It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! December was filled with all the good stuff: family, friends, parties, cookies, gifts, traditions and so many more cookies. But with the decorations back in storage… we’re ready for a brand new year!
Our Christmas celebrations began with a visit to see Santa at Fredrick Meijer Gardens. Both of our kids are still believers - which is the sweetest and something I’m savoring till the very last drop. Mr. and Mrs. Clause were super cute in their Christmas best and probably dying of heat exhaustion from being housed up in the greenhouse. The backdrop was gorgeous, though! Grandma and Grandpa Kladder joined us again this year and Grandpa brought along the traditional scavenger hunt for the Around the World Tree display. The trains are always a show stopper and something we all really enjoy.
Celebrations continued with the Watermark Ladies at our annual holiday cocktail party. We got all caught up after not seeing one another since golf wrapped last Fall and shared a ‘favorite-things’ gift exchange. Our group has grown so much since I joined more than 5 years ago, but it never gets old seeing new faces at these events.
A few weekends ago we took the kids to see Mary Poppins at The Civic Theatre downtown. It’s no secret that Jeff and I both enjoy musical theatre as well as sharing our interest with our kids. The show was great - a bit long, but really well done. Bert (everyone’s favorite chimney sweep) was outstanding. After the show we took the kids to Terra GR for ‘fancy pizza’ and ‘mocktails.’
Natalie performed in her very first piano recital after completing a full year of lessons with Miss Haley. And the December recital called for all the students to play Christmas songs - the best! Natalie chose ‘Deck The Halls’ and ‘O Christmas Tree.’ She not only loves playing piano but she seems to have a talent for music and we are thrilled.
The kids both celebrated Christmas with their classmates at school before break with fun parties. They decorated cookies, made crafts, listened to fireside stories and drank hot cocoa. We are grateful for our school and teachers every single day.
Christmas was a marathon of family fun beginning first in Schoolcraft with the Smiths. My parents host us each year for an incredible dinner and traditions including matching pajamas for the kids, stocking filled to the brim with goodies, a bloody mary bar and one of my favorites: ornaments. My mom hand picks a special ornament for each of us to open (and keep for our own tree) marking the year gone by. This year Thomas received a mini Yoda (commemorating our recent completion of the Star Wars series pre Disney trip) and Natalie got a gymnast on a balance beam. Jeff got a Michigan football helmet and I received a beautiful glass blown orb. We slept in and stayed in our PJs most of the day keeping cozy in their log cabin home.
We enjoyed Christmas morning at our home just the four of us. Santa came and delivered what was requested earlier in the month on our visit to see Santa and the kids were extremely excited! I made cinnamon rolls (from a tube… because that’s how I ‘roll’) and we took our time enjoying the slow morning before packing up and heading to Rockford for the remainder of the day. You’ll notice that Natalie did, indeed, stay in her new gymnastics leotard she got from her Uncle Jason and Aunt Rachel until the next morning.
The highlight of the Kladder Christmas by far was the incredible recovery of my mother-in-law Mari. She may have been down and out over Thanksgiving weekend (recovering from a bizarre fall down the stairs resulting in a broken femur), but she was back in full action over Christmas refilling her role as matriarch and hostess with the mostess! Thanksgiving made for a fun little fire drill but we are more than glad to have her back up and running at her normal pace.
We wined, we dined, we brunched, we opened gifts and we played board games until the early morning hours. I think my favorite part about Kladder Christmas is how our kids make such sweet memories with their cousins. They share a bunk room on the lower level that now has layers of artwork covering the walls, strings of lights and personalized signs labeling each of their beds. It’s a beautiful disaster and the stuff that kids dreams are made of.
I would be missing a giant part of our Christmas break if I didn’t mention the snow storm that hit Michigan two weekends ago. Ironically, it’s all since melted with a week full of warmer than normal temperatures but for a while there we were living in a winter wonderland. DJs was incredibly busy and required more time from Jeff on the phone than normal but they managed the snow event like the champions they are. Meanwhile, Steelcase headquarters shut down our production lines and officially closed our offices in an effort to keep employees off the roads. It was a historical event!
We rang in the New Year with our Ottawa Hills neighbors at Clique Lanes for some family fun bowling. The event is such a riot… from the well-worn rental shoes to the greasy smell of the joint… it’s exactly as it should be. Jeff loves bowling and it seems Thomas has the same liking for the game. And I don’t mind it either… I told Jeff I would commit to a weekly bowling league in our retirement but only if we can get matching button down shirts.
Later, we sadly watched Michigan lose in an important football game. The downturn in the evening was quickly followed by bubbles and the company of good friends. We even enjoyed us some of the Miley Cyrus New Years Eve Party and toasted our glasses as the clock truck midnight.
But before we officially close on our year, we’ll recap our (mostly mine) 2022 Resolutions:
Learn to Drive the Boats - In short, I can officially check this one off the list. But… there is a funny story behind my lessons. Ask me sometime and I’ll share it with you.
Weekly Family Game Nights - Check! Once a week we gather for dinner around the dining room table followed by a board game. Sometimes we sub in an alternative activity like a family movie night or a bike ride together around the neighborhood. It’s become a staple in our routine that prompts conversations and laughs together that might not otherwise have been there.
Floss More - I rocked this one. It’s now part of my regular routine and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Dr. Baldwin would be so proud.
And now, with 2023 upon us, we are ready with our (mostly mine) 2023 Resolutions:
Relearn French - I took French as my foreign language in high school and I think I’m hoping that I can relearn the basics between now and next Fall. Our 10 year wedding anniversary is this November and it would be tres bonne if I could help navigate our way around with the local language.
More Yoga - I’m like clockwork with my at home workout routine. But I could use a bit more variety and what better to incorporate than some yoga?! I’m committing to a once a week, 15-minute yoga session.
Learn How to Saber-Open a Champagne Bottle - Because, why not?! Everyone loves a good party trick.