Dear Friends & Family,
Oh the places we’ve gone! 2015 has been a busy year for the McLean family, so we decided to do our first ever holiday newsletter!
Joey, who turned ten earlier this year, is now in 5th grade and is officially as tall as his me! Upon his elementary school graduation, he received the Presidential Academic Achievement Award (#ThanksObama), and he continues to do well at his new school. They even have a band, and Joey has started playing trumpet, and coincidentally Joe and I have invested in Excedrin and earplugs. Joey’s golf game has greatly improved, and it’s a toss up between the PGA and NASA after he attended space camp this summer. He also enjoys playing video games, swimming, and eating all the food that isn’t nailed down; he is, after all, a growing boy who will likely be a foot taller than me by the end of 2016. His 2015 highlight was fulfilling a “lifelong dream” of dumping slime on me for a Nickelodeon promotion this past Spring. Glad I could help make that one come true.
Jake, who turned eight this year, was accepted into his school’s enrichment program for 3rd grade, but continues to struggle at home not to spill his drink at every meal. He’s constantly keeping us laughing with his jokes, and is also a very sweet and empathetic kid. Although he still loves the robotics classes, he also started soccer this Fall and had a few epic saves on defense! On a more offensive note, at least to poor Mom and Dad’s ears, Jake has really taken to his new recorder that the school gave him this Fall. He says he either wants to be an engineer or a t-rex when he grows up, and we’ll support him either way! His favorite moments this year were trying out a bunch of new roller coasters while I turned as green as Joey’s slime just watching him ride with Dad!
Cecilia, who turned six this year, graduated Kindergarten in the Spring and is now a big shot 1st grader! Her reading has progressed by leaps and bounds, thanks in part, to her partner in crime, Baxter the dog who intently listens to Pete the Cat’s adventures over and over and over again. Cecilia has also picked up soccer this year, and she even had some amazing goals! Speaking of goals, Cecilia would like to be vet when she grows up, and is already taking care of any animal she meets – like the baby bunnies who took up residence in our veggie garden this year. It was fun to see them grow, and nice to know someone was enjoying our beans and tomatoes. Cecilia also said she’d like to be a chef, but only if she can have a cooking show so be on the look out for that in 2016!
Joe and I spent the first third of the year getting our house ready to sell! We put in months of work from cleaning, organizing, painting, repairs, projects, and then, after six weeks on the market in the spring, we decided to stay put! We then bought each other a romantic anniversary gift this fall – new floors (which was such a pain in the ass, next time I’d rather just move), and we’re continuing the lame gifts by giving each other a new dishwasher and microwave since being an adult is dumb.
As a family we took countless weekend trips to the beach, and I think there’s enough sand still in the car that we can enjoy it whenever we’d like! We also took a road trip to Pittsburgh and enjoyed just about every rest stop bathroom from there to Delaware and back. We visited our favorite wildlife refuge, Bombay Hook, quite a few times in the early Spring, but vowed never to return in summer after we were SWARMED by flies one July afternoon. We renewed our Brandywine Zoo passes and have had quite a few visits there as well, so much so we’re starting to look like the animals…
My highlight, aside from missing the lice epidemic that went through several of the kids classrooms again last year, was winning the best costume at BlogU’s Middle School to the Max party! I even got a trophy! Joe’s highlight, most likely, is that he can tell people he’s married to me.
As you can see, we had a great year! The lows made us appreciate the highs, and we know we’re ready for anything in 2016! Wishing you and yours the very best throughout the holiday season and into the new year!
Love,
The McLeans
So that’s us, totally unfiltered, as always, and it’s why I jumped on board the Plum Organics #ParentingUnfiltered campaign. They’re making holiday cards easy – and real- with a fun tool to help you build your own unfiltered card for free. That’s our card at the very top of the post.
You just answer a few fun questions, pick a photo to upload, and boom! You’ve got your holiday card ready to be shared with family and friends.
CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR OWN CARD, and be sure to share your cards link in the comments or on my Facebook page! One random winner will receive a Plum Organics gift basket (worth $75) just for sharing! Be sure to fill out the entry form after sharing to be eligible for the gift basket.
This has been a sponsored post by the fine folks at the Plum Organics’ Parenting Unfiltered campaign where I received product and/or compensation in exchange for a review. All opinions – especially the unfiltered ones – expressed here are my own. For questions or concerns, please email me [email protected].
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