We are ready for 2020!

The H-Dubs are ready to ring in the new year with pizza and wings and a, hopefully early, bedtime for most of the kids. 2020 promises many new adventures for this family as Molly makes a decision about where to go to college and Peter starts his first semester at Middlesex Community College. December was a fun month for all of us so here are some highlights. 

We still take Sierra every Friday afternoon and keep her until Saturday afternoon when Shannon gets out of work. We have been able to have Sierra most weekends since she was around 6 months old which means that all of us have developed a really strong bond with her and we all look forward to having her here. Sierra makes everything easy because she is a very sweet little girl full of light and laughter and love. She is also kind and affectionate with everyone she meets and unbelievably flexible. Lizzie and Sierra have a special bond because Lizzie will drop everything to hang out with her but all of the kids just adore her and wait for her to get to our house on Fridays. 

Just before Christmas Molly got her very first college acceptance letter to Assumption College in Worcester, MA.  Some very distinguished people have graduated from Assumption including ME! We are so proud of Molly but everything seems bittersweet when we think about her leaving home next year. For instance - this was her last Griffith Academy Christmas Party. Molly began dancing at Griffith Academy when she was five years old and has loved every moment of it. Griffith has always been a safe place for her to grow and learn with teachers who love her for who she is and are alway incredible role models. 

Griffith Academy Seniors

Molly with her friends that she has danced with for 14 years. 

Ellie's favorite Birthday present was tickets to the Nutcracker Ballet at Saint Joe's College in West Hartford. Better still was that her sister and cousins went with us and they all loved the production. 

After the show was over Ellie got to meet the ballerina who played the Sugar Plum Fairy in the production - she could not have been more excited. 

And we can't forget the little girls and their Griffith Academy fun tradition of seeing Santa and doing the grab bag with their dance friends. It is also a chance for us to see them dance a little bit and to witness first hand how much they are learning in classes each week. 

Another highlight of the winter was when Katie and Nora played each other in basketball in Newington. That meant that Uncle Chuck and my dad and all of their kids were there for the game so we took a quick break to get a picture of all of us. 

And of course - we got one with the grandfathers and their granddaughters - clearly the two stars of the game. 

Each year I get the opportunity to plan and emcee the Annual Homeless Memorial Vigil in Middletown. It is a wonderful event that remembers those individuals who experienced homelessness and died during the year. There is music and a special memorial where candles are lit and memorial stones are placed for those we want to remember. This year the church was full of CHC employees and Annie, Lizzie and Katie did a stone for each person being named during the lighting ceremony. They did a wonderful job and the vigil is always a moving legacy to those who have been lost during the year. 

Annie did this rock for the vigil and it was my favorite. 

And to end this blog post we have the most exciting thing - or so we thought at this moment! Brendan finally got around to asking Kim to marry him so, as my kids like to call it - the day we found out that we get to keep Kim forever! At this point we weren't sure when the wedding would be but we are now all prepping for the March 13th wedding with more excitement than you can possibly imagine because on the day after Christmas another big announcement was made. 

On June 30th our family is growing by one more when baby Griswold/Kelly is due to arrive. To say there was a feeling of shock would be an understatement - there were screams, tears, shouts of joy and everything in between. The holidays are still a time that I have a feeling of not knowing how much I want to celebrate with Eileen's physical presence distinctly missing but this holiday as we celebrated new love and new life her presence was more present than ever and in such a special way. 

As I am writing this and trying to keep it to highlights I realize how much amazing stuff happens each day and week in our family and that there really are highlights everyday. I swore I would be less wordy and just do recaps but when life is this good it's hard to pick and choose. Happy 2020!