MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dear Family and Friends,

It is has been a busy year for us. Kelsey and the kids have done quite a bit of traveling, including a trip to Georgia at the beginning of the year and a family reunion at the end of summer. Most travel plans were canceled when we bought a house in May. That’s right. We are real adults now, living the suburban life. Now we finally are able to host family (including the grandparents) in better accommodations than an air mattress in the living room. We even are lucky enough to have Kelsey’s sister, Ruth, planning to come live with us after Christmas.

Rosie, 2, is as lively and opinionated as ever. She is thoroughly enjoying her independence as “Riesie do it” and “by self” are her favorite phrases lately. While opinionated, she has the verbal skills to tell us exactly what she wants. She adores her brother and will follow him anywhere. Rosie is our little artist and usually does her art on paper. She is nearly fearless, except when it comes to a few specific stuffed animals.

Jared, 4, is currently learning to write his letters to prepare for kindergarten. As always, Jared is such a kind and sweet boy. He loves helping out and sometimes gets upset if we help him with his chores. Even when he misbehaves, he is quick to ask if we will forgive him. This year he is in preschool and loves telling us what he learns there and also facts about animals from Wild Kratts.

Kelsey is learning to be a homeowner. Lots of cleaning, mowing, weeding, fixing and organizing. She wishes there was more painting, but someone tends to drag his feet. Earlier in the year, she helped out with the local Meals on Wheels program. To keep her brain from being filled with only Sesame Street and Leap Frog, she has been participating in a couple of book groups and now she is an intellectual. She is the primary chorister at her church and has successfully completed and survived her first primary program. Her biggest news, however, is that she is expecting a baby next July.

Ken is as busy as ever. Unfortunately, he has found that working takes up nearly as much time as graduate school did. He has had several work trips this year, but nothing international quite yet. At church, he works with the young men, which means a fair amount of campouts and dances that he gets to chaperon. At home, he has become an expert at horsie rides and hide and go seek. He loves to massage Kelsey’s back and only wishes he could do it more often. Another big change, Ken has a new hot sauce in his life- Sriracha seems to have won out over Tapatio overall.

We hope you are enjoying the Christmas season this year!

Love,

The Ross Family