{merry everything} from the carlsons

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Chances are we haven't spoken with you in a while.  Return phone calls have been slow; emails neglected.  See that little man sleeping in the santa hat?  We blame him.  And the new home is a little at fault as well.  

Our move (five blocks from our first home) was greatly needed and has opened up a new world of possibilities.  Previously,each day ended promptly at 7pm since Chase was in bed and his room had a partial wall.  Lights were dim, movement was limited.  People were allowed in only if they did not laugh.  Or speak.

Now we shut the door to the kids' rooms and behave with reckless abandon.  Our new life is filled with lights on full blast, a TV which can now use volume, and speaking to one another above hushed tones.  

With the not-so-great real estate market, our decision to keep our previous home has added "landlords" to our growing list of responsibilities.  This new role would be going swimmingly, if not for the major antifreeze flood in our unit.  The resulting damage to the wood floors, closets, walls, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom was massive; leaving our tenants homeless for a month.  Pretty sure they won't be renewing the lease.  Just. pure. joy.

On a happier note, Kevin was promoted at work!  However, he was disappointed to learn waving around his new title doesn't allow for "opting out" of diaper changes at home.

Tracy spent a majority of the year pregnant, then the remainder of the year partying it up with the new night owl in our lives.  Thankfully, with age comes wisdom and Kiefer has (temporarily) hung up his party hat to sleep well at night.  With him clocking 8-10 hours a night, my restless nights are instead the result of returning to work.  

Chase continues to entertain us on a daily basis (click here for examples).  We could go into more detail, but he already has a whole blog devoted to him.  No need to inflate an already healthy ego.  

Outside of smiling and laughing, Kiefer's family contributions have been minimal.  We will most likely have more on him in 2013. 

 All the best to you and yours this holiday season!

 Love, The Carlsons

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