Extended Christmas Letter

For those of you who have been reading this blog all along, feel free to skip past this post.  I wanted to provide a short summary of some of the more notable events of the year for those friends and family who are just checking in after receiving a Christmas card.

Overall, we had a good year for 2016.  We were able to do more activities together as a family than we have in recent years.  The kids have all grown, changed, and learned.  And Matt and I were able to keep engaged in our individual interests and hobbies while still growing together as a family.

In terms of family activities, we took a few trips, both small and large, this calendar year.  In late February we all needed to experience something different from the WI cold, so we spent a short weekend at Kalahari Resorts in WI Dells (Weekend getaway).  Then in March we spent a few days in Chicago visiting museums and acting like country folk in a big city (Chicago).  We also visited my parents' home for a few days of maple syrup season (Maple Syrup).  In April we celebrated Grandpa Boehm's 90th birthday with family in Iowa (Happy Birthday!).  We also participated in the Badger's Go Bald event again, this time as a whole family (Badgers Go Bald).

June was the month of our long family vacation to South Dakota (Vacation Reflection).  We visited Matt's parents in Chamberlain (Vacation Part 1), and then drove on to the Black Hills to experience some of the beauty and history of the land (Vacation Part 2, Vacation Part 3, Vacation Part 4).  We were also able to spend a day with the Needham family who traveled from Wyoming just to see us!  The Navurskis family came to see us in Madison for the Fourth of July (Fourth of July), so we were able to reconnect with all of Matt's family within a month's time.

Most of July revolved around Anna's intensive therapy program this summer.  Four hours a day, five days a week, for three weeks (CI Summer Camp).  It was well worth the time, effort, and energy, but the experience dictated a lot of how our days looked in July.

August brought many, many vegetables and even more fruit that needed preserving.  The work in those summer months always pays off about this time of year when the kids and I can go "shopping in the basement".  August also brought with it a trip for the kids and me up to my parents' home (Trip up North).  This was the longest time Matt was flying solo at home in several years!

The most notable event this fall for our family, besides the inevitability of school starting again (Back to School), was our family's involvement in the UW Badgers Brain Cancer Awareness Basketball Game.  Check out that post from October if you want to see some cool pictures of Anna presenting the game ball on center court, or of us meeting Coach Gard after the game (Brain Cancer Awareness Game).

The extended beautiful weather this fall was just what we needed before the cold winter weather set in again for Wisconsin.

The kids are all in a good place these days.  Anna is a 4th grader and still enjoys her experiences at school and therapy.  She does well with the academic parts of school, which is a testament to her hard work as well as her amazing team.  She has also developed some good friendships with classmates this school year, which is a testament to our wonderful community and that same amazing team of educators.  In general, Anna is a kind, thoughtful, hard-working kid.

2nd grader Kate was more hesitant about starting school this year than Anna, but mostly because she didn't want to lose out on her free time.  However, Kate found a group of friends early in the year that help make all of the work of school more enjoyable.  Kate's favorite leisure activity is reading, but playing imagination games follows close behind.  Kate still likes being active in whatever way she can, which usually involves the equipment in our basement.  In general, she is the creative, compassionate, free spirit in our home.

Ethan turned 4 in November and is home again with me.  He has a pleasant outlook on life, likes playing with just about anyone, and enjoys asking dozens of questions every day.  After the relative chaos of the past few years, I'm soaking up our time together before his schooling years begin.  Ethan is a strong, caring, goofy boy who doesn't like to be left behind his sisters for any reason.

Matt celebrated his 10th year at GE Healthcare this summer.  In addition to the regular engineering duties, he has become an active member of a Makers group, presenting several of his home projects at lunch meetings throughout the year.  Of course that means he has to keep tinkering and building at home so he can continue to have subjects for presentation.

At this time, I thoroughly enjoy being the general manager for our family of five.  Our garden and fruit trees did well again this past summer, providing us with plenty of delicious foods for the coming cold months.  We have a better balance to our life than we have had in a few years and that makes everything seem brighter and smoother.

It's taken us a few years, but we seem to have finally made it back to a place where we can do the kinds of things that we enjoy doing as a family, both in and out of our home.  Our lives are still a bit different from those with typically developing children, but we have found ways to make more and more of life feel normal.  Our faith has continued to sustain us during the difficult times, and given us extra reasons to rejoice in all circumstances.

Stay tuned for a longer post with medical and rehab updates about Anna.  I plan on getting one of those together someday soon!