Christmas Eve, 2008
Despite the Christmas music playing, the tree lights shining and voices heard saying, “Merry Christmas”, I am having a difficult time believing Christmas has arrived. So I will try to slow down and reflect for a few moments on the year that has been.
Despite the Christmas music playing, the tree lights shining and voices heard saying, “Merry Christmas”, I am having a difficult time believing Christmas has arrived. So I will try to slow down and reflect for a few moments on the year that has been.
We are thankful for…
New adventures
Cate is now in full-day kindergarten and loving it! It is amazing how much she has matured since starting school. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect teacher to jumpstart her academic journey. As you can imagine, Cate is quite social and ensures everyone feels included, so Ms. Mishler took advantage of that trait. Cate is now a helper for fellow classmates who come from the “Butterfly Room” (children who are in the autism program) and in November, she was recognized as a Student of the Month. As if starting school wasn’t enough, she ends her day in a different location—three days at an after school program, one day taking the school bus to my parents and one day getting picked up by Kyle’s parents.
In early 2008, we said good-bye to the crib and hello to bunk beds. Sometime in the summer, Max grew tall enough and strong enough to open the bedroom door. I’ve been wishing for the crib back ever since! At 2-1/2, Max is making potty-training a very frustrating adventure. Grandma and Grandpa are trying to motivate him to use the potty by rewarding him with watching his favorite movie, Fantasia should he “do the deed” on the pot. With Cate at school everyday, Max really likes to have his grandparents to himself 85% of the time.
Working at ShopNBC is always an adventure for me. I don’t know that I have ever sent a holiday letter and not talk about change in my work responsibilities. This year is no different. To date, I have been on the positive side of re-organization and have changed positions four times (in just one year!), each time moving to a better and more challenging position. I am currently the Marketing Manager for Events and Promotions on ShopNBC.com. With our stock at a current all-time low of $0.30 / share, I have a feeling my career adventures will continue into the New Year.
Happy Times
We spoiled ourselves this year with two family vacations. In April, we flew to Washington DC and spent a good amount of time with our dear friends, the Colemans. In July, we went “up north” for a week with my family at our favorite family resort. A good time was had by all. As you would suspect, Kyle keeps up his Wednesday night out gig and also meeting up with Shawn and Mark monthly. I have added some more church activities and still manage to get girlfriend lunches and nights out whenever possible. When we’re home, Cate and Kyle’s highlight is to play Lego Star Wars on the Wii. Max has fun watching all the light-saber action. In the spring, when I had more time, I ran my first 5K. Shocking, I know. I also picked up a new hobby of blogging. As a shameless plug, check it out if you are ever near a computer and think of us: http://jensens6021ramblings.blogspot.com/. Don’t be afraid to leave a comment once in a while.
A roof over our heads, food on the table and a yard to play in
We did not have any major home projects this year (of which Kyle is particularly thankful for), so we just enjoyed…living. We are still very much in love with our kitchen remodel. Cate enjoys cooking and baking, so we are trying to get her involved as much as possible. We decided to plant hosta in the front yard—all transplants came from Kyle’s mom’s garden. Unfortunately, a week after all were planted, we had one heck of a spring storm which wiped them out. What wasn’t destroyed was nibbled down by our neighborhood rabbits. We’re keeping our fingers crossed they will return in the summer. The hosta, that is…
New adventures
Cate is now in full-day kindergarten and loving it! It is amazing how much she has matured since starting school. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect teacher to jumpstart her academic journey. As you can imagine, Cate is quite social and ensures everyone feels included, so Ms. Mishler took advantage of that trait. Cate is now a helper for fellow classmates who come from the “Butterfly Room” (children who are in the autism program) and in November, she was recognized as a Student of the Month. As if starting school wasn’t enough, she ends her day in a different location—three days at an after school program, one day taking the school bus to my parents and one day getting picked up by Kyle’s parents.
In early 2008, we said good-bye to the crib and hello to bunk beds. Sometime in the summer, Max grew tall enough and strong enough to open the bedroom door. I’ve been wishing for the crib back ever since! At 2-1/2, Max is making potty-training a very frustrating adventure. Grandma and Grandpa are trying to motivate him to use the potty by rewarding him with watching his favorite movie, Fantasia should he “do the deed” on the pot. With Cate at school everyday, Max really likes to have his grandparents to himself 85% of the time.
Working at ShopNBC is always an adventure for me. I don’t know that I have ever sent a holiday letter and not talk about change in my work responsibilities. This year is no different. To date, I have been on the positive side of re-organization and have changed positions four times (in just one year!), each time moving to a better and more challenging position. I am currently the Marketing Manager for Events and Promotions on ShopNBC.com. With our stock at a current all-time low of $0.30 / share, I have a feeling my career adventures will continue into the New Year.
Happy Times
We spoiled ourselves this year with two family vacations. In April, we flew to Washington DC and spent a good amount of time with our dear friends, the Colemans. In July, we went “up north” for a week with my family at our favorite family resort. A good time was had by all. As you would suspect, Kyle keeps up his Wednesday night out gig and also meeting up with Shawn and Mark monthly. I have added some more church activities and still manage to get girlfriend lunches and nights out whenever possible. When we’re home, Cate and Kyle’s highlight is to play Lego Star Wars on the Wii. Max has fun watching all the light-saber action. In the spring, when I had more time, I ran my first 5K. Shocking, I know. I also picked up a new hobby of blogging. As a shameless plug, check it out if you are ever near a computer and think of us: http://jensens6021ramblings.blogspot.com/. Don’t be afraid to leave a comment once in a while.
A roof over our heads, food on the table and a yard to play in
We did not have any major home projects this year (of which Kyle is particularly thankful for), so we just enjoyed…living. We are still very much in love with our kitchen remodel. Cate enjoys cooking and baking, so we are trying to get her involved as much as possible. We decided to plant hosta in the front yard—all transplants came from Kyle’s mom’s garden. Unfortunately, a week after all were planted, we had one heck of a spring storm which wiped them out. What wasn’t destroyed was nibbled down by our neighborhood rabbits. We’re keeping our fingers crossed they will return in the summer. The hosta, that is…
Our long-term health
In light of many loved ones battling illnesses from the pesky to serious, we are hopeful for good health for years to come. This year, we all seemed to be sick more often than in years’ past. Many co-payments were made at Urgent Care and the Clinic, which prompted us to finally sign up for a healthcare spending account in 2009. Cate had her first of many bouts of pneumonia in January. This eventually led to her diagnosis of asthma. Fortunately, it’s managed with a daily nebulizer treatment. She has been very tolerant of this addition to her routine because it guarantees she can do her favorite thing daily for ten minutes—drawing.
Kyle threw us all for a loop in June when his flu symptoms took a nasty turn and landed him in the ICU with diabetic complications. It was not the most fun weekend of our lives, but it certainly was a wake-up call for both of us to be diligent in managing his diabetes. He feels much better and we are thankful for all of the prayers you showered upon us.
Our family and friends
Without you in our lives, we wouldn’t be complete. We are thankful for our interactions; whether daily, weekly, or even once in a while. We wish all of you good health, a roof over your head with food on the table, new adventures, and plenty of happy times in 2009.
With love,
Kyle, Jennifer, Cate and Max
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