Happy and lucky. Two very good words to describe our 2010. It was a wonderful year, full of celebrations, changes, and family.
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We celebrated Brent’s 40th birthday, his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and the wedding of Renee’s sister Andrea. We are blessed to have so many friends and family in our lives, and we are always happy to be able to see and spend time with them. Besides doing our best to be tourists in and around Holland this summer, we also made several trips. In March, Renee and Brent took a much needed trip without kids (we couldn’t believe it had been 3 years) to Gulf Shores, AL. The drive, the house, the beach, it was all perfect. Brent travelled to Germany and Italy in April (without Renee and the kids, sniff, sniff) and was happy to reconnect with some colleagues.
In early July, we spent a long weekend in Lake Geneva, WI with Brent’s family to celebrate Jim & Coralee’s anniversary. That was followed by a trip to Sandwich, Il for a party with extended family and many of the original wedding party. August found us in St. Louis for the big wedding, and back again in October for a cousin’s wedding (and can you believe that with all the trips to St. Louis, we STILL missed another family wedding?) Finally, we took a couple of days to explore Glen Arbor, MI and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. It was completely beautiful. We can’t wait to visit again. We were really excited to NOT travel for Thanksgiving this year and have Renee's family here. We were equally excited to travel to Minnesota for Christmas and spend the holiday with all of Brent's family at his parent's house, the first time in 6 years.
Cate turned 8 in March and has had quite a momentous year. She continued with gymnastics, Girl Scouts, and piano lessons, and also added Student Council member, actress, and award-winning chef. Cate was excited when her class voted her one of their Student Council reps, with her promise to “make sure all their ideas are brought to the meetings.” In December she played a mouse (with 7 lines!) in a children’s production of The Nutcracker, and enjoyed every rehearsal and production of it. Upon leaving the final performance, she wistfully asked why they couldn’t keep going forever. The most exciting news came in the fall that Cate was the local restaurant winner of the Red Robin Kids Cookoff. Her recipe for Ooey Gooey Burgers didn’t win the national prize, but she did receive a gift card, as well as a sign hung in the restaurant and some VIP treatment when we visited. Needless to say, we are all quite proud. For all you St. Louisans, you will be happy to note that the Ooey Gooey depends on copious amounts of provel cheese! (And for all you non-St. Louisans, no, I don’t mean provolone;))
Ian grew up quite a bit this past year too. He turned 6 in May and had a great summer playing T-ball, tennis, and having swim lessons. In the fall, he started 1st grade in the Montessori program at Waukazoo Elementary where Cate is in 3rd grade. Ian has also continued with gymnastics, and this year tried flag football for the first time. It was love at first snap. He now spends all his spare time watching games, especially with dad, and going over wins and losses. Playing wii Madden Football is also an important priority. Ian has also turned into quite a reader, especially loving Magic Tree House books and Sports Illustrated for Kids. He's still a climbing monkey, but is less of our snuggle puppy, now limiting Mommy to no more than 80 hugs and kisses a day!
2010 was full of changes for Renee. After 9 years of being home full time with the kids, both went and left her to attend school all day. It’s been a bittersweet transition, but it is nice to have both kids at the same school for the first time, where they see each other every day and have lots of friends. It’s also nice to have the kids on the same schedule, with much less running around. With the kids gone all day, Renee dusted off her teaching degree and has started substitute teaching in the district. It’s been pretty limited so far, but it’s a nice way to be able to work and still be home when needed. Besides practicing Pilates and yoga (yeah!! finally found a great class in Holland!), Renee continues to lead Cate's Brownie troop and volunteer in the kids classrooms every week. Occasionally, she is also able to volunteer at the Community Kitchen, though not as much as she'd like. Renee was also lucky enough to get to disappear for not one, but two ladies’ weekends with friends, not to mention numerous trips to St. Louis for wedding showers, a bachelorette party, and the wedding.
Brent celebrated his 40th birthday in February with a small party. Renee then took him away for a week to Gulf Shores, AL while her parents stayed with the kids. It was a wonderful retreat, something they hope to repeat with much more frequency than in the past! In June, Brent went with some friends on a camping trip to South Manitou Island. He also spent some time travelling for work, including visiting labs in Gottingen, Germany and Pisa, Italy. In July, Brent had a great time catching up with lots of friends and colleagues in Berkeley at a birthday celebration for his former advisor, Graham Fleming. Brent continues to keep very busy at Hope, serving on several campus committees in addition to his regular teaching, research, and grant writing. He will continue offering his summer conference for high school teachers in July, and is currently waiting to hear about a large NSF grant (keep your fingers crossed!)
We hope everyone is doing well, and wish you all a wonderful 2011, full of peace and grace. Please do let us know if you are ever in Michigan, we love to see our friends and family!
Watch our 2010 Year in Pictures large small
Love, Brent, Renee, Cate, & Ian
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