HAPPY NEW YEAR

Ken and I would like to wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy New Year.
I am sure that most of you had a more exciting New Year's Eve than we did. We spent most of yesterday just running errands and other things. We started the day at Kasson watching Zachary and Jordyn's hockey. They are both improving their hockey skills and skating skills. Then had a little shopping to do, visited the neighbor in the nursing home, went to a visitation (Ken's co-worker's mother in law), went to church at 4pm. We did see Nancy's family at church. Then home to a lite dinner, a few minutes in the hot tub, a movie and early to bed. How boring!!!!!
But, atleast, we had no trouble getting up this morning to enjoy the day.

Our New Year will be starting out different - Ken's last day at work will be January 2nd!!!! He had talked about retiring later this year (2012), he wanted to get his 40 years in (mid May), but he was offered early retirement. And he didn't feel he could pass it up. Some of you don't know it, but Ken worked in a lab that is funded by grants. The last few months some of the grants have run out, and new grants haven't come thru yet. Ken could have continued to work since he was the senior employee, but then it would have meant a much younger employee would have to leave the lab and find a new position, and Ken didn't feel that was right. So we are starting a new phase in our lives -
I will continue to do child care for the next couple years. But now will have Ken around most of the time to help entertain the kids.

The other news in our family - if you haven't seen it on Brian's blog - is that Brian and Sarah are expecting a baby in early March. They have been told it is a boy - but guess we will have to wait to be positive.

I have had alot of people ask me if Spencer will be home soon - since the troops have pulled out of Iraq. The answer is no - he will be there for the remained of his deployment. He was not stationed in Iraq - he is in Kuwait. The family has been able to talk to him thru facetime on the computer. He talked to all three of the children on their birthdays - Connor in October, Zachary and Dakota in December, and of course, was able to talk to them at Christmas time. Please continue to think of our service men in your prayers - it is hard on them to be away, and it is hard to come home and try to fit it again. (One of our neighbors have had two sons - one still serving - in the army and both have gone thru deployments. I have talked to her alot about some of the problems that they have gone thru.) So often, we think they are home and everything is great, but that isn't always the case.

Please share any news and exciting events in your families -