Happy Holidays 08.

Friends and Family,

Happy Holidays. Another year has slipped by, making me truly ponder the statement my Dad once made "Don't forget- the years go faster as you get older." I always thought he was SO OLD when he said that. Well, pot- meet kettle.

This was a year of constant learning, adjustments and patience, I'd say. This holiday note finds our family constant(ly on the move) as ever- with Tyler a 9th grade Freshman and Jackson a 2nd grade wiseguy (and I mean that in the nicest possible way!). Let's see... where to start..

Ok, how about Matt and I? Kids always go first! We're good. Matt is still healing from shoulder surgery; he had a multitude of fun going with his shoulder, which rendered it pretty unuseful. He had surgery a few weeks back and with the touch of a good doc, he will be good as new... but a ways down the road. PT, patience and a guilty conscience when he gets too overzealous should take care of that. He remains at Midwest, still looking to diversify where he can. His biggest role remains that of 'Dad in action'. He is our get it done guy; spending most of his days pacing ice rinks, offering to toss baseballs or gathering up the rope while we're out wakeboarding. He did manage to get just a couple rounds of golf in this year (sadly) and we're hopeful we can call that rehab next year so he can play more. We're trying to find hours 25-29 each day... any advice would be great!

As for me (Heidi), all is also well. If he's Dad in Action, I guess I'll be Woman in Action. While this joint rotates around the smaller crew, I continue to work part time at MRM. I love what I do and find myself so lucky to have that! In my spare time, I'm on the run... to hockey, football, baseball, lacrosse... you name it! I will also say there isn't a minute I'd give back. Matt and I did manage to escape for a weekend last fall; I had a conference in Orlando and dragged him (willingly) along with me. Thanks to our in-laws, we reveled in a few days on the Atlantic Coast in Florida. The trip re-energized our batteries and we came back ready to roll.

Speaking of ready to roll.... that's our Jackson. While only 7 1/2, he doesn't give the impression of a passive little guy EVER. His spirit is so bright we are rare to find an occasion with him without laughing or pulling our hair out. Incidently, we've managed to do both at the same time several times this year. He is a fan of Math but not school as a whole, as he confessed to us mid-year that his true calling on this earth is to be an artist. Specifically, an artist who sketches with pencils- if you're wondering. Because artists are also well-rounded, he wanted to sign up for both hockey and football this year. He liked flag football fairly well and is skating across the street as I type this, with Tyler. He is also a big fan of music (guitar!), rock collecting (you don't know until you take a walk with this kid) and many things Pokemon (which we thought we were done with when Tyler turned 10). He is signed up to take a few classes at the Science Museum, where they do amazing things with lego construction yet this winter. He's gaining height rapidly and losing teeth left and right... another just last evening. Cute, awkward and ya wanna squeeze him.

Speaking of squeezing... it's possible with Tyler, he's just a little bigger, now 14 standing nearly 5' 11" and 165 pounds. It's hard some days to remember he still has a "boy" brain, as he is closing in rapidly on Matt's stature and height. 9th grade is treating him as well as can be expected; he has the traditional likes and dislikes of most... love of Gym and Home ec (food!) and less love for English and Math. He revolves around a few specific things daily: food, sleep, hockey and his cell phone. We've been told this is normal but are still astounded when he can sleep 14 hours at a time, with the only reason to rise being his stomach. He does work a bit for the appetite and sleep; currently in the throes of a new hockey season. He worked quite a bit this summer to make the team he wanted and was fortunate enough to do so (Bantam A). Along with that, he expanded his horizons- taking in a summer of traveling baseball, Lacrosse (yes, it wickedly overlapped with baseball) and football (yes, that wickedly overlapped with fall hockey). He's a man on the move, but all is good. I'm constantly reminded that he's within arm's reach of driving, and got a good taste of things to come when Tyler passed a boater safety test and started manning the helm of the jet ski... something that was exciting and freaked us out at the same time. Ok, maybe just me.

As a family we managed to take in another amazing summer on the St. Croix with our in-laws, Frank and Denise and Auntie Mae. Jackson continued work on swimming strokes and both boys made a run for it tubing until the sun went down many, many days. We are so fortunate to have a haven close to us. We have also spent time with Grandma Penny (who was dragged through rain and thunder to baseball - and loved it), Grandma Karen (who was dragged through ice to hockey and loved it) and many a day with Grampy; our favorite being this fall when a crazy rotten tomato fight ensued. I can't say the clothing ever came clean but it was worth every moment. We had another very special moment with Auntie Mae this summer (her 95th year on this planet!), enjoying an awesome day of baseball that I was able to arrange (thanks to awesome friends in the right places!)... and a day we'll never forget for sure.

To us, each day is a gift and we are here to learn, respect and love one another. With boys- some days easier than others! :-) In closing, I recently saw a quote that sums things up perfectly and want to share:

Life is not a journey where you should arrive intact and buttoned up.
It is a journey you should end sliding in head first covered in dirt letting out a heartfelt 'WHOOP!"

With that, you have our love and best wishes this holiday season. XO, The Tuneys