Feliz Navidad

I'm going to take a stab at an "online" Christmas letter. I had very good intentions of doing an actual letter but the joys of parenting a soon to be 15 mos old with Rotavirus has had it's challenges:) So here goes!

We hope 2007 has brought you a year filled with the blessings of good health and much happiness. This past year has been filled with many "firsts" for us as a family.

We arrived home from Colombia with our daughter Lucy on Feb 28Th. After a serious battle with a snowsuit, Lucy was able to play in the snow for the first time. Well, actually I just laid her on a snow bank while I took a picture of her but hey, it counts.

We went up North to the lake and spent many a day at the community pool this summer. Lucy loves the water! She couldn't get enough. She learned how to lay her head back and float in the water, while mommy held her of course. What a wonderful way to keep cool on a hot summer day. And what a hot summer we had this year!

Kurt's family and friends started building the family cabin up North over Labor Day weekend. It is now totally enclosed and roofed, the heat is on, it's insulated and most of the electrical is in. It was a huge effort from a lot of people. You all know who you are....THANK YOU! We hope that your next visit the MN north land is with a beer in one hand and a brat in the other; RELAXING with us, NOT working.

We all did a power trip out East this fall to visit my aunt and cousins. I love the look on people's faces when you board a plane with a baby! Everyone has this "look" on their face and you can tell that inside their head they're screaming, "Please don't sit by me! Please don't sit by me!" So far Lucy has been a great traveler. I know, now that I say that we'll be cursed. But the really, the girl needs her own frequent flyer number.

We also went to CA in Oct to visit a family that we met while we both were adopting our children in Colombia. I'm still craving carnitas and pan dulce. Lucy had a great time playing with Nico and Paola. Did I say CA is beautiful?!

There are some changes a foot in the Kern household. Kurt will start a new position within Ameriprise in January. He will be working more closely with advisers. This means some overnight travel so... with an ever changing work schedule at the University, I tendered my resignation and will continue being a staying home with Miss Lucy while doing some freelance work on the side. I will miss working at the U. It was my all time favorite interpreting job. But I love being a Mom more. Lucy will start at a Spanish immersion daycare 2 full days a week. We're excited to see how her language progresses.

Speaking of language, Lucy can now say Momma, Daddy, Papa, baby and Grandpa. She can sign Mommy, Daddy, baby, food, drink, more, dog, light, fan, bird and book! She started walking on Oct 27Th and hasn't sat down since. Right now she loves to read books with her momma and papa. She also saw Santa recently. What a ham! She just walked up, sat on his lap and smiled broadly on cue.

We turned in our application to Los Pisingos in October. Our social worker informed us that we've been approved for a 0-18 mos old. We will have to wait to turn in our dossier (legal documents) because they expire in 6 mos. The Colombia program has slowed considerably. This means a longer wait time for us. We hope to have a sibling for Lucy by the time she is 2 but it could be longer. In the meantime Lucy is keeping us busy.

She continues to be the light of our lives.

Wishing you all the best in 2008.
Love
Kurt, Phyllis and Lucy

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