Dear family and friends,
A random thought that occurred to me the other day – apropos of nothing – was that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go. Some might even say that it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Kids are wondering when Santa Claus is coming to town. In fact, it’s only one more sleep ‘til Christmas (#MuppetChristmasCarolReference). Ok, ok, I’m being told this bit has run its course.
2024 has been a mostly good year for us and hopefully has been for you. We got some snow to start the year and were able to experience the total solar eclipse in April. It was a pretty cool event – quite literally. The temperature (and the light levels) dropped noticeably during the period of totality. And it was fun to have my parents and my brother Chad in town for the eclipse.
Living in Arkansas has turned us into somewhat outdoorsy people, whether we want to be or not. We took the boys to Forest School one Saturday at Camp Mitchell while Cynthia and my cousin Maggie hiked one of the trails on Petit Jean Mountain. Cynthia also took the boys to the beach when we visited my grandfather and aunts in Florida this summer. Though while they were all at the beach, I did something altogether more sensible… I went to see Deadpool and Wolverine at the movie theatre.
We also spent time on Greer’s Ferry Lake for the 4th of July thanks to Cynthia’s Uncle Rick and hit the pumpkin patch with Cynthia’s family this fall. And Cynthia pulled off her best Martha Stewart impression (minus the jail time) and hosted a large part of her family for Thanksgiving while I was out of town.
George and Henry
Henry turned six in February and started first grade this fall. He’s working hard to master reading and writing, though he does have the handwriting of, well, a six-year old. He still loves Godzilla and Bluey and drawing. He’s also started to express an interest in superheroes so if I can get him into Star Wars before Dec. 31, I’ll have Nerd Dad of the Year pretty well sewn up.
He seems to have inherited the Allison gift for hyperbole. At one point, he offered to share a piece of candy with me and when I told him that that was a very sweet thing to do, he responded with “I’m the sweetest boy in the whole world.”
George is now eight and had a fun Sesame Street-themed birthday party in September. He’s in second grade this year – he and Henry are still at the same school – and growing like a weed. As of his last doctor’s visit, he is in the 95th percentile for height for his age group. He refuses to get a haircut, so his hair length is probably in the 108th percentile for his age group. He loves to be outside, still loves to swing and especially loves to water the yard, regardless of the weather or how dark it is.
He’s also still mischievous. His new favorite trick is to hide under the covers of Henry’s bed when it’s bedtime. It isn’t the giant lump under the covers that gives him away so much as the uncontrollable giggling.
Cynthia and Philip
Cynthia is still working at UCA as the Executive Director of Advancement Services. She’s also still very involved in the local Toastmasters chapter, this year serving as Vice President for Education and Immediate Past President. And as if all that wasn’t enough, she’s also decided to apply to UCA’s grad school to pursue a master’s degree in applied data analytics and will hopefully start her first class in the spring.
She is enjoying being back home in Arkansas. Besides being able to see her family more often, she’s been able to reconnect with some old friends and even attended her 25th high school reunion this fall – though she doesn’t remotely look old enough to have been in high school 25 years ago.
As for me, I started a new job at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences over the summer. I’m very happy to be back in communications and marketing full time (fundraising was not for me) and really appreciate the fact that I get to work from home a couple days a week.
I also had a milestone birthday in June, one that starts with a 5 and ends with a 0 (but isn’t 500). To celebrate, I got to spend a week in Germany over Thanksgiving, visiting my sister Betsy and nephew Carter in Stuttgart. It was a fantastic trip – among the many highlights were seeing the pig museum and touring VfB Stuttgart’s stadium – but