Christmas – New Year 2007/2008

I think for the past few years we have started our Christmas letter by saying we can’t believe how quickly the year has gone and this year is no exception. In fact Christmas came so quickly our Christmas cards printed in America didn’t make it on time to send before Christmas but I wanted to send them anyway, even though a bit late.

So I guess that means our Christmas letter is really a Happy New Year letter! Once again we have had a busy year. Our family holiday in January to Dromana Beach, where we hired a beach house was great fun and the kids got to spend lots of time with John’s family, who have a holiday house and boat shed down there.  

March saw my 40^th Birthday celebrations. We had a great party at our house with lots of family and friends coming from Adelaide to help celebrate.  The boys started at Mill Park Heights Primary this year, we are 8 houses from the end of the street and the school crossing almost on the corner, so it was fantastic to be able to walk them to school each day and to also teach them some independence by walking to and from school some days by themselves. 

Both Taylor and Daniel did really well at school this year. Their reports were great and Taylor’s was the best of his entire school career so far. We are very proud of how well he achieved and improved in his final year of primary school. In Victoria kids got to high school in year 7 and so we will be of to Ivanhoe Grammar next year. The Mernda campus is co-ed and is located in the northern suburbs and our block of land is in the estate next door to the school. Next year we hope to build our house and so he will be able to walk to school then, with Daniel to join him in 2010. 

Amy continued with her drama this year and towards the end of the year took up kick boxing. She finished her first year of high school and will be in year 8 next year. James completed year 11 and will do year 12 in 2008. He will need to work hard (harder than he realizes!!) to complete the year. He continues to do well with his music and his band “Charisma Effect” played at a few “gigs” during the year. We really enjoy seeing them play and James and his mates love it. 

The boys continued with their sport this year. In March they finished their first year of cricket here in Melbourne. Taylor was Captain of the side and they were undefeated for the year. He got the Batting Award and Daniel got the most improved award. They were both very proud of themselves and rightly so. Winter saw Taylor play football again. His slight physique is starting to catch up with him and the kids around his are getting bigger and bigger (which makes him look even smaller). He had a good year and got 3^rd Best and Fairest, which he was stocked about. Summer this year as seen them both play cricket again and Daniel has been bowling and batting well and is much improved from last season. He is still in the Under 12 Development team but has tripled his previous batting high score and continues to spin-bowl better than a lot of kids in his age group. Taylor made the Under 12 Div 1 team this year and score 48 (not out) in his first game. That magic 50 still eludes him but he is aiming hard for it. He is wicket keeper and 3^rd batsman for his side and is playing really well. He was asked to try out for the District Cricket side and was chosen as one of only 24 boys in his age group to play in the State competitions in January. He is in the Josh Brown Plate Side and it is from here that they choose boys to train or the State Team. He is so excited, we are very proud and he has done so well in being chosen no matter what happens when he plays. 

John and I have been traveling a bit again this year. We went to America again in September for a conference in San Francisco. It was an in and out trip. We spent only 5 days there and 2 days traveling! So only away a week. But it was terrific and we learnt lots at the Internet Marketing Event. We made numerous trips to Sydney and went to Brisbane/Gold Coast for a workshop with people we are joint venturing with. We have started a membership website: www.RaisingGiftedKids.com which helps parents raise gifted kids and gives them tools and tips to do it. Our internet business has been developing well this year and in March I had a friend start working with me at home full time each week. Melissa and I work steadily each day on developing our ideas and keeping the websites running. Not Just Papers continued to grow this year and we had a very successful “store” in a hotel room at Crown during Mary Kay Seminar in July.

Our biggest news of the year came towards the end of it. After trying for well over a year we found out we are having a baby in July next year. The children are very excited and can’t wait. John and I had given up thinking it would happen and so were a bit shocked at the beginning, but now (as my stomach grows) it is becoming more of a reality. So far everything is going well and I am not having the morning sickness I experienced with each of the boys, so we are all hoping this time it’s a girl!! I feel sorry for the baby if it’s a boy….a girl is wanted all round so far!!! Lol 

We have set up this family website, if you would like to keep abreast of our news. And as always you can contact us by email or mail or phone. We would love to have visitors for our friends in Adelaide who want to come for a holiday. I have included some photos of our year, look forward to keeping in touch next year through our website here.

We hope you had a lovely Christmas and wish you a happy and healthy New Year and 2008. 

Love John, Michelle, James, Amy, Taylor, Daniel and ???

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Welcome to our blog

Our first post is our Chrismtas / New Year Letter we sent to our family and friends

Enjoy