SnowGirl

Alaina played in the snow today. She was so bundled up she waddled like a duck!

She made a snow angel, helped with the shovel, and took a ride in the orange sled. It was so much fun.

Christmas

Had a great time at last night's party. It was great to have the family all together.

Merry Christmas from Chicago!

Merry Christmas!

We have been blessed in the last week to have many family members in and out of our home. Emily and Paul stayed with us before making the journey up to Detroit for Christmas. It was so nice to get to watch Alaina play with Nana and Papa. She loves playing with her new cookie set that they gave her and I am sending it with her to Ishpeming along with the tea set Adam got her for the Christmas exchange so that she can play pretend with her big kid cousins :) She really enjoys giving everyone cookies and tea and telling people that the cookies are "hot" as she wears her little oven mit.

We spent Christmas morning just the three of us here at home and were able to relax and enjoy what the day was about! Alaina loves showing everyone baby Jesus in the nativity by the tree, and then will show baby Addison by pointing at my belly...she's too cute really! Then, my parents came up from Indianapolis to visit for a few days! Pete made cornish game hens, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner...devine! We had ice cream pie for dessert, which is a tradition in my family around birthdays and the holidays. My mom brought leftovers from her Christmas morning breakfast, so Pete and I will get to have her breakfast casserole which Pete requests everytime we visit her in Indiana! My sister and her husband also come up today for some more family fun. I haven't seen them since their wedding in September!

Emily and Tracy are currently on their way from Detroit to our house to pick up Alaina for the big trip north! We feel so blessed that she was able to spend Christmas day with us, but that she will be able to visit with everyone in Ishpeming as well. I know that she will have so much fun reconnecting with all of you and learning to play with the big kids.

Pete and I will miss seeing all of you this Christmas. We hope that soon we'll be able to welcome you all to stay in our new home (we have 2 showings in the next few days!) and meet our new family member!

All our love this Christmas and a very happy New Year!
Emily Ann

Merry Christmas from Detroit

Merry Christmas.
We are all over Tim's house.

Dad woke up early and drove until he could start the morning right - with Starbucks - that is! He loves his Starbucks. I wonder if they make a "patch" for emergencies!

I (Tracy) drove over early in my pajamas. Tim has been hobbling around as he hurt his foot last night on a toothpick - Ouch! Tim decorated his house with his nutcrackers. I am going to post some pictures of all of them in the next couple of days. They are all very unique. Tim also has a Christmas tree up with white lights, green, red, and silver jingle bells.

We opened our stockings with Pete, Emily Ann, and Alaina over video g-mail chat. It was really fun to see them this Christmas morning even though they are hundreds of miles away. Alaina really loved the peppermint sticks that her Daddy received in his stocking. It's hard to believe that in no time at all they will no longer be three but four!

Mom wrapped all of our presents so beautifully. She also made a lot of our gifts - gloves, hats, paintings, and I love the bag that she made me. I can't wait to show you. It's beautiful. Dad did a great job picking out all sorts of electronic for us - big and small - he did a great job! Right now he is watching his new corvette DVD. It's crackin' me up! Mom also bought DAD a BRA! HA HA ha ha he he he! A corvette bra that keeps the bugs off the front end.

Mom is cooking right now - a glazed ham, cranberries, mostacioli, and asparagus. Tim requested brownies for dessert - Perfect!! I'll make a few posts throughout the day - I hope you do too - tell us what you are up to. What are some of your holiday traditions? What was the favorite gift that you gave? Did something funny happen today? Can't wait to hear from you today.

Merry Christmas - Love, Tracy

More from the best concert ever....

We sure did enjoy the concert today. Isaac you did a great job playing the slide trombone and your singing was wonderful. We are so proud of you

School Concert

We really enjoyed experiencing the concert!

