Merry Christmas!

December 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
It is that time of year again to share with you our adventures in this journey we call life. 2007 has been another year of magic and wonder...

Johnny, just turned 2, is quite a talker. He’s mastered the most important words in the English language, “mine” and “no”. In his quest to be the first Olympic gold medal winner by age three, he spends his days climbing, jumping, flipping and bouncing. Unfortunately, one day this summer he miscalculated a landing and ended up with two broken bones and a concussion. He is still in the running for “The Baby who has Slept the Least Amount in the History of Civilization” award. The entire Law Family is praying that 2008 is the year Johnny discovers the joys of napping. Heck at this point we’d be happy with 4-6 hours a night.

Tommy, 3, is a little charmer. His new found affinity for bubble gum (a dirty word in our house) and his amazing critical thinking abilities have resulted in a shoplifting habit. Not to worry, his irresistible face and adorable attitude mesmerizes the store management into patting him on the head sympathetically and forgoing any consequences. He is a big boy now, albeit a big boy who remains deathly afraid of self-flushing toilets. Tommy’s fine motor skills are remarkable. He’s able to work the door knobs, locks and dead-bolts, even the dark of night, when the rest of the house is sleeping, except John, to “go for a walk” or eat the lunches in the garage refrigerator. He’s doing his best to help Mommy develop her patience. There is nothing quite like her discovering the lunches are gone as she is loading the children in the car the next morning.

Julie, almost 7, is our little ski racer. We keep her fully padded just in case a tree jumps out as none of the rest of us can keep up. First grade is quite an adjustment but she handled it like a pro. She informed us that her teacher doesn’t have many “crinkles on her face” and that her class was “evaporated” when someone smelled gas. We see a gifted program in the near future. Julie had an awesome first year on the swim team, well, except for the bees, the wind, the cold, the bugs and the wet squishy grass. She is able to produce an amazing screechy-ear piercing sound anytime an insect is near. Jules no longer aspires to be a pediatrician. Her new life goal is to work at Starbucks. “They get anything they want for free!”

Megan, 9, is an adventurer, swimmer, snowboarder and rock climber. This summer, while on a bike ride with friends, Megs managed to get lost in the mountains. She ended up riding 24 miles on a one-speed bike, asking strangers for help and finding her way back to the cabin. Megan is the best at everything. She doesn’t come in second, ever. She will climb higher and faster even if it kills her. This particular personality trait makes the politics of third grade a little tricky. She loves to sing and has joined the church choir. Unfortunately, she has inherited her mother’s vocal talents. She’s still holding onto the dream of being discovered by a talent agent, at church, and touring next year with Hannah Montana.

Joey, almost 11, is now a tween. Apparently that means: one who no longer bathes, changes ones clothing or combs ones hair without constant reminders. This year he joined a Catholic boys club, Conquest. We’re not exactly sure what he does there aside from playing a game called Mafia which requires running around in subzero temperatures in the dark. He is an altar boy at church and takes his “job” very seriously. The rest of the family does what they can to embarrass him during Mass. Johnny loves to scream “WOLF”, his name for Joe, and run towards the altar. Joey is often in costume, a pirate, army guy or Minute Man is regularly seen at our dinner table. He has quite the imagination and is always in character. We often see him “shooting” the enemy as he snowboards or rides his bike.

Kristen is doing her best to manage parenting and nursing school. She also volunteers as a USA Swimming official and an American Heritage Girls leader. She has officially given up on sleeping, cooking and cleaning and has been known to hide in the basement pretending no one is at home when unexpected company arrives.

Norman is still working at T-Mobile. He helps Kristen by taking the kids snowboarding (with Grandpa) every week. This gives her a whole day to study with just the little ones. Un-huh. He’s managed to lower his “extremely high” cholesterol by 40 points. He celebrated by eating a huge steak and homemade mashed potatoes. Norman’s best described through the words of Thomas, “My dad is my favorite superhero!”

We are blessed beyond measure. We are looking towards the day when life slows down a little. In the meantime, we’re taking Johnny’s orthopedist’s advice and teaching the kids to “tuck and roll.” We all hope that you have a wonderful Christmas, a happy new year, and that God will continue to bless your lives.