Another year has gone by and once again, I did not send any Christmas cards. I really wanted to this year, but budget wins again. I promise to make a much bigger effort next year and mail cards out because I LOVE receiving your Christmas cards!
Here are some highlights from our year:
January
We rang in the New Year quietly at home, the boys enjoying staying up until Midnight. In January, the kids were all quite involved in Awana and youth groups at a small church we were attending 1 town north of us. Super C also attended a second youth group at his best friend's church about 25 minutes away. Teenage activities kept me running from place to place.February
February brought much of the same running around with the kids. We enjoyed the mild winter we had and spent much of our time outdoors at the local sledding hill in our neighborhood and on our frozen pond to the side of our house. My kids all need quite a bit of help in the ice skating area. And I found that it's not as easy anymore in my 40's, but it was still fun to try. We welcomed the Year of the Monkey as we celebrated Chinese New Year with our China Beauty in February.
March
We took a long weekend to Chicago to see my mom over her birthday. We saw Jay's best friend Mark and his family who were visiting from North Carolina too. I also got a chance to spend time with some fellow "China families" whom I love dearly. It is always good to be among friends!
April
April was by far the kids' favorite month for 2 reasons:1. We ended another year of homeschool! Super C finished 7th grade. Super E finished 3rd grade. Quiet Tiger wrapped up a shaky year of homeschool kindergarten.
2. We used our tax return and took the family to the Wisconsin Dells for a week. Being off-season, we got a deal of a lifetime. We played family laser tag, indoor minigolf, the boys did an indoor ropes course, and we spent every spare minute we had at one of 3 indoor waterparks. Unfortunately, Super E's time in the water was cut short following a freak foot injury at one of the indoor playgrounds. We spent a short while at the ER (first visit to the ER with any of our children, ever) across the street where they bandaged him up as best they could, but his time in the water came to an end. Thankfully, his spirits were restored thanks to multiple families of Canada Geese on the resort property that he got to hand-feed, much like I had in my past.
May
In May, Jay started taking clients to Twins games as a business "thank you." It was a horrible season with record losses and more rain delays this year, but being at the ballpark is enjoyable. He took a business trip to Alabama at the end of the month with a friends from work to visit a product partner. We made our first trip up to the cabin once Jay's mom returned from Texas and reopened her place in Hayward, Wisconsin.
We celebrated Quiet Tiger's 4th Gotcha Day at the cabin.
June
June brought more Twins games, more trips the cabin and Jay's Summer Regional work event for the whole family. This year we were at the Grand View Lodge up near Brainerd. We had a cabin large enough for our entire family that was literally right on the beach. Waking up to the waves of Gull Lake and sinking my feet into the sand made me smile every morning. The boys loved the kids activities including Human Hamster Balls and Quiet Tiger made a couple of boyfriends on the trip too! Jay won 2 awards this year, one for making 2 new hires to the Jones Team and the other was a performance award. It was by far our favorite Summer Regional yet.Summer storms at the cabin were fierce and we experienced power outages and large trees down all over the property and town. The damage was really remarkable and we are thankful that no one we knew was hurt.
July
We were home in Minnesota for fireworks this year, as Independence Day was a Monday. We watched fireworks at our local high school, only learning later that my brother and his daughter were also there. The show was very good.
Late in the month, I got a chance to introduce my family to my beloved town of Duluth, Minnesota for a family reunion for my mom's side of the family. We stayed at my uncle's cabin, with record heat, yet without power thanks to another major set of storms that rocked the north again. We spent a few days "camping" in the cabin with no running water, no power, taking baths in Big Lake at the other end of the lake from where my grandparent's cabin used to be. The night before we left, power was finally restored, but again, the damage up north was something else with so many downed trees and power lines! But it was fun to see my boys fall in love with Duluth! 
We celebrated Quiet Tiger's 6th birthday at my uncle's cabin with family. She has lost 3 teeth this year, not all at the same time of course. She continues to press our buttons and keep us on our toes. This year her one-handed abilities continue to amaze us as she has mastered the art of braiding hair! Ten fingers are indeed overrated.
