Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year - very belated (in our typical blog fashion)!
And, as usual, we figure better late than never :).

We now understand why people from here (Illinois) 

send Christmas cards with summer or fall pictures!  

The weather is not very cooperative for pictures after that! 

So, through a few missed opportunities, 

we finally got our picture (freezing) in our backyard (not in Chicago as we'd hoped).  

Some Highlights from 2012: (we hope to add to the blog at some point the many that haven't yet been) Trip to Sanibel Island, FL in March Brooke's Trip to Northern CA in March Trip to Southern California & Brooke's Family There in July Trips to Chicago  Sutton's Summer Horse Camp Hudson's Baseball & Gymnastics Sutton's Soccer & Gymnastics Kerrigan's Gymnastics October trip to Charleston, SC, Hilton Head, SC & Savannah, GA Visiting Nashville, TN and Brooke's Family There in October Visits from Doug's Cousin, Krista & Family & Brooke's Mom & Stepdad News of Doug's Brother, Derek's, Brain and Spinal Fluid Tumors Shrinking Some  Two New Nieces (Tyra & Lainey) Classical Conversations Homeschool Co-op Brooke Teaching P.E. at Co-op Making Good Friends Here Quoting a friend, because it's so fitting and well said for us, as well - "It's been a couple years of challenges and loss, and triumphs and gains" We are thankful for God's love, mercy, patience and trustworthiness.

Our lovely picture attempt in Chicago.

The forecast was sun, but we got overcast and snow!

And, poor Doug was really sick!