Be sure to view our November/December family photos as well.

Hello Friends and Family,

On the home front, Keith finally got some new pictures in November of the house exterior and posted them on the main home page of this site. Keith also bravely ventured up into the attic to move around some insulation - the recessed lights in the kitchen were very drafty! Next job to tackle - finish the second bathroom in the basement.

Natasha's good friend Keri came to visit in early November and the three adults went to Chicago to see Wicked. It was Keri's first time seeing this fantastic musical, Keith's second, and Natasha's third. Yes, it is that good! Come visit and we will gladly go again with you. Later in November we went to Chicago to officially kick off the Christmas season. We started with the movie "Happy Feet" on the giant IMAX screen at Navy Pier, then watched the annual parade and lighting of The Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue, and finished with fireworks over the Chicago River. Foam antlers were a necessity for the boys and they have worn them often.

November was filled with birthdays (in chronological order) of Keith, Luke, and Noah. For Luke's second birthday we went Red Robin (the boys' favourite restaurant) and all the staff came over and sang a birthday song to him. Luke was a bit overwhelmed by this, and Noah immediately stated, "I don't want that for my birthday." Our good friends Laura and Denis celebrated Michael's first birthday in November as well.

Noah's birthday fell on the day of US Thanksgiving this year, and we travelled to Nova Scotia the day before that to celebrate birthdays and an early Christmas. While there we enjoyed lots of quality time with family in Dartmouth, Kentville, and Dominion. Cheryl and Scott celebrated their anniversary, while Noah and Luke enjoyed double and even triple birthday celebrations during our trip! Be sure to check out the Christmas page for all the details of both our November (in NS) and December Christmas celebrations.

December meant back to work, and a trip to Alabama for Keith. Severe lack of sleep, travelling back from Nova Scotia, and probably a flu virus converged to make a miserable trip for Keith (and the poor guy sitting next to him on the plane down to Birmingham). Once we got settled back at home in Indiana, Grammie Poole came down for a visit. She joined us in our second year of creating our own Christmas celebration in our new home. Just like last year, Keith took his mother (Grammie) to a special Clay Aiken Christmas show. This year the only date that worked was a show in Detroit, so he and Grammie drove to Detroit for the show and stayed overnight nearby. This show was very good, with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra playing the music. There was even an interpreter who fluidly signed the words (and some of the music) during the show. Grammie is a big Clay Aiken fan (remember him from American Idol?) and so she enjoyed the show thoroughly.

Natasha celebrated another birthday in December and her best gift this year was tickets to Mamma Mia, the musical based on the music of ABBA. Natasha is a big ABBA fan and we had missed the show when it was in Chicago last year. We went to the show on the 16th, and it was very good. After the show we patronized our new usual Chicago Theatre District restaurant, 312 Chicago. Earlier that day Natasha enjoyed a day at the spa, using a gift card she received from Keith and the boys earlier in the year. Natasha looked and felt great, and we had a wonderful night out! A Bears game and a Blackhawks game the next day made for a busy weekend. We all went to the hockey game, where Noah cheered for Chicago and Keith cheered for Colorado. This game is the one chance each year that Keith gets to wear his Nordiques Joe Sakic jersey and Nordiques toque.

In December Keith finished the second course of his Masters of Science in Quality Assurance. Only two more years of Thursday nights to go! Keith also hosted the ASQ local section holiday party at a new place called Cafe Fondue. It is closer than Geja's in Chicago, but just wasn't the same. We also went to Lincoln Park Zoo for their annual ZooLights display. While it was quite cold, we enjoyed the decorations immensely. We even rode the carousel, although Noah didn't want to ride an animal.

Unlike last December, we watched the Bears host the Packers (and Brett Favre for the last time, again?) on TV instead of going to the game, and this year the schedule made it our New Year's celebration as well. With one week's notice the NFL moved the game from noon to 7:15pm on New Year's Eve and many people were not happy as it ruined their evening plans. We didn't have any big plans (Natasha was on call until 9pm as usual) but it turned out to be just as well that we had already sold the tickets. The Bears lost, but they were already in the playoffs (seeded #1 no less) so it didn't matter. Hopefully the warm weather will stay with us for the upcoming January playoff games. Go Bears!

Keep in Touch,

Love, Keith & Natasha

November Milestones
December Milestones

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