She's a woman of mystery . . .

She's Cousin Sara . . .
She lives in the far off land of Wyoming.
She appeared on the cover of a magazine.
She likes fruits and vegetables.
She is a lover of the outdoors and is an environmentalist.
She loves her two dogs.
She loves to sing and perform.
She is a talented model and she was in the latest Title Nine Catalog.

Cousin Sara . . . glad to see you over Christmas break. Can't wait to find out what exciting adventure is next for you.
Love, Tracy
(p.s. you left your phone charger in Grandma's upstairs bedroom & I'm so sorry you had to look at that awful 8.5x11 senior picture of mine - I hope it didn't give you nightmares)

News from Debbie

Hi All,

It was great seeing everybody! We missed you Peter and Emily but thanks for sharing Alaina with us. She is a very happy girl! We can't wait to meet Addison.

I still have not found my camera so I don't have any pictures to show. So I hope you all share your pictures.

Paul had the idea that next year we should try to collect all the pictures from Pizza parties past. So if you have pictures from the past bring them with next year. I wonder how many years it has been going on?

Here is the new Christmas Exchange List for 2010.

CHRISTMAS 2010
Paul buys for Isaac
Emily Marie.....Susie
Tracy..... Ken
Tim.... Bob
Peter N...... Paul P.
Emily Ann.... Ryan
Alaina .....Debbie
Addison..... Sara
Carol ......Peter C.
Ken ......Faith
Sara .....Alaina
Ryan..... Addy
Joy..... Winter
Isaac .....Lindsey
Adam..... Peter N.
Linda .....Tim
Bob..... Addison
Debbie .....Tracy
Peter C. .....Joy
Winter..... Aunt Emily
Lindsey .....Emily Ann
Addy .....Linda
Faith ..... Carol
Paul P...... Paul N.
Susie .....Adam


Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Debbie

Nativities

I have several beautiful nativities. I love them all.

• My childhood nativity - it's made from wood and has lost a few parts - but Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus are still in tact. I have just been placing pinecones in the holes for the missing folks.


• My glass nativity from my friend Deedee. It is made out of frosted glass pieces and sits on a 4x4 inch mirror. It is really beautifull; especially when I place white lights next to it.


• My newest nativity is from Mom and Dad. It is a single piece of olive wood that is cut out into Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. I think it is REALLY beautiful.


• My African nativity set which I just adore. It was handcrafted in Africa out of banana leaves. I think it is hands down my favorite purchase (souvenier) that I have brought back from Africa.

Call me crazy . . .

Well Actually - Please don't call me that.

I would like to break the number of posts that we had last year of 115. Right now we have just a few days left and 102 posts made this year. The next year I would like to increase the number to at least 150. There is so much to share!

Anyhow - Here are a few of the posts that I would like to make before the end of the year:

• Portraits
• Cousin Sara
• This Year's Bread Pudding
• Favorite Gifts
• My Nativity
• Tim's Nutcrackers
• Mackinac Dressed Up For Christmas
• The 12 Days of Christmas Video

That's 8 posts that I would like to make. Now for the rest of you :) What are you going to post? Linda is all set to make some posts and Addy and Sara should be able to too! Someone urge them on - we want to hear from them!!!!

Michigan Christmas

Our family had such a wonderful time in Michigan. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! Here are some of my favorite pictures...

Having Alaina with us was a wonderful gift from Pete and Emily! Thank you Paul, Emily, Tracy and Tim for bringing her!Thank you Tim for your gift of music! Singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with the family was so much fun! Bring the guitar next year!

Carol gets a turn playing with the girls : )

I'm glad Ryan grabbed the camera for this one!
I think they're having fun together! It's easy to see they're family!
Isaac sharing his favorite new toy with Faith.
Adam loves his cousins!

Missing everyone!!! (and also waiting for news of the newest addition to our family!)

Love, Joy

Family Favorites

We had a lot of fun visiting today. There was lots and lots of chatter about this and that. We exchanged smiles, hugs, and gifts. Here a few of my "top pics" from today! There are more, of course, that I will be sharing in the future. Grandma (a.k.a. Evelyn, Mom, GiGi) was all smiles when she received this beautiful painting from Emily Marie. Emily Marie picked the perfect shades of red to make Grandma smile!

Cousins Joy and Alaina watched out the window as next-door-neighbor Lori shoveling her roof. The natural light through the window was just stunning on these ladies. Look at how their beautiful eyes are all aglow! Two beautiful babes if you ask me!!

After church we took some pictures of Grandma and all of her children (left to right: Susie, Carol, Evelyn, Debbie, Linda, Paul, and Bob). What a legacy of lives Grandma has. Later, at Debbie's house, we sang Grandma and Grandpa's favorite song, "White Christmas." There were several tears shed as we reminisced about Grandpa - our Marvelous Marv.

Oh I just loved how sweet cousins Faith and Alaina were. Faith was such a good "older" cousin to Alaina - always looking out for her. She colored with Alaina during church, ran around the halls of church with her, played in the snow (faith held Alaina up in the orange sled and giggled with great delight), shared her crayons, and just had a lot of fun! My favorite moment though was when Faith wrapped her arm around Alaina like they were sisters.

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