Happy Holidays, 2009!

2009 has come and nearly gone! Here are some of our shining accomplishments this year.

Let’s see if you can figure out who did which.

· Took a pottery class and learned to throw pots

· Took a swimming class and learned to put her face underwater

· Took an Aikido class and learned to have a beginner’s mind. And kick butt.

· Travelled to Tinian and Rota and ate goat guts

· Travelled to France and ate stinky delicious fromage

· Travelled to Lappert’s and ate her weight in ice cream

· Raised chickens for eggs

· Raised herbs and vegetables for dinner

· Raised caterpillars and watched them turn into butterflies

· Read a heap of books, recommends Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

· Read many books, recommends Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki, tied with Ferdinand

· Read every book in the kid section and recommends Snow White illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

· Speared lots of fish for dinner

· Baked a small mountain of Artisan bread

· Subsisted on 17 calories a day—usually a teaspoon of milk and three grapes.

· For movies, recommends “Children of Men”

· Recommends the movie “Eagle Vs. Shark”

· Recommends the movie “My Neighbor Totoro”

· Started out tiny and cute and got big and loud—and lay eggs for us every day.

· Started out tiny and scrawny at the pound and got big and handsome and say “meow.”

· Started out tiny and is due to appear on the scene March 2, 2010

Thanks for your love and friendship, and we wish you a wonderful Happy Holidays!

Love,

Matt, Becca, Rosie Jo and Baby Stevenson