Our Merry Christmas tree

We rescued the top of a 25' pine that broke off in our blizzard/ice storm last week. It was encased in ice and snow. Ken got on an extension ladder and got it off the old pine. We put it in our shower to thaw and after it dried and we set it up, we decorated it, and behold....a Christmas tree emerged. It looks lots better at night than in the day, but we enjoy this old-fashioned looking tree. Merry Christmas everyone!

Light of the world . . .

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." - Matthew 2:1-2I am glad that my mom and dad told me the real meaning of Christmas since I was a little girl. It's not about the the presents, it's about The Present. It's not about the food, it's about The Bread of Life. It's not about the tree all garnished in tinsel, it's about the Cross on which He took the nails, It's not about the parties, it's about the Presence of God - incarnate.

For He is the Light of the world . . . who stepped down into darkness . . . who opened my eyes let me see beauty that makes this heart adore Him - Hope of a life spent with You. For here we are to worship. - written by Chris Tomlin

Indeed - You are the Reason.

Thank you for wrapping Your arms around us and calling us Your own.

Updates from Chicago

Well, this week certainly has been eventful...

First, a quick update on a prayer request I posted earlier. Friends of ours welcomed their son, Adam Parker, into the world at 2 pounds 14 ounces and 15.5 inches. Such a tiny little man, but already showing such thirst for life and spunk! He is, miraculously, breathing room air and trying bottle feedings! He still requires lots of IV medication and gets most of his nutrition from an NG tube, but they are hopeful that he will be moved to a less restrictive NICU in the next few days!

Please keep Julia, Adam, baby Adam, and their family in your prayers. Due to his health concerns and the threat of flu, only Julia and Adam are allowed to visit the baby. Their parents have only seen pictures and video that have been taken as the NICU doesn't even have a viewing window. Also, please pray that Julia be given an answer to transportation issues. As Adam has to go back to work and her mother lives an hour away from their home, Julia is concerned that she will not have a way to get to Detroit (another hour from her home) in order to visit the baby everyday once she is released from the hospital either today or tomorrow. Julia had a C-section and will not be cleared to drive herself for a few weeks.

I know Tracy and her church have been praying for the family and has offered meals and transportation! I wish we were closer to them and that I was allowed to drive, but I know that God will continue to provide for them. Please continue to pray.

I took an impromptu trip to the hospital on Monday after Miss Addison decided to hide from me during a kick count. A kick count is how long it takes me to feel 10 fetal movements. Usually Addison is a superstar and will complete a count in 15-25 minutes, but after 50 minutes on Monday morning I was beginning to worry. The doctors draw the line at 45 minutes, so I was told to head over to the hospital to have a non stress test. Once Addison and I were on the monitors, Addison felt like she could come out to play again. She had great movement while we were there, but her heart rate was a little high for their liking. We had an ultrasound done which showed that the amniotic fluid was still fine, and I was eventually allowed to leave. I'll follow up with my doctor tomorrow and have another non stress test to make sure things are back to normal.

On a much lighter note...

We were very lucky to have visitors here this past Sunday! As Joy posted earlier, she and the rest of her wonderful family joined us for bagels and donuts before their big Star Wars adventure! Adam brought wonderful Christmas gifts for Alaina (they had each other for the Christmas exchange) and it was fun to watch her experience ripping off the paper and discovering a new toy. Alaina loved the book about baby Jesus, the smock for baking and art projects, and couldn't get enough of the magnetic fishing puzzle and play tea set! I will post pictures next week when Alaina is back home so that everyone can see! Thank you Adam (and Joy-I'm sure you helped a little..haha). Alaina is working hard on wrapping gifts to bring to Ishpeming as well.

Well, after almost 6 months on the market, no offers, and frustrations with the lack of communication and commitment from our realtor, Pete and I have hired a new listing agent. We are hopeful that with a new marketing plan, new pictures, and a new perspective we can move forward and move to a new house before I need to start a new job in a few months. Our new agent has a family and understands the urgency we feel to get settled in a home that fits our needs.

Hope everyone is safe and warm despite the winter storm. It seems like the worst of the storm will miss us here in Chicago.

