The Hills are Alive: December 2006

Hi Family and Friends,

The month of November has flown by. I can't believe it's already December. One highlight in November was the Thanksgiving holiday. We were invited to spend Thanksgiving with Becky's sister's family up in Michigan. We had Thanksgiving with them a few years ago before they went on an international assignment to China. Back then, we were living in Indianapolis and it was a 5 hour drive. Now that we're in Ohio, it's only a 3 hour drive.

Becky's parents and two of her sisters were also able to be there. The kids seemed to have a great time with their cousins. Unfortunately, I was very sick. One thing I was thankful for was not passing my illness on to anyone else.

A tradition that has been established the past few years is the annual shopping spree that occurs the Friday after Thanksgiving. The preparations for the event start on Thursday afternoon as Becky and her sister's scour the ads in the newspapers looking for the best deals on the items they have on their Christmas lists. Their strategic planning would impress Michael Porter at Harvard. Then the fun really begins when they leave the house at 4:30 am to venture out to the jungles of retail America. I stay home with the kids to play games and watch football on TV.

Another highlight during Thanksgiving week was watching Brooke begin to walk more independently. She still has difficulty standing by herself, but once she is up, she is able to walk quite a distance without falling down. She's even started to master the art of changing directions, although it tends to follow the pattern of a NASCAR race - always turn left!

We are very thankful for the tremendous blessings in our lives. We have been blessed with so much and are looking forward to the Christmas season.

Love,

Barr, Becky, and family