Dear family and friends,
Welcome to the sixth edition of the Allison Family Holiday Letter. As usual, we’re posting this to our website in lieu of sending out holiday cards because it’s quicker and easier. At least that’s what we’re telling ourselves. And no, we’re not scrambling to get this written and posted before December 31.
I had a joke here about how quickly time is passing but it wasn’t very funny, so I took it out. They can’t all be winners, I suppose. But let’s all just pretend that it was hilarious. At any rate, here’s a quick look back at the year that was 2023.
George and Henry
The boys started real school this year so we’re learning about the world of school carnivals, IEP meetings and field trips to the pumpkin patch. They go to the same school and their teachers have both said that they always seem happy to see each other in the lunch room or on the playground.
Henry, who turned five in February, moved from preschool to kindergarten this year. He had a few ups and downs at the beginning of the school year as he adjusted to a new routine and a new environment but seems to really be hitting his stride. He loves drawing and Godzilla and drawing Godzilla. His teacher told us that one morning he asked her if she had said God as part of the Pledge of Allegiance. When she said that she had, he asked her if she actually meant Godzilla.
George, who turned seven in September, started first grade this year. He loves Baby Shark videos and a variety of Pixar movies. He also still attends his ABA program after school and is doing really well. He is learning to use an iPad as a communications device, though he doesn’t always want to spend a lot of time with it. His speech therapist has told us that when he wants to be done with his session, he uses his device to say “I want goodbye.” Though he doesn’t seem to mind using it when he wants to tell us he wants a snack.
Cynthia and Philip
Cynthia and I are still working together in Advancement at the University of Central Arkansas (this is how close our offices are). Some people haven’t been shy about telling us that they couldn’t/wouldn’t work with their spouse but it’s been fine for us. In fact, we had a new co-worker in Advancement who was there for three months before she found out we were married because #professionalism.
We’re enjoying living in Conway and being close to Cynthia’s family; the boys have had lots of cousin time this year. We’ve also enjoyed a few trips to visit my family. We went to Virginia in February to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday and took a trip to Hattiesburg in November for Thanksgiving with my cousins, aunts and grandfather.
A few other quick highlights from the year include Cynthia going down to New Orleans to visit friends in May while I went to Fayetteville with a few friends for the Mississippi State-Arkansas football game in October. It was a pretty terrible game that ended 7-3 so calling it a highlight is a stretch but at least Mississippi State won.
Cynthia also decided to tackle her fear of public speaking by joining Toastmasters. She’s taken to it so well that she was elected president of the Conway chapter this year. She’s also killing it at work. And that’s not just me being biased; she was selected as Employee of the Quarter for Advancement earlier this year.
As for me, I’ve reached the age where every time I go to the doctor, I get something removed or scoped or a new medicine added to my regimen. So I got that going for me. Which is nice. I also got to see my old roommate Greg (and his lovely family) twice in the span of a week. So I had that going for me. Which was nice.
All in all, we’ve had a mostly terrific year and hope yours has been just as good. Sending you warm wishes for the happiest of happy holidays and a bright and prosperous New Year!
With love from the Allisons,
Philip, Cynthia, George and Henry