Love you all,
Emily Ann

Carlson Fun

It's been a fun and exciting few weeks for us! It was difficult to choose which pictures to share! Here are just a few of my favorites!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day spent with family! Thank you Linda for hosting all of us in your home!!!

I really like this picture of the Cain family! Looking forward to taking another just like it with Lindsey at Christmas!!!

These two could be on Dancing with the Stars someday!!! They are my little stars!

Last weekend we went to Chicago and were so happy to be able to visit Pete, Emily and Alaina! As we were coming down the hall to their home, we could hear Alaina giggling. When she saw us she ran down the hall and jumped into my arms! I would love to have a greeting from her like that everyday! What an angel!

Pete and the boys enjoying the view. You'd think it was summer in this picture but it was only 20 something degrees! Hearty midwest guys!!!

This just warms my heart seeing the kids all together!

Pete and Isaac even had some time to have a Guitar Hero duel.

I was sad when I got home and realized I didn't get a picture of Emily! I so enjoyed our visit!!! Emily you are a blessing and I'm thankful you're a part of our family!

After our visit we went to the United Center in Chicago for Star Wars in Concert. There was an exhibit of Star Wars memorablia which the kids had been waiting to see. The crowds made it difficult but we did our best!

This gives an idea of what it was like ... a full symphony with screen behind. The music was fantastic and it was more than we could have expected. It was inspiring for the boys to continue with music!

There were close-ups of the orchestra on the screen -- this was Isaac's favorite watching the trombone players and how FAST they could move that slide!

Hmm...I might be inspired to actually watch the movies too!

Looking forward to Christmas with the family!

Love, Joy

Prayer Request

Dear Family,

Pete and I just learned that friends of ours will be welcoming their little boy into the world tomorrow morning at 6am via C-section. This pregnancy has been very difficult, and Julia has been on bed rest about as long as I have, but has had to be admitted to the hospital as she requires monitoring multiple times each day. Their son is very small, and is coming early (32 weeks). Please pray for the doctors to have wisdom, for Julia and Adam to have strength, and for baby Adam's health. They have a long road ahead of them and could use our prayers and His love to lift them up during this very scary time.

Emily Ann

This week in Chicago...

Happy December everyone!

This week was a big week at our house since Emily Marie came to stay and help take care of us so that Alaina could stay at home! Nana helped Alaina make her first Christmas cookies, they took walks around the building and to stores around the area, and Alaina made me a beautiful Christmas platter (pictures to follow at a later date). It was such a blessing to have Alaina home and to have so much help around the house. Emily Marie made food to stock our freezer for next week when I'm home by myself, prepared for the showings we had, and provided much needed company!

Today we're going to look at homes in Lake Zurich to see if there is anything we'd like to make an offer on....if we ever sell our house! I'm excited to see the homes, but it's hard knowing that we've been on the market for about 5 1/2 months and still no offers.

Tomorrow is a big day as the Carlsons are coming to visit before their trip to the Star Wars concert! We are very excited to see Ryan, Joy, and the boys for brunch before their big adventure at the United Center. After visiting with them, Pete will have to take Alaina to Indiana to meet my sister and her husband at Fair Oaks Farm so they can finish the trip to my parents' house with her. She will be heading back for a little over a week to visit her friends at the daycare there. My mom tells me that they will participate in a Winter Program next Friday, so I hope to post video of that before Christmas.

The week before Christmas, Emily Marie will bring Alaina back and stay with us until right before Christmas! We'll be excited to be able to spend the time around the holidays with Paul and Emily before they go to Royal Oak to see Tim and Tracy. Then....Alaina gets to make the big trip to the U.P. to see GG Nadeau and all of the smiling faces that will be in Ishpeming for the holidays! While Pete and I are very sad we can't join this year, we're very grateful that Paul, Emily Marie, Tracy, and Tim are going to include her in the visit so she can see the family!

