Tuesday, December 27, 2011

2011 Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Once again the year has flown by and it’s hard to believe it’s almost over. We hope you have as many things to be thankful for as we do.


2011 started out pretty sad for our family as we said goodbye to our dog, Jerry, on the 2nd of January. The kids handled it pretty well, but it was sure strange to come home without a friendly face wagging his tail. In April we added a new puppy to our family. Quincy, the mini-goldendoodle, has been a great addition. He is super sweet and best of all doesn’t shed! Quincy has made our house a home once again. He even joined us on our summer trip to WA.


Katie is 9 and in third grade. She continues to love the performing arts. Katie takes piano lessons, attends drama classes and sang in the Clark County Children’s Choir. This spring she received her first communion and was lucky enough that her Aunt Erin, who happens to be her godmother, was in town to share the special occasion with her. Katie attended a two week drama conservatory this summer that culminated with a play. She still attends Gilbert Magnet school (communication and fine arts). When not performing, Katie can usually be found with her nose in a book.


Alex turned 6 this summer while on our trip to WA. He got to celebrate his birthday at the Point Defiance Zoo with cousins, aunts, & a future uncle! Alex is in Kindergarten at the Kids’ Co-op. He loves school and loves to learn. He is always picking something new to research. Alex spent the year playing flag football and basketball. He also continues to attend music/singing classes. He loves to perform. Alex also had quite a few visits from the tooth fairy this fall!


When not shuttling the kids between activities, Kerry finds time to participate in a couple of book clubs and Bunco groups. She also enjoys working in Alex’s class at the Co-op.


Don has had a few changes at work and is now an operations supervisor. It’s a nice change with more responsibility. On Friday nights you can find Don at the bowling alley where he’s rekindled his bowling hobby.


We’ve spend some great family time together. January took us to Phoenix to visit Grandpa and take in a Monster Jam event. It was fun to ride the light rail into the city. We also visited a gold mine. The kids had the best time swimming in the pools at Grandpa’s community. March brought us the chance to go to another Monster Jam even, The World Finals right here in Las Vegas. We saw a couple of local plays and even took in The Lion King at Mandalay Bay. In November, Kerry & Katie took a quick trip to WA to visit Kerry’s sisters and do some special shopping. To end the year, we took the kids to see the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour Cirque show. It was great!


This summer we took a two week road trip to WA. The kids and the dog were great travelers. We spent a great day exploring Seattle. We rode the monorail, played at the Pacific Science Center, found the famous gum wall, shopped at Pike’s Place Market and ate some seafood on the pier. We also got to visit The Point Defiance Zoo and spend a day at Wild Waves water and amusement park. The kids enjoyed seeing their cousins and having a sleepover at Aunt Erin’s house. We also joined a bunch of family members to celebrate Kerry’s uncle’s birthday. Next we had a great couple of days enjoying ourselves with the Wilsons at their cabin on Bumping Lake. We ended our trip in Quincy at Kerry’s dad’s house before the long drive back to Las Vegas.


We are looking forward to many more adventures in 2012. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and blessed New Year. We hope if you are ever in our area you will give us a call.


With much love,


Don, Kerry, Katie & Alex Oppenheim


3 comments:

Almen, Almond, or Almendra said...

nice, and next year it will be included with xmas cards, right?

Michelle said...

Great Christmas letter! I also enjoyed your 11 greatest moments of 2011, good idea.

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