if you haven’t gotten yours yet, it should be in the mail soon. we mailed about half our stack and then ran out of envelopes, but more will be mailed out tomorrow.
December 21st, 2005
”Everyone! Stop what you are doing! I have a wedgie!”
Well, now that I have your attention - Happy winter solstice, happy holidays, and a blissful beginning to the new year. We hope this letter finds you and yours in good health and spirits.
We have had a very full year - weddings, road trips, births, camping trips, getting muddy, getting clean, races, flower fairies, starting school, catching colds, the death of a beloved cat, the adoption of another, learning to read, learning to swim, learning to ice skate, cooking, baking, painting, and a wonderful new coffee shop opening across the street from our home.
Some of you may be wondering why we picked a picture of a distressed Fiona as our holiday card. Well, we thought it was a funny photo, articulating many of the realties of life with a sibling. We also thought it was the perfect image of life in Minnesota - you might love it, but when the cold arrives, it is still shocking, especially when it slides down your neck off your sister’s snowy glove.
And, of course, that sparkly lavender glove belongs to Ella Kathleen, now 4 1/2 (as she often reminds us). She is also the individual who uttered the wonderful wedgie quote used above - a favorite moment of 2005. I often wonder, as I sit and listen to her tell me the most amazing things, where my little, round, baldheaded baby went. The biggest event in Ella’s life this year was starting half-day Children’s House (or kindergarten) at J. J. Hill Montessori. She loves her class, classmates, and teachers. Each day we hear about some of the ‘works’ or activities she has done, and she always arrives home at lunch with a big smile. She has learned how to drum from a resident artist, knows how to count to 20 in French, and this week she completed the challenging 100 board on her own. Her printing continues to amaze us, and she is now reading on her own (or as she says ‘I’m reading with my MIND!’). Ella says that the other big events in her life this year are eating candy, taking the light rail to downtown Minneapolis to meet Santa and to see the 8th floor exhibit of Cinderella at the old downtown Daytons (now Marshall Fields), adopting Louis the orange and white cat, and especially the arrival of her new cousin, Samuel Michael Connell.
Fiona Eileen would probably also vote for the arrival of Sam and the addition of Louis to our family as a major events in her life. She loves babies and can already say ‘Sam’ and ‘baby cousin’ clear as a bell*. She also loves animals of all sorts, telling us dramatic stories about birds and monkeys and cats. Of course, ‘burz’ ‘mont-key’ and ‘CAT’ is about all we can make out so far. What she lacks in well-articulated vocabulary, she more than makes up for with enthusiasm. She is uttering multiple word sentences and loves to read aloud from the books around the house. Doesn’t matter what the book is, since she doesn’t know how to read, but again, the key word with Fiona is - enthusiasm! Now two, Fiona is very energetic and adventurous, collecting many more bruises and goose eggs than Ella did at this age. She loves to read aloud to herself, play with Louis, pick up Louis, carry Louis, and, more often than not, playing nicely with her big sister (especially helping Ella chase after Louis).
This year Bill and I have both spent a lot of time biking and doing some racing. We started off the year doing a duathlon together - I ran, Bill biked. We ended up winning the co-ed team group, which was quite a thrill, especially since it was the first time we’d raced together. I did a slew of triathlons again this year, including my first long course races, placing at a few of them. Bill ended the year with a series of cyclocross races (image a cross between a steeple chase and mountain biking, but on a road bike). We all had a great time cheering him on. Bill is hoping to do some more cyclocross and some long rides in 2006, and I’ll be training towards my first Half-Ironman in July (yikes!). Of course, too much of anything can be bad for you, so we’ve made up for all extra fitness by being extra lazy and eating too much in November and December.
On that note, it is probably time to go bake something, or maybe run across the street to get an egg nog latté…or both. Happy Holidays.
Peace & Love - The Connells - Bill, Autumn, Ella, & Fiona
