Sneak Preview - My Christmas Letter!

Happy Holidays, 2010! What have you been up to? Well... be sure to write and give us the details, because each year I turn The Christmas cards we receive into a professional-quality decoupage suitable for framing, and auction it to benefit quality charities!

But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy hearing about our family joys, triumphs, purchases, and accomplishments!

I have not one complaint about 2010. Every moment was tinged with delight. I kept my "List of Bright Spots" on the refrigerator, and it got so long - I had to finally break down and buy a double-frig to accommodate it. (Really, we needed those extra cubic feet anyway what with all the entertaining we do now that Kevin has climbed so high on the corporate ladder.)

Probably my proudest accomplishment, truth be told, is making the decision to homeschool the children for another year. The little dearies are thriving under my tutelage, and in between waxing the van on Saturday mornings and baking the week's bread in the afternoon - I write out a college-prep curriculum designed to challenge and stimulate their minds.

Though Joseph is busy memorizing the Old Testament, he takes breaks to tell me he has set his sights on "something overseas" when I ask what university he's considering. He just turned ten!

Cayna is a social butterfly and wants to use her "people gifts" to serve mankind. With all her spare time thanks to homeschooling, she recently earned her MSW (Masters in Social Work) and puts in hours at the downtown homeless shelter reconfiguring their community relations department.

Bethanie, our Kindergartener, moved quickly from basic phonics to reading the Classics. We are racing through Shakespeare's Complete Works together. On weekday afternoons, she deftly manages an early-elementary tutoring program to help public-school children master foreign languages.

John is only three. We don't want to push him. So he spends his day more casually, alternately working on his pilot's license and tinkering around in the garage working on Kevin's newest acquisition - a 50-foot yacht we've Christened Lady Teri.

Which vacation do you want to hear about first? In March, we took our family trip to Nova Scotia. And in October, Kevin and I had our yearly "no-kids" getaway through all of Spain in a too-short three weeks. Many thanks to our live-in nanny, Lisl, who managed to care for the children and simultaneously oversee the addition of an extra 3,200 square feet onto the south side of our home. It was nice to come home to a larger Master bathroom, closet, and astronomical observatory. I think if you can swing it, this is a helpful addition to any homeschooling household.

May your days be merry and bright this season! If you're receiving this holiday letter, you are invited to our Christmas Eve gala again this year. Strictly black-tie, and bring a canned food item for Cayna's shelter. Celine Dion will appear as our musical guest. Don't miss it!