{peace} from the Carlsons

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Peace, Love, and Joy to you this Holiday Season!

2014 has been a series of milestones for us...though we are still awaiting the most treasured gift of all: a full night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.  

 Kevin has added to his work resume with the Best Comedic Performance* award.  He has dipped his toe in the accounting-themed speaking arena and enjoys it.  If looking for him to present on the rules and regulations of number crunching at your company, keep in mind he's now regionally internally recognized and this will be reflected in his fee.

 He already has a grassroots fan base:













Tracy received a promotion at work, moving from a manager of events, to a manager of people.  This shift simultaneously led to a surge in daily meetings and a new-found respect for all previous managers.  Turns out managers aren't luxuriating poolside, sipping Mai Tais.  Was told this was a "no returns, no exchanges" arrangement when this grave issue was brought to the attention of the department heads.

 Blah, blah, blah.  Enough with the work talk.  The best part of our year was sneaking away for a weekend (sans kids) to Puerto Rico.  We enjoyed zip lining, a Bacardi tour, rainforest hikes, and time unhindered by naps or tantrums.  In short, Heaven.
  
On the flip side, we are just emerging from the worst part of the year: adding insulation to our home.  

 Oh, a home is supposed to come with insulation?  Right.  We thought so too.  Apparently it's an add-on option in our townhome.  Our homeowner's association was very helpful in recommending we simply run a space heater 24/7 to "fix" the problem.  Brilliant.

Although our home received low marks for 2014, our parenting skills have knocked it out of the park.  Some stats of the year:
  • Number of "Why" questions answered: Surely over a million, which alone gives us an A+ for patience.
  • Number of Books Read: 1 Billion, give or take.  95% Super Hero themed.
  • Number of golden, stitch-it-on-a-pillow life lessons provided: probably about 5.  It's hard to keep track, really.  One sample to share with your offspring: "We don't lick our friends"
  • Trained the boys for adulthood as evidenced below:


With our boys in bed, we need to rest and recharge to face tomorrow's fill of questions, learning "opportunities," and super hero books.

 We wish you have a wonderful holiday and hope to see or hear from you soon!

 Best, 
Kevin, Tracy, Chase, and Kiefer  

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*Please note, this is a fictitious award and not to be confused with actual Hollywood merits.

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