Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
I wanted to share our Christmas card and letter here.
We hope you all doing well and are enjoying the Christmas season. Here is a recap of our year.
The kids are growing up fast – fortunately Denise and I are not getting any older! Daniel is 16 and a junior; Drew, now 12, is in 6th grade; and Brielle is 5 and in pre-K. Brielle loves school and wishes she could go all the time. Denise and Brielle also go cap of the Stuesse family’s year for 2010. to Spanish class each week and are learning a lot. It’s good that Daniel is in Spanish III so he can help them with their homework!
In June we went to St. Louis to visit my family. We had a big party with all the relatives and spent time at my sister-in-law’s family cabin on a river. Brielle went fishing for the first time and told Drew “You got 4 and I got 5”. Whenever she can “one-up” her brothers she is sure to let them know! The boys had a great time dirt bike riding (except when Drew crashed), shooting fireworks, and having target practice. We all enjoyed floating down the river on air mattresses and being with the family. Denise and Brielle also spent a few days there with a group of friends they know through adoption. It was a good time hanging out with lots of cute Guatemalan born kids!
Our big adventure in July was a 6-day rafting trip on the Salmon River with a group of friends. The scenery was awesome, the river was exciting, and the huge sand bars were great for camping. Daniel had a blast kayaking, and Drew and Brielle played hard with the other kids from morning till night. Denise loved soaking up the sun and reading with her toes in the water. I had fun rowing but won’t be trading my kayak for a raft anytime soon. We were all worn out by the end of the week and needed another vacation to rest up.
Relatively speaking the rest of the summer was more relaxing. All the hours at the pool really improved Brielle’s swimming. She is a total fish and can swim the length of the pool! A new mountain biking park opened nearby which was great fun for the boys and I. We honored Blake by raising money for the Make-a-Wish walkathon. Add in a few more camping trips and Brielle’s 5th birthday and the summer flies by real fast! Denise also went Vegas with her mom for Alisha’s (her niece) wedding on 10/10/10. They loved the sun, the Lion King Show, the fancy hotels and hanging out together.
We have a new dog “Lucy”. Unfortunately Riley died suddenly possibly due to a heart attack. The breeder was able to give us another dog who is Riley’s half sister. Lucy loves to be loved! She can’t wait for someone to sit on the couch so she can snuggle in close. She rarely barks, loves to play fetch and is always nearby in case you want to give her a treat.
Denise and I have season tickets for all the Stuesse sporting events. Daniel’s sports include soccer, ultimate Frisbee and track. Drew plays soccer and lacrosse. Brielle plays soccer and will play softball in the spring. I help coach Drew’s and Brielle’s outdoor and now indoor soccer teams. Once the cold rains come in the fall its great fun to play indoors during the winter. Daniel is also signed up for ski bus so he can hit the slopes for several Saturdays this winter with his friends.
Denise continues to volunteer at Soulumination (a non-profit that photographs children with life-threatening diseases) by making beautiful photo bracelets for mothers with sick kids. Over the last four years she has made over 300 bracelets. It’s another way she keeps Blake’s memory alive.
We hope that 2010 has been a good year for you and may God bless you in 2011!
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