life with a time of 3 hours and 33 minutes in the Akron City marathon. The only thing evading him in Ohio is a 33 inch steelhead trout out of the Rocky River which is 15 minutes from his door.
Shay has a full plate by being the mother of three, volunteering to be Porter’s kindergarten head room parent, continuing to serve as a young women’s leader and being accepted to go back to college at Cleveland State for a degree in education. Shay has discovered her first green thumb, how tough it is to get a Young Women’s medallion by spending countless hours earning hers and how to deal with a tragic haircut from when you try to save a few bucks. She has also found a new favorite pastime by searching for her ancestry.
Porter is almost 6 years old and working on his sight words for Mrs. Caputo’s Kindergarten class that he has every afternoon and is very excited when he sees them in his Star Wars books from the library. One of his favorite new hobbies is the five year old version of Harlem Globetrotter dribbling that he is learning at his afterschool Bee Bouncer basketball class. He learned how to swim across the whole pool for his waterslide pass and ride a two wheel bike this past year, but he still has some work to do on his pulling out of the driveway before Dad will let him drive the car down the street.
Carlee is 4 years old and started preschool this year and had a hard time because most of the kids there don’t know how to “play like Porter.” Thank goodness that she has the ability to speak to anyone in any situation and has made a few good friends who live up to the standard that Porter has set. She loves anything pink or anything animal. Once again she spent a big chunk of her summer in a pink, full leg cast thanks to the trampoline (Big Sigh!) She was able to make it for the last session of swimming lessons at the Bay Village pool where she learned how to pick up the whistle from the pool bottom.
Tessa will be 17 months old by Christmas time and finally has beautiful golden curls covering her perfect deep blue eyed head. She has become the Coil mascot with her deep infectious laugh that regularly rolls throughout the house. She loves to shake her diaper bum to Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas. She gives the sweetest hugs and open mouthed kisses ever. She is learning to become a veterinarian by checking Molly’s tonsils daily and her favorite pastimes are blow drying her hair and brushing her teeth with everyone else’s toothbrushes. She has truly become the love of our lives.
We wish you a merry Christmas and can’t wait for you to visit us in Ohio.
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Here are more pics from that day....
Thanks again to Andrea for taking such great pics and making great memories.