August
We were all absolutely glued to the Olympics in Rio, particularly cheering on a former co-worker's son as he won Silver in the Men's Steeplechase! So exciting! Way to go, Evan!Jay and I celebrated 15 years of marriage on August 18th. We found our favorite new sushi place right in our neighborhood and celebrated there with an amazing dinner for two!
In mid-August, I began my 5th year of homeschooling. Super C began 8th grade and Super E began 4th.
At the end of the month, we went to a free open house at the Guthrie Theater downtown Minneapolis. We had such fun taking a few improv classes and learning all about the theater. Can't wait for the next Open House! I highly recommend it to all families!September
Super C became a teenager on September 16. Friends far and wide helped me surprise him with a shower of greeting cards and letters from around the world. He chose to have friends and neighbors over for pizza, cake, Nerf and video games. Everyone slept over (they actually did get a few hours of sleep) and Super C still says that his 13th birthday was absolutely awesome! Last year he passed me in height and this year I find myself looking up at him quite a bit! Very soon, Super C will be moving into his own room in our home -- our current guest room. He is excited to have his own space after 6 or 7 years of sharing a room with his little brother. The room renovation will be fun to reveal in early 2017. So, stay tuned. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that your kids might enjoy his YouTube Channel at Tepig916.October
I officially began work in mid-October, filling in for Jay's assistant who began her glorious 16-week maternity leave. Introduced into my vocabulary include SWPS, ADOT, DOL, and dozens more. The first 3 weeks of work were really quite tough, as there is very little training for Branch Office Administrators, but after those initial weeks, I became much more comfortable. Although it is a struggle to do someone's full-time job on part-time hours, I am doing the best I can and I am enjoying it most days. But I miss my boys and teaching them tremendously.For school, the boys began a new chapter with mom working. After starting the school year with me, Super C is now doing 16-weeks of independent study. He is also student teaching his little brother. Super C has a lot on his shoulders during this time, but he is handling it well. I am one proud momma!
Jay turned 44 on October 21 and I turned 42 on October 27. Celebrations were quiet at home.
The kids enjoyed their Halloween here at home. Thanks to resale shop bargains, Super C was a gorilla, Super E was a skeleton, and Quiet Tiger was a clown.
November
We exercised our right to vote in November, but hated our choices. We cringed to watch the aftermath of hate spewing across our nation on the news and on social media in the weeks that followed. We are certain that our God is still on His throne, no matter who holds our presidential office.But oh my gosh, how we cried tears of joy when our beloved Chicago Cubs won the World Series! What an exciting series! Fly the W!
Thanksgiving was a bit different this year. Sadly, Jay's Aunt Patti passed away after a battle with cancer the Saturday before the holiday. So, Jay flew down to the Dallas area to be with his family and to pay respect to his aunt. The kids and I stayed in Minnesota so I could hold down the office for a few days. We celebrated the holiday with my mom and stepdad who drove up from Chicagoland, and my brother and niece who came over from the next town over. During Jay's absence, we had our first snowfall of the year and the kids enjoyed playing outside. They sure do love the snow!
December
Things at the office continued to be busy thanks to new fiduciary changes and RMD season. The holiday season added to the madness. We enjoyed a nice Regional Christmas party in the nearby town of Big Lake. I put on the Open House for Jay's office single-handedly. We had a really good turnout of more than 30 clients and their families.We've had our taste of true Minnesota winter with more snow and even -23F temps! Wow!
Our plans for Christmas will be quiet here at home, likely spending time with my brother and niece. We welcome visitors, so friends and neighbors, be sure to stop by and enjoy some holiday cheer.
We wish all of our family and friends a blessed Christmas season from all of us in Minnesota!
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| Jay and Brooke |
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| Super C, Super E & Quiet Tiger |
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| Juneau, Reese & Mack |