Our Christmas cards are going out early this week, so look for new Alaina pictures taken by our very own family photographer...TRACY! They are so beautiful, I can't believe how well she always manages to capture Alaina's smile and spirit.

Love you all,
Emily Ann

I love a Fraser Fir

It took almost a week - but Carrie and I finally went picked up our Christmas Tree from our favorite Christmas Tree Lot. It's just down the road at Jim's Ice Cream Stand. For the last several years we have picked out a Fraser Fir. It's scientific name is Abies Fraseri. You can read about the Fraser Fir here at the National Christmas Tree Association website. I like the Fraser because of it's balance between fullness and strong branches since I have some really heavy ornaments.

Here are some pictures of the tree. We'll decorate on Sunday after church. More pictures to follow.

I would love to hear about your tree (or in mom's case trees) - real or fake or small or tall.

Merry Christmas

Love, Tracy

Making Christmas Cookies with Nana and Mommy

Hi Everyone
I just wanted you to know that I made Christmas Cookies for the first time with Mommy and Nana! They were really good and I LOVED the sugar and sprinkles. I wanted to make the peanut butter kisses just like GG Nadeau. They are my Papas favorite.

Enjoy the pictures because I really enjoyed the cookies. Mommy and Nana said I really run around faster when I eat them. I not sure what they mean but they do make my tummy feel good.

love Alaina

Happy Birthday Maestro Tim!

Tim conducting the pit orchestra for the musical Urinetown.

See his arm flailing upword.

So cool he is.

Oh Yes I Did!

Well I haven't been feeling so well since Thanksgiving. I developed a killer headache on Thursday and I just couldn't get rid of all of it. On Monday came a stuffy nose and sore throat. Bah Humbug - Why am I getting sick? I wash my hand umpteen times a day. Anyhow - in an effort to ward off the cold I bought some Zicam (actually the walgreens version). It contains zinc which has shown mixed results for reducing the severity and duration of a cold. Then I took the big plunge and I bought a neti pot. Oh - it is such a weird feeling - but surprisingly - it really does help to clean out the stuffy nose. Here is a brief description at Mayo Clinics. What do you think? Are you going to give it a try?

We Came - We Ate

Seriously good eats for Thanksgiving.

Here's my plate statring at noon and moving clockwise:

12 - braised lamb, asparagus, and brined turkey

1 - Grandma's sausage dressing

3 - Rootmoose (rootebega and potatoes)

5 - Fresh Cranberries with orange essence

7 - Cheesy potatoes
9 - Carrot Souflee

10 - Baked apples with cornbread stuffing

11 - Hawaiian Roles

We had a lovely time at Marilee's house! She is a great hostess!

We drove the Skyway into Chicago on a cloudy evening and found a ray of sunshine at the end of the road.

Here she is - our ray of sunshine.

I'm so perfectly pleased to be your auntie -

I love when you call my name - I love the way you you smile.

Birthday Treats

I just wanted to share with you a couple of pictures from my birthday. Isn't it a beautiful cake? My friend Kim ordered it special for me. I thought it was really beautiful and loved that it had flowers on it. I received several beautiful bouquets of flowers. Alli surprised me when these arrived even though she was on vacation in Peru! I love the Gerber daisies. Carrie also had a beautiful bouquet sent to school. I LOVE having fresh flowers at school - they are like a ray of sunshine.

Biking fun

Ken and I did some biking to and around Henes Park which is along Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful day and a real bonus for the end of November.

Movie Stars

Hi Everyone - Pete was flipping through You Tube today and he ran across this video! We have a few movie stars in the family.

Swimmers

Hello everyone!

We've been having a busy and fun fall here in Manitowoc. The boys are enjoying school and are doing so well. We had parent/teacher conferences yesterday and it's always fun to hear how they're doing in school. Adam's teacher adores him and enjoys his personality and appreciates his leadership! I adore her too! Isaac has been doing super and is ready for the challenge of middle school next year. His art teacher raved about his art abilities -- I can't wait to take pictures of his artwork to share with you. His teacher is keeping his for now to share with other art teachers in the district.

