Happy Holidays!!!!

aka "If Katie can do it with 6 kids......."

Well, I decided to jump a bit into the future and do my "Holiday Letter" online this year.

I don't know how many of you will actually read this, and I really don't know how big this will actually end up to be...but this is really a great tool for this kind of thing.

I have to admit I am ripping off my very good friend Katie Graham. She has the most incredible Blog. She and her husband John just adopted a baby (their 6th child in the family!) and blogged the whole time they were in Vietnam. It was incredible to follow them on the trip and even home after they brought little "Lucy Evelina" home.

So, sit back relax and read on.....Or come back later. Maybe I have added something new!

We will begin at the end (yes, I am done having kids!) Owen Samuel Brooks. He turned 2 on August 20th- and as you can imagine is the busiest of the Ridgeway Brooks. He wakes up in the morning jumping in his "tent" (yes, he has a tent over his crib....no, don't call “child protective services” it is legal and safe!). Once out of his crib there is no stopping him. He makes his own breakfast, puts in his own entertainment and can usually dress himself if left to his own devices. This all sounds very cute. And he is- but believe me, he is also the 3rd child. He already knows how to scream “Stooooooop it!” and way too often wakes up from his nap requesting “Staabuuuuuks Mommy?” (I promise I only get him Organic Chocolate milk).

Moving to the wonderful Middle child Delaney Lynn Brooks….
Delaney turned 5 on June 23rd. If I were to describe her, it would have to just be as a firecracker. She is incredibly powerful- she has been in a special gymnastics training program for over a year now. They lift weights, do sit ups, walk on their hands….. She enjoys the training, and is great swinging like a monkey on the bars, but with full day Kindergarten and gymnastics 2 times a week this all can get a little much. She good, but she also likes Soccer, Swimming and Basketball, so something is going to have to give here soon. I mean, SHE IS ONLY 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And then there is our oldest Grace. Grace turned 8 on October 29th and is in 2nd Grade. Grace is only 8 but looks about 13. She has her Grandad Brooks’ height, and loves to dress like she is much older, so it is easy to forget she is emotionally a little kid. She is often the one to get Owen out of bed in the morning, (he actually starts calling for her after a while!) and loves to help cooking when we can get the kitchen clean enough to find the dishes. She is also in her 2nd year of Piano lessons and is showing a natural ability at Math. One of her favorite things is fashion. She comes down the stairs each day dressed for school in outfits that amaze. She loves to watch Raven Simone on the Disney Channel and is learning some of her fashion from the "Cheetah Girls" (!) so you can imagine what mornings can be like when mom sends her back up the stairs for a belly or leg cover up……the teenage years will be very scary I am sure. I probably deserve it....

As for us....
Jud and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary this year on August 3rd. Time flies.
This year was busy for us but we were also able to fill it with some fun travels. I must preface this list of travels to say this: I was not a good traveler before kids and after kids, much worse. I was a scared flier and didn’t want to fly without my kids. Well, this didn’t leave a lot of places to go. Then, our 10th anniversary was nearing and my favorite singer (Dave Matthews) was performing in the Bahamas and sponsoring a weekend Cruise with a ton of other musicians. Jud wanted to get away, I really wanted to go on the Cruise, so, I took some meds to calm my nerves and Jud and I went on our Weekend trip.

We had a great first trip, the kids were fine without us (with a lot of help from grandparents!), and then my inner "escape monster" was created.

We then booked a trip to Boston in July (Dave Matthews Band at Fenway Park) and then Washington State (camping on the Columbia River Gorge- Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge Amphitheater).

Seeing a pattern? I wont event tell you about the concerts I was able to drive to!

We did take the kids on one big trip to South Bend for my sister Meredith's Wedding (not far away but still a trip!). She married her fiance (and co-worker at the Police Department) Scott Hanley. I was the "matron" of honor, the girls were flower girls and Owen (and Meredith's son Dylan) were ring bearers. It was a beautiful wedding and Meredith looked so pretty. Of course Owen didn't want to walk down the aisle so Judson ended up walking down with Owen and Delaney, so we all ended up taking a walk down the aisle!

So, other than kids and trips Jud has been busy with work. His work at Harris Associates as a Research Analyst is keeping him challenged and busy. His travel has increased this year, and he was able to visit Japan for the first time which was exciting. Luckily most of his trips are in and outs to NYC or one or 2 days to cities in the USA. I have continued to stay home with the kids while doing various projects for the Woman's Club of Evanston and the kid's schools. I also try to keep my mind sharp by doing things like wirelessly networking the "TIVO" and designing a holiday web-blog......

We would love to hear from you all. Writing the Holiday Letter reminds you that the year goes by so fast. Take care and we hope to see you all in the coming year.
Regards,
Gabe (Jud, Grace, Delaney and Owen)