Surprise, surprise!!
We’re
actually early for Christmas and you’re hearing from us with
a
family letter for the second time this year!! This Christmas
we
thought we’d do something a little bit different. See how
many
questions you can answer about our year.
1. At work this year, Chris got: A) a promotion, B) a transfer, C)
fired, D) laid off or E) none of the above.
Answer: E) none of the above is the correct answer.
Chris
has continued his work as the Assistant Field Office Director for the
DHS/ICE Chicago Field Office. While there may be a
promotion or transfer in the future, we don’t anticipate any
firing happening.
2. Which of the following ideas was discarded for this
year’s letter? A) wait and send an Easter letter in
2009,
B) have the dog write the letter, C) skip the letter
altogether
or D) send a letter even though you heard from us in 2008 already.
Answer: All but D. Trying to write the letter from
the
dog’s perspective didn’t go over well and there was
no way
we’d skip the letter altogether! We actually had a
nice
response to our Easter 2008 letter. Many people liked the idea;
however, we only have all family members home for a limited time this
year. Hence, we took our family picture while all are home and are
sending our letter out now instead of waiting.
3. Where did Chris and Cindy go for their anniversary
trip? A) Amsterdam, B) the Grand Canyon,
C)
Paris, D) Alaska, or E) Ireland.
Answer: B) The Grand Canyon is the correct answer.
Chris
had been to every state except Arizona so we went to the Grand Canyon.
He can now say he’s been to all 50 states (plus Guam, Puerto
Rico, and the Marianas). The Grand Canyon was incredible and we managed
to have a wonderful time together even though Cindy greatly missed
Kaitlyn, who was only about 5 months old at the time. We’ve
already been to Amsterdam and Paris for anniversary trips.
Future
anniversary trip plans include Alaska, Ireland, New Zealand and
Australia.
BONUS Question: How many years have Chris and Cindy been
married?
Answer: Chris and Cindy celebrated 21 wonderful years of
marriage in May!
4. We moved our 5 boys to: A) tents in the
backyard, B) the garage, C) the basement or D) the pop-up camper.
Answer: C) the basement is the correct answer.
While we did
acquire a pop-up camper in August, we decided our winters would be too
cold to make the pop-up the boys’ bedroom. Ditto with the
garage
and the tents in the backyard. The basement, while cooler
than
the rest of the house, was really our only option. Now the
basement play area doubles as a dressing area with 5 armoires kept in
it and the bedroom’s triple and double bunks handily
accommodate
all 5 boys. We are thankful to have a friend who was able to
build the triple bunk for us! Now, the second floor
belongs
to the 4 girls. They’ve enjoyed spreading out a bit!
5. We bought a pop-up camper because: A) why not? B)
opportunity
knocked, C) we were miserable tent camping in July or D) all of the
above.
Answer: D) all of the above is the correct answer.
Truly,
the opportunity to purchase a pop-up camper in excellent condition with
air conditioning just fell into our laps. We could not pass
it
up, especially considering the miserable camping trip in
July! In
October we were able to camp in our pop-up and it was wonderful. We
didn’t even have to use the AC since it was cold that
weekend. We look forward to more camping trips in what we
affectionately call our “Pop Tart.”
6. How many months did Matthew actually live at home this
year? A) 12 months, B) 5½ months, or C) none.
Answer: B) 5½ months is the correct answer.
Matthew spent
over half of this year away from home. From March 29 through
August 15, he volunteered at the International Alert Academy (IAA)
working with the ALERT Cadet program and then with the QUEST
program. After one month home, Matthew left again on
September 15
for the IAA to participate in ALERT Basic Training Unit 40.
Matthew’s been home with us since November 16, and
we’re
trying to make the most of our time with him. He leaves again on
January 2 for more ALERT training and will not be home until May
30. It’s been an adjustment having him coming and
going,
mostly being gone. Yet, we know that God has called Matthew to this
training and we look forward to all that God will teach him through it.
7. Where did our family travel this year? A)
Nashville TN,
B) Greenville SC, C) Grand Havens MI, D) Warren Dunes MI, E) Owasso
OK, F) Big Sandy TX or G) all of the above.
Answer: G) all of the above is the correct answer.
Yes, we
made all of these road trips as a family this year! In late
May,
we went to Nashville for our annual home school conference.
From
there, we traveled to Greenville, SC to visit with Cindy’s
mom
and step-dad. July found us camping with our church family in
Grand Havens, MI. Warren Dunes, MI is where we camped in October. We
journeyed to Owasso, OK to visit with Chris’ dad in
mid-October
and then in mid-November we made the trek to Big Sandy, TX for ALERT
Unit 40 Advancement. It’s definitely been a busy
year as we
hit the road for all of these events!
8. Who is our most curious and adventurous child? A) Micheal,
B) David, C) Heather, or D) Kaitlyn.
Answer: Trick question… Micheal and David are
probably the
most adventurous and energetic right now but Heather and Kaitlyn are
probably the most curious. Heather is extremely intelligent
and
thinks she can do anything her siblings do without help and without
asking permission. Kaitlyn, who has been walking along
furniture
and standing without aid for some time, is beginning to explore her
world and learn so many new things. We are all enjoying watching
Kaitlyn’s curiosity as she grows and explores!
9. What decreased by 2 and then increased by 1 this past
year? A) the number of pets we have, B) the number of
vehicles we
own, C) the number of students in our home school, or D) the
number of computers in our home .
Answer: C) the number of students in our home school is the
correct answer. We still have one pet, two vehicles and three
computers. We did, however, graduate two students, Meghan and Matthew,
last spring. This fall, Heather began doing her schoolwork.
She
is having fun and doing really well thus far!
10. How many of our 9 children got glasses this past year? A)
all 9, B) 5, C) 2, or D) none.
Answer: B) 5 is the correct answer. Meghan and Sarah got
reading
glasses. David got glasses but doesn’t need to wear
them
all of the time. Nathan and Stephen, however, got glasses that they
pretty much have to wear all of the time and they’re wearing
them
in our family picture!
So, how did you do? Aren’t you glad we gave you the
answers?
At this time of year we think of the love God has shown toward us and
we are thankful for the friends that He has placed in our
lives.
Our hope is that you will make Christ the center of all your Christmas
celebrations. Further, may He be at the center of your daily
life.
Our email address and website are all listed below.
We’d
love to hear from you and about all that God is doing in your
lives! We hope you had fun with this year’s letter.
Have a very blessed, worshipful Christmas!
With love,
The McDaniels
Chris, Cindy, Meghan, Matthew, Sarah,
Nathan,
Stephen, Micheal, David, Heather, and Kaitlyn
clmcnm@sbcglobal.net
http://www.manymcdaniels.com
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