The kids are trying something new this fall -- they've joined the YMCA swim team. We've heard great things about it and the boys wanted to give it a try and they love it! They practice 3 or 4 days a week which I thought would totally overwhelm them but they always look forward to going. They've swam in two meets and did well -- the improvement they've shown is amazing.

That's Adam getting ready for his next race. They both have swam about 3 races plus a relay at each meet. It's all so new to them still!

This is at their last meet in Wausau. What a beautiful facility!

Isaac has the lighter blue swim cap on -- he's about to swim the freestyle.

Go Isaac! He shaved 8 seconds off his previous best time!

We're looking forward to go to Michigan for Thanksgiving and be with family! I'm feeling thankful for all our extended family and am so glad our boys are blessed with so many grandparents, cousins and aunts & uncles.

Love to all! Joy

Wow! Aunt Penny's 90th Birthday

Hi Everyone!

Today we celebrated Auntie Penny's 90th birthday. WOW! 90 years.
Linda, Bob, Mom, and I went to the nursing home where there was friends and family. Mary Beth read a lovely poem she had written for her mother. Her sons Brian and David were also there. We had cake, ice cream, cookies and drinks. Aunt Penny seemed to enjoy herself but did try to escape a few times. Finally she was let loose to wheel the halls like she is used to doing.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for my family!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Debbie

Fall Follies

Hello Everyone - Around the Detroit Area it seems like we have an extended fall - maybe even an extended summer. Today's high was 64 degrees F!

As usual because November marks another year in which I 'turn older' - I've done a lot reflection. This year's reflection has brought about a big change for me - I put in my resignation at my part time job at Portable Church Industries. I've had nine wonderful years there, but it is time for me to only have one job. I wish I could say, "I have no idea what I'll do with all that time," but I do know that I am going to be working on "working out" throughout the year instead of just the summer. In fact, while I was at the Royal Oak Holiday Parade, I signed up for the LA Fitness Club. I can't wait to get started. This time will also give me time to pour into our discipleship initiative at church this year. We are using the The Way of the Alongsider materials (slightly cheesy but it does the job) from the Navigators. My church is committed to making disciples who live in community and who reach out to the community. This initiative strikes a lasting chord with me.

Speaking of Fall - Here are some of the pictures from my trip to Harbor Springs/Mackinaw through the Tunnel of Trees.

I have been a busy bee at school as well. The end of October we had parent-teacher conferences (we do two evening and 1 afternoon session). Our assistant superintedant took a superintendant position in Romeo Schools which left an opening at the central office. Our high school principal moved into that position and now we have a new principal at the highschool. He started this past week - midstream in the year. So much change. Mr. Gawell will be my 5th principal in 9 years. CRAZY. Our open house was this past week and the science department did a real "smash up" job. Instead of leaving our classrooms open like we normally do, we shut our classroom doors and opened up our two biggest labs in which we did demonstrations all evening. The community loved it. We had a lot of fire-related demonstrations: flame tests, fire/music demonstration tube, and how to start a fire in the wilderness. I sang into the fire/music tube and watched the flames create sine waves from my voice. It is really cool. I am going to try to get a picture/video of it the next time we set it up!

Last week I celebrated by birthday. I ate way too much. On Friday I had a huge dinner at PF Changs (mmmm!) and Saturday Bastones. My friend Kim special ordered me a beautiful cake. I ate WAY TO MUCH CAKE!!!! (hence LA fitness). Last night I went to see Tim's musical Urinetown at Rochester High School. The pit orchestra sounded great, the teenager/actors/actresses did a really good job. It was my favorite show yet that I have seen at RHS. Oh - and Alaina called me on gmail Video Chat. It was a really big highlight of my birthday. Next week we will all be together in Chicago. I can't wait!!!

That's all for now - please keep posting. Let us know how you are doing or tell us about something interesting!

Love, Tracy

Happy Birthday Tracy!

