2009 Christmas Letter

Christmas 2009

Dearest Family & Friends -

Another year gone and another Christmas letter to write! I hope our holiday greetings find everyone happy and healthy and ready for the upcoming holidays! With a sigh of relief, we can honestly say that 2009 was a fairly calm year for us.

Nani started her 2nd year of preschool in August. She loves every minute of it and has made many new friends. She also started ballet classes in September and now has inspirations of being the first Princess Ballerina. Only Nani could combine the best of both worlds – Disney Princesses and ballet! This year also marked Nani's 5th birthday. We still can’t believe that she’s 5! We celebrated with cupcakes for her class and an Anastasia-themed birthday party. And shhhhh – we’re planning a surprise trip to Disneyland in March as a belated birthday gift!

Nudgie is now 17 months old and is a walking, talking cyclone! She is my busy little bee – constantly on the go and always "talking" or singing. Her newest thing is trying to sing along with The Little Mermaid movie. It’s all well and adorable until she starts doing it at 3am! She is definitely our water baby and loves being in the pool or tub or just anywhere near water in general. My Marine and I joke that while Nani is our "girly girl", Nudgie will be the one to play roller derby or end up in a heavy metal band. Talk about two different personalities!

My Marine is doing very well and has been incredibly busy with work too. Throughout the year, he’s had various search & rescue missions, training schools and static displays. He was also a part of the whole "Balloon Boy" fiasco back in early October, as well as a recovery mission when an out-of-state Blackhawk crashed west of Denver. We also dodged a bullet when we thought that he would be part of a unit that would be deploying in May 2010. Fortunately, the planets were in alignment and for now, we’re safe from a 2010 deployment.

Life as a stay home mom is still a lot of fun. Between ballet and preschool, we’re also involved in our local MOPS chapter. This year I took on the role of Table Leader and now have 10 other wonderful ladies that I work with. It’s been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. Also, to give mommy some down-time, I’ve started a little eBay business online. I don’t have big goals for it – just enough to clear out the clutter and give me a little spending money for a Starbucks every once in awhile. I’ve also started writing again – and now have a blog called The Toy Box Years. It’s a great outlet for me and I really enjoy doing it! If you get the chance, come & visit at http://thetoyboxyears.blogspot.com/

Our travels this year took us back to Pittsburgh for an almost month-long visit. While there, we took the girls to Kennywood Park for the first time and Nani had her first-ever roller coaster ride. We were also lucky enough to be in town for the Penguins Stanley Cup victory and celebrated in style down in the South Side! In the fall, we drove up to Portland to visit My Marine's mom, brother, sister-in-law and our new niece. One of the highlights was driving up to the beach where The Goonies was filmed.

Well, it’s time to finish the wrapping and baking! If you get the chance, drop us a line and let us know how everyone is doing! We wish you all the happiness in the world for a joyous holiday season and a happy, healthy 2010!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

My Marine, Jennifer, Nani, Nudgie, Mitzi & Zoja