Our Christmas 2004 Postcard!!!
We’ve hit a new low this year… Not only did we not manage to mail out conventional Christmas cards, but our “web card” is late and not as complete a we’d like it to be. Still, we hope this finds you healthy and happy at the turn of the year and that you’ll enjoy reading what we’ve been up to this fall…
September was back to school time. Jacob, a.k.a. “Buzz”, is a second grader this year in Ms. Duffy’s class. When he can stay in his chair, he’s a great student and having a blast! Joshua, a.k.a. “Spike”, is a fourth grader in Ms. Gibson’s class. He’s a great student and a ball of energy!
John completed his Woodbadge training this fall and, in October, along with his scouting friend Tony, he was ceremoniously awarded his Woodbadge Beads!
We celebrated Marie’s birthday in September with a nice dinner out with the boys! Happy Birthday Grams!
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In early October, John went with our good friend and neighbor, Bob, to the Hartford Marathon where they registered as a relay team and escorted another good friend, Lori, in her marathon run!
Later in October, John become an “Ironrunner” by completing the New England Grand Prix road racing series with his run in the Cape Cod Marathon. Another unseasonably warm day spelled trouble for the cold weather-loving big man and he had some tough miles in the hills of Woods Hole. Fortunately, his running pals Lori, Annette, Bob, Frank, and Joe had formed a relay team to run with him at this point and, with a little help from them, he was able to pick it up near the end and bring it home for a 3:39 finish. Thanks friends!!
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Halloween was great, as always! Or friends Pam and Steve hosted the neighborhood spook party and the guys had a great time playing with friends and haunting the neighborhood.
Below, Joshua and some of his school buddies prepare a pumpkin with help from his teacher, Ms. Gibson.
Jake’s class took a fall tour of Plimouth Plantation where they learned about the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims!
Thanksgiving was pretty quiet at our place this year. Marie was with us and we had all the traditional fixin’s! Joshua and Jacob ran their first ever 5k road race at the Feaster Five - you can search for their results here. Jacob used his traditional sprint/gasp/walk/sprint/gasp/walk approach while Joshua managed a much more evenly paced endurance run. Mom ran along with the boys while dad helped out at the finish line. A great time for all of us!
Joshua’s class hosted their first grade buddies for a traditional dinner at school!
Both Jake and Josh played U10 soccer this fall - on the same team! Joshua was one of the older boys on his team and showed his experience in the goal and as a fullback. He was a tough, aggressive defender who denied many goals! Jacob, despite being the youngest on the team, used his speed on offense to outrun defenders and keep the pressure on opposing goalies!
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As the leaves fell, soccer season finished and we moved inside for basketball. The temperatures dropped and cub scouts kicked into high gear. In December, we held our annual “Holiday Bash”. This year’s party again featured the wassail bowl, a fantastic bunch of friends, and even a clarinet concert from Joshua! Again this year we raised money for Globe Santa. With some late donations, our guests set a new high of $1,560 contributed!
Marie’s brother Cleon and his wife Elllie joined us from New York for the Christmas holiday! We had a blast! We ate fish on Christmas eve, roast on Christmas day, pasta in the North End on the next day… And yes, we did do things other than eat! We opened gifts, we saw the Lion King at Boston’s recently remodeled Opera House, we watched football, shoveled snow… It was a great time!
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That should about bring you up to speed. We’re all happy, healthy, busy, and ready for the next adventure! We’re heading to North Carolina for the arrival of the New Year and we’ll report on that soon!
We hope your holidays were filled with joy and Christmas spirit and that, when you have a moment, you’ll drop by or drop us a line!! Merry Christmas all!
