As 2006 Draws to a Close

...we are unearthing ourselves from the barrage of Christmas paper and putting batteries in all the new gear that requires batteries. Placide (Melissa's mother) was visiting and we had a wonderful time.

A few days before (Winter Solstice), Marc and Nicolas graduated to belts of Solid Blue in Taijutsu and Melissa moved to Blue/White Stripe (one belt below Marc and Nicolas). Now we are on training vacation until after the New Year holiday.



The day after Christmas, we headed out to the Reagan Library with about 50,000 other people. The Christmas trees from around the world were a beautiful display and of course, Air Force One was a HUGE hit. Here we are on our way....



So Mom is on her way back to Florida and we are digging out from under the barrage of wonderful presents. Our household received an iRobot Roomba, so we are playing with it and training it to clean the rugs and floors. It's really not a time-saver at the moment; we spend so much time watching it and "tricking" it.



We are looking forward to the rest of the week being quiet and playing with all of our new toys (and making room for all the new stuff!).


We'll post again soon!

~~Melissa

Winter Holidays 2006

How did the Holidays sneak up on us again?!? It’s not like they should be a surprise or anything! “Oh, look, Martha…there’s a new holiday this year on the calendar!”

The kids are great! Shannon is about to enroll in a dance class. She LOVES to sing and dance and is so very expressive. She has *quite* a determination and focus.

Check out the photo below…what a ham! Marc nearly choked when he saw it. The blinding flash twelve years into the future was just too much to bear.

Nicolas officially began attending a very exclusive private school this year. He LOVES it and just ADORES his teachers. We are fairly certain that Shannon will have a similar experience. (We are our own private school = homeschool.) He had a great soccer season, a great coach, an awesome team and for his last game, he was full of team spirit.

He will be starting the New Year attending a Shakespeare class with kids of all ages. I have no idea what play they will do, but he CAN’T WAIT! (Especially if it involves any type of swordplay.) He also wanted to take chess and fencing classes, but there wasn’t enough time this time around.

Melissa rides a sweet paint mare named “Bella”, owned by friend Cathy. Cathy also has a thoroughbred gelding, ex-police mount named Toby. Bella and Toby arrived in California from Ohio in February with Cathy and her family. Bella was carrying a bit more weight than was necessary or healthy. She needs regular exercise to keep trim and conditioned. Cathy and Melissa try to ride as often as possible which is at least every Saturday. The local orchards and close national park space provide plenty of shade and miles of trails to explore.

Marc, Melissa and Nicolas have been working on a black belt program in Taijutsu. Shannon will join us when she turns four. Sensei Woodard (a real-life Ninja) has a fantastic Leadership Program that is in perfect alignment with our family’s goals for the immediate and long-term future.

We are feeling the miles between all of us particularly during this time of year. The time difference often prevents us from “reaching out and touching someone” (well....that, and the potential lawsuits!). But hopefully you all know that we think of you often and send virtual hugs.

We'll close with this latest photo. We send you all lots of love.

~*~ Happy Holidays ~*~