In December, we took Jude to see Santa, visited with family and went ice skating for the first time.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!
The Kapallen’s have had a fast 2009 . . .
Jude is 22 months old and is continuing to grow fast. As we browse pictures from earlier this year, we’re reminded that he’s no longer our baby, but is becoming our little boy. He loves Elmo, our dog and cat, his friends, and his family. He is snuggly after naps, strong-willed, and smart (of course). We love the time we get to spend with him and feel deeply blessed by our little guy.
Dave has been quite busy this year. He continues to work at the local insurance companies' corporate headquarters. We are thankful for his secure job in the current weak economy.
Outside of his 9-5 . . .back in July -- and thanks to lots of help from many friends -- he started working on his dream garage. He demolished our existing two-stall and – with a trip to the emergency room and 4 stitches later – we ended up with a beautiful three-stall garage. He now can make all the furniture for our house in his new wood shop. ;)
Next on our list was finishing the basement. We weren’t sure when it would get done, but with hopes of having more children, knew it was a top priority. The time came in mid-November when my brother John (a plumber by trade) came up over a few days and roughed in the plumbing and relocated our basement laundry. It’s virtually finished now. We should have some pictures to share on next month’s blog post.
Dave has acquired lots of knowledge and skills in the last five years of living in a 100-year old home. Amidst all of this, Dave also manages to maintain a semi-regular running routine. Jude loves to go along in the stroller. Pacey, our three-year-old Vizsla, doesn’t miss a run. That is, until she got hit by a car in mid-November. The good news is that it could have been much worse. She's getting better day by day and should be ready to go full steam come spring time.
Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, I started a part-time teaching position at Bloomington High School. This transition from full to part-time has been such an answer to prayer. I have always loved teaching, but felt very torn about the time missed during the day with Jude. This new arrangement works out perfectly for our family. I feel very blessed to have more time at home.
We continued to travel this year. The New Year found us visiting Dave’s family in the DC area. Over my spring break, we joined our friends, the Jeffrey’s, in Jamaica for a week on the beach. The first week of August is always reserved for my side of the family's annual vacation. This year it was spent in South Haven, Michigan. And in October, we visited Dave’s high school friend, John and his family in Orlando. We also made fairly regular monthly visits to Edwardsville to visit my family.
The biggest news of 2009 is . . .we are expecting twins in May. We’re so excited about adding more children to our family! At the same time, we are quite nervous about the challenges that come with multiples. There's lots more to say about that . . .not sure where to begin!
On a final note, Jude's quickly approaching the terrible two's. His favorite word seems to be "No," and we’ve been trying to teach him the virtue of sharing. “People are more important than things,” Dave tells him often. Isn’t it funny how God re-teaches us these simple lessons through our children?!
If we haven’t told you lately, we want take the opportunity to say that we truly value you. Thank you for your continued friendship over the years; for being our partners in life. Our hope is that you, too, had a great 2009 and that 2010 is our best year yet!
Love,
Amanda & Dave
Jude is 22 months old and is continuing to grow fast. As we browse pictures from earlier this year, we’re reminded that he’s no longer our baby, but is becoming our little boy. He loves Elmo, our dog and cat, his friends, and his family. He is snuggly after naps, strong-willed, and smart (of course). We love the time we get to spend with him and feel deeply blessed by our little guy.
Dave has been quite busy this year. He continues to work at the local insurance companies' corporate headquarters. We are thankful for his secure job in the current weak economy.
Outside of his 9-5 . . .back in July -- and thanks to lots of help from many friends -- he started working on his dream garage. He demolished our existing two-stall and – with a trip to the emergency room and 4 stitches later – we ended up with a beautiful three-stall garage. He now can make all the furniture for our house in his new wood shop. ;)
Next on our list was finishing the basement. We weren’t sure when it would get done, but with hopes of having more children, knew it was a top priority. The time came in mid-November when my brother John (a plumber by trade) came up over a few days and roughed in the plumbing and relocated our basement laundry. It’s virtually finished now. We should have some pictures to share on next month’s blog post.
Dave has acquired lots of knowledge and skills in the last five years of living in a 100-year old home. Amidst all of this, Dave also manages to maintain a semi-regular running routine. Jude loves to go along in the stroller. Pacey, our three-year-old Vizsla, doesn’t miss a run. That is, until she got hit by a car in mid-November. The good news is that it could have been much worse. She's getting better day by day and should be ready to go full steam come spring time.
Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, I started a part-time teaching position at Bloomington High School. This transition from full to part-time has been such an answer to prayer. I have always loved teaching, but felt very torn about the time missed during the day with Jude. This new arrangement works out perfectly for our family. I feel very blessed to have more time at home.
We continued to travel this year. The New Year found us visiting Dave’s family in the DC area. Over my spring break, we joined our friends, the Jeffrey’s, in Jamaica for a week on the beach. The first week of August is always reserved for my side of the family's annual vacation. This year it was spent in South Haven, Michigan. And in October, we visited Dave’s high school friend, John and his family in Orlando. We also made fairly regular monthly visits to Edwardsville to visit my family.
The biggest news of 2009 is . . .we are expecting twins in May. We’re so excited about adding more children to our family! At the same time, we are quite nervous about the challenges that come with multiples. There's lots more to say about that . . .not sure where to begin!
On a final note, Jude's quickly approaching the terrible two's. His favorite word seems to be "No," and we’ve been trying to teach him the virtue of sharing. “People are more important than things,” Dave tells him often. Isn’t it funny how God re-teaches us these simple lessons through our children?!
If we haven’t told you lately, we want take the opportunity to say that we truly value you. Thank you for your continued friendship over the years; for being our partners in life. Our hope is that you, too, had a great 2009 and that 2010 is our best year yet!
Love,
Amanda & Dave
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