Paige's 1st Time Ice Skating

Lights in the parkway

Our Christmas Card

The contents of our yearly Christmas card, reproduced below:


Friends and Family:

2009 may have been our most uneventful year yet. All kidding aside, this was the year of the new house, new job and new baby. It started when Michael found a new job with Lehigh Valley Hospital. That decision benefitted both husband and wife. Michael found a job that offered him professional growth and Megan found an opportunity to move closer to her mother.

This led to the sale of our old house and the purchase of a new one. We missed our old house in Dover especially the yard. More importantly, we missed our old friends and co-workers. We did settle in quite nicely in Pennsylvania. Megan especially fell in love with the new home, which had design features she learned was missing from the old home.

Then of course, the most important change happened on August 31. Our boy Ian was born. He weighed 7 pounds and 11 ounces. He looked just like his sister and his mother. He was much more fair-skinned than his father and sister and his hair was thinner than that of everyone else in his family. He's a sweet boy who has required very little constant attention. He's just over three months now and he smiles a lot. We think he's a flirt.

Paige has been taking good care of her new brother. She frequently hugs and kisses him and brings him toys when he cries. She says "good morning" to him every day. Every evening she makes sure he sits next to her at dinner.

Paige started a new school this year, too. She made many close friends there. Paige has also been busy with her extracurricular activities. In addition to school, swim class and gymnastics leaves her exhausted at the end of the day.

So what about Bandit? Besides finding new places to lounge in the new house, not much is different. He needs to find a new groomer, so wish him luck with that this upcoming year.

Until then, Happy Holidays!

Michael, Megan, Paige, Ian and Bandit

Lots of snow outside

Gymnastics II

Gymnastics

In the studio audience

Mommy's away, so it's up to Daddy and Pepe to watch the kids

There's Another Holiday Hip/Hop Song

For many years, I thought there was only one Christmas rap. That being the ubiquitous (at this time of year) "Christmas in Hollis." Imagine my surprise when I heard the following gem from Kurtis Blow for the first time:

"Christmas Rappin'"

Are there any others out there, I haven't heard of? If not, I blame gangsta rap.

1st snow

Paige wanted me to take this picture