New Year's Letter 2007

Well...... I can't call it a Christmas letter, can I? That was Tuesday.

Feel free to read and reply to if you wish.

Chris, Suzanne and Nathanael



Greetings to Everyone!

As a family, we have tried (and failed) to write out Christmas cards for the many people we would love to communicate with yearly. So, we are going to do a New Year's Letter, and hopefully this will get to everyone in a timely fashion....

January saw us returning from Swan River after spending part of our holidays there, and beginning to really settle into the house we moved into at the end of October. By the end of March, we had pretty much moved in, and made a list of items to be taken care of around the house. A few home renovations; some expected, some not, have been tackled by the end of this year. The most interesting was the furnace, as it involved removing the old furnace and hot water tank. Over the summer we got to meet our neighbours, and have learned quite a bit about the neighbourhood and it's history. We're still meeting more people from the area – we think that we are still “the new family” on our street! This winter we have spent mainly at home, completing the house renovations we started, and planning new ones. We are working on windows at the moment, and hope to get started on the basement and insulation next.
In September we made a church switch. While we didn't leave Springs Church, we changed which service we attend regularly. Our move to Inner City has let us be closer to home for church, and to be involved with a smaller group. It also fit into our plans to take Spanish Dancing (for Chris and Suzanne) on Sunday mornings.

Nathanael moved from grade 2 into grade 3 over the summer. He's still in French immersion, and is doing well. His speaking in French is beginning to get better – he's gotten over the shyness, and is now carrying on short conversations. Chris is trying to talk to Nathanael in French too, but both Suzanne and Nathanael think his accent stinks. Nathanael did a summer course in dancing over the summer in Alberta, and did well. He continued his studies in dance this fall with two Ballet classes, one Jazz class, and a Musical Theatre class. He is also continuing to sing in the Winnipeg Boys Choir. This winter the WBC sang for the first 3 performances of the RWB's Nutcracker. He had auditioned to dance, and was on the waiting list (in case someone couldn't make it).

Chris is at the same school for a third (!) year. He was evaluated for tenure in May, and was offered a permanent 0.5 contract in September (for music). He is continuing with the Reading Recovery program for the other half of the teaching time in the school. Outside of school, Chris is working casually at Convergys (Internet Tech Support), and is playing in the Band of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles as a volunteer. The band did two trips outside of Winnipeg, one to Regina and one to Moose Jaw. The Regina trip stands out for Chris, as he met the honourary Colonel of the Regiment, The Princess Anne.

Suzanne continues to look after the boys, dogs and the house, and is studying for her certificate in Interior Design, which she will complete in 2008. She is hoping to start working with paying clients in the summer or spring. She is already doing some rooms for friends as extra projects.
Mojo and Ezra are still with us, each of them getting a bit slower. Mojo has reached 11 years now, and we have a noticed some days when she doesn't enjoy the stairs anymore. Ezra is still as spry as ever, but she does calm down faster. At 9, she still acts like she did when she was 3.

Well, there's the 2007 letter. We wish you all a great winter season, and God's blessings for everyone!

Chris
Suzanne
Nathanael
Mojo and Ezra