Because the Canadian Post Office just made my black-list: Our Christmas Card

December 2008
Okay, so life with a family of six isn’t always easy, but it sure is interesting! With neither infant nor pregnancy to slow us down, we’ve been amazed at how much we can accomplish. The year has been as full as it has been fun, with a family reunion in Yellowstone and a ten-year-anniversary trip to Denmark and Sweden (yes, my husband rocks!) as highlights. Aaron loves his job as choral director at the University of Regina, and even took on the orchestra this year. Meanwhile, I’ve been squeezing a bit of writing between full-time mothering and teaching a couple of music classes. Canada can be pretty chilly, but we’ve learned to go “tobogganing” (a.k.a. sledding) to keep the blood pumping, and the giant canisters of hot chocolate help a lot.

Merry Christmas!

Love, The Mitchells

___________________________

Theo

A spitfire of energy and ideas, Theo has fallen hard for science this year. He comes home from our library trips loaded down with thick tomes about space, magnets, experiments, and electricity. Full of big plans for improving the world, he has an entire drawer filled with “treasures” (aka: garbage) which he uses for his many “inventions”—a true recycler!

Addy
Addy would be my little mini-me if she wasn’t so much better than I am at most things! She paints and colors and draws stacks of pictures for everyone in the extra hour she has before the rest of us wake up each morning. She enjoys French immersion kindergarten, which she started this year, and serenades us with the cute songs she learns there.

Emerson
Full of style and spunk, Emerson keeps us laughing. He’ll strike up conversation and friendship with any stranger he meets, no matter their age, and he’s an awesome grocery shopping companion. Sera thinks he’s pretty much the king of the universe, and he’s gentle and sweet with her. He loves nursery and preschool, and plans to be Santa Claus when he grows up.

Sera
This girl is nothing but trouble. If it’s not dancing naked on the kitchen table, it’s coloring all over herself and the walls with marker or flushing the toilet sixteen times in a row. But her cheeks are so kissable (and we mean all of them) that it’s hard to get mad when she flashes her killer grin. She’s a total movie-star, and adores performing and applause.

November Nothings

My apologies for my alliteration addiction--I should probably see someone about that.

Right. So, not that much actually happened this month. Theo and Addy started indoor soccer to stay warm, now that the temperatures are plunging. Emerson and Sera are pretty much just trooping around to playgroups and stores with me (not Christmas shopping, thankfully—I managed to get that done early for once in my life). We’re building up a nice supply of Christmas decorations, as I’ve been taking Theo to an awesome Christmas craft time at the library each week, and Addy has been attending a different Christmas craft class at the local arts center—I might be able to make it through the holidays without even braving our somewhat disorganized storage room!

Aside from that, here are some ups and downs and a few pictures. The Christmas cards are pretty much ready to go, so if you’ve moved, make sure we have your new address!

Ups and Downs

• Sera
  ↑ talking up a storm—our favorites: “mom-mom,” “waddy” (water), “zoom-zoom” (her favorite song)
  ↔ mostly potty-trained—unless she doesn’t feel like being potty-trained
  ↓ the child cannot keep a scrap of clothing on her body for more than a minute



• Emer
  ↑ so funny we can hardly stand it—recently: “did you know these jammies used to be Santa’s when he was a kid?”
  ↔ fancies himself quite the pianist since he insisted I teach him a few things so he could earn treats like Theo and Addy
  ↓ staying up way too late at night under the influence of his nocturnal brother



• Addy
  ↑ reading fluently now—Green Eggs and Ham is her current favorite
  ↔ enjoying kindergarten, but struggling a little bit to get comfortable with all the new faces
  ↓ Sera has started pushing her around, literally—to the refrigerator, the cookie jar, etc.



• Theo
  ↑ earned money for ice-skates by making a flyer and selling cookies—what an entrepreneur!
  ↔ such a sweet brother lately—he helps Addy read, teaches Emer French, and loves snuggling Sera; still working on the temper though
  ↓ organizationally challenged—leaves rotten fruit in his locker for days and his bookshelf is a bit, um, ugly



• Britt
  ↑ does a pretty darn good job teaching Sunbeams with Aaron—those kids are spoiled, not gonna lie
  ↔ tries really hard to get all the shopping/cooking/cleaning/etc. done, and occasionally succeeds
  ↓ was ultimately rejected by the agents who requested her book—and having trouble finding time to write/edit more



• Aaron
  ↑ snagged the cover of the choral journal last month with his article on Misa Criolla
  ↔ rehearsed like mad all month long—we can’t wait to see it pay off in great concerts
  ↓ has too many projects on hold—and won’t let Britt take over and finish them

Scenes from Life

Theo bakes and sells cookies . . .

. . . and earns skates!

Theo at soccer

Addy at soccer

It's winter!

The littlest virtuoso