Happy Birthday Tracy!

Thank you for being such a wonderful example of what it means to love truly and give completely of yourself to your friends, family, and those God calls you to serve. You are a blessing!

"Sometimes our hearts get tangled
And our souls a little off-kilter
Friends and family can set us right
And help guide us back to the light."
~Sera Christann

I thought of you when I was reading this quote. You're always the first to reach out to those who need a kind word or a fantastic hug. I hope your birthday is filled with smiles!

Love you!

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

I've always been a fan of Nicholas Sparks. Partially because of the way he describes the East Coast with such clarity and detail, but also because of the complex characters and themes that he uses.

His books are fast reads, but they aren't superficial. I loved this book especially because of the underlying themes of forgiveness and loving others when it isn't easy.

The book's main character, Ronnie, is a teenage girl who has been estranged from her father for three years and is forced, by her mother, to spend the summer with him. You learn why she has so much anger towards him and watch as he patiently shows her love through his actions and waits for her to allow him to share her life. This kind of patient love is echoed in the character of a caring family friend- the local pastor, the rebuilding of a church, and the search for God's answers to life's tough questions.

As with all Nicholas Sparks books, it is filled with different kinds of love stories: Love between family, new love, and God's love. It's also full of examples of the power of forgiveness and truth.

A great book, but definitely one that requires a few tissues :) Happy reading!

Sometimes I think I've lost my mind :)

So, I have been trying to figure out why I haven't been able to find the "new post" link for about a month on the blog. I searched the site for help, and finally found a link that would send an email with instructions...if you got that email, sorry I didn't realize it would send to everyone :) Anyway, turns out I was trying to log in with the wrong email address...smart Em, really smart.

Here's what's new with our family:
1. I've been on bed rest since the 22nd of October, but it seems to be working so that's a blessing. I'm at 31 weeks 2 days, but we'd love to see Addison stay put for as long as possible. My C-section is scheduled for January 5th and hopefully I'll make it that far.

2. Because of the bed rest issue, Alaina is staying with my parents in Carmel during the weekdays and goes to daycare at my Mom's school. She's loving it and making lots of new friends. We're lucky that they were able to help us out and that we are able to spend the weekends with her. Emily has been gracious enough to volunteer her time for much of December so that Alaina can come home and be with us! I'm so excited to have both of them in the house during the holiday season! I hope that we can teach Alaina the joys of using sprinkles on Christmas cookies...hehe- that should be entertaining!

3. Pete is still enjoying his job at Research in Motion. It keeps him very busy, abnd we were again blessed by the timing of this change. Many of his coworkers from his old job have been let go. Thank God that we did not have to go through that while going through a difficult pregnancy and my inability to work!

4. Our house is still on the market- has been since June 22nd. We have a second showing on Saturday and are hoping that it will sell so that we can make an offer on a new house soon. We're looking to move to Lake Zurich which has a great family atmosphere and wonderful schools! Not to mention that we would finally have extra bedrooms for more family visits!!!!!

I'm so glad I've finally figured out why I couldn't post before. Now I'll get back into the habit of posting more often. I love reading about what everyone in the family is doing and love the pictures even more!

Love you all!

Tracy has given me the idea of posting about all the books I've been reading, so I'll be doing that soon too. I've found a few worth reading, but frankly some are just to give me something to do and would not make my "must read" list.

New Glasses

Hi All,

Faith has just got glasses. She looks so cute in her new blue glasses. She was excited to get them. Doesn't she look like a school girl?

Happy Halloween everyone! Faith is going to be Minnie Mouse.

I have had a few days off of school because of the flu. Ishpeming had 27% of the students absent last Wednesday so they decided to close for three school days. The janitors will be cleaning the school during the time off. We will go back on Tuesday the 27th. It will be interesting to see how many kids will be out when we go back. So far I haven't been sick, thank goodness. Many other schools in the U.P. have been off too. Hope you are all feeling well.

Love, Debbie