Family Holiday Letter 2005

We wanted to update you on our family and to share some of the excitement we experienced in 2005. We are so thankful for the many people in our lives that love and teach our children, who have helped us out at home and work and those who, no matter the time, answer our calls and drop what they are doing to offer their support. We are blessed!

Harrison probably had the biggest year of all in 2005. In his short life he has swam in the thermal baths of Budapest, learned to sign, witnessed the view from the mountain tops of Colorado, met Mickey Mouse, sat in the ocean, learned to open cupboards and drawers and figured out how to climb stairs at lightening speeds. We celebrated his first birthday by watching him devour his own little birthday cake and discovered that, like his brother, he doesn’t like frosting. He loves it! He recently began to sleep through the night, a wonderful early Christmas present to his parents.

Carter, 5, can't wait for next year. In 2006 he will finally be able to join a tee-ball team and go to Kindergarten - both things he desperately wanted to do this year. Carter always wants to learn new things and enjoys preschool, art, Sunday School and choir. Superheroes, horses, trains and sports are just a few of his passions. He let us know it is always lucky when you have a good hair day on the first day of Bible School, as that is when he met the new girl who was "so cute and sweet".

Elizabeth is re-reading the entire Harry Potter series, has started a Harry Potter club with her friends and for her 8th birthday, we did potions and magic spells with her second grade friends. She played on a softball team this summer and enjoys swimming and piano lessons. She also has fun with choir and Brownies. Elizabeth has been a wonderful help with her baby brother and loves to help in the kitchen. She is growing so fast it sometimes surprises us to realize that she is no longer a little girl. In fact, she informed us that she is half-way to driving.

Cindy spent a large part of the year trying to figure out how to work full-time with a large family, a new baby and a husband who travels. The juggling is constant and not always successful. She continues her work as Executive Director of the Lincoln Children's Museum. Travel has provided the chance to meet several of her on-line friends who met while expecting babies in 1997. A grown-up version of a playgroup for women has offered opportunities for education, discussion, laughter and a private reading with the US Poet Laureate.

Jeff has had an amazing year. An invitation to speak at the European Community Foundation annual meeting in Hungary, a conference in Vail and at many other small towns and cities across the country were all evidence of the success of the Nebraska Community Foundation and the many rural leaders who are making such a difference for Nebraska. The New York Times and other publications have featured the work of the Foundation and the leaders of the Ford and Kellogg Foundations are pointing to Nebraska as a model of success. (I'm writing this so I can be allowed to brag about my husband just a little bit!) Jeff also has made the gardens and yard of our home a wonderful place to spend a summer evening.

All of us wish for you a 2006 filled with joy, peace and the company of those you love. Happy New Year!