Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas! A Goodman Year in Review





A Goodman Year in Review 2013

The Big Stuff

v  We celebrated Anna’s 7th birthday in March with a family weekend in D.C., although she didn’t get to go in the White House due to the sequester.  Thank you to Sarah and Paul for your hospitality!
v  Heather drove to Ohio and back with all three kids, and survived.
v  Disney World!  We hit all four theme parks and a water park, saw a bunch of princesses, and had an awesome time.
v  Heather and Seth celebrated 10 years of insanity... we mean wedded bliss… in October at The California Grill at Disney World.

Seth put on an amazing haunted house this Halloween, and is already hard at work planning the next one.  He has made the big decision to leave his job of 9 years, and in 2014 he will begin working for SigmaCare, an electronic medical records company based out of New York.  He will be working from home, and is very excited about this new adventure!

Heather has been busy volunteering at Lizzie’s preschool and Anna’s elementary school while trying to keep track of three kids that are growing up way too fast.  In between the girls’ schools, trips to gymnastics, playdates, homework, and house maintenance, she has been trying to organize years of family photos.

Anna discovered the wonders of reading during first grade, and now that she’s in second grade she has read the first two Harry Potter books and every Boxcar Children book she can find.  She tried her hand at piano this year, but decided it was too much like work.  She still enjoys gymnastics and plans to live in the White House someday.
 
Lizzie turned five in November and celebrated with a jungle safari party.  She is doing well in preschool, but she can’t wait to start Kindergarten next fall.  She continues to amuse and amaze with her variety of facial expressions and spontaneous original songs.  She loves it when Anna reads stories to her and can’t get enough of her baby brother… except when he’s destroying her toys.
 
Xavier has had a year full of firsts… but then he just turned one in June.  2013 saw him start crawling, walking, running, climbing, pointing, saying “vroom vroom” for cars, learning how to turn on an Xbox controller and the TV, and generally keeping us all on our toes.  He’s not talking much, but he certainly knows how to communicate what he wants.  He’s very social and loves other people, and has started waving at everyone he sees.  His mischievous grin makes everyone smile, even if it means he’s probably up to no good. 
 
It’s amazing how time flies and how fast things can change.  While we mourn the loss of those we love, we rejoice at the wonders we see every day. 
May you and your family have a blessed holiday season full of joy and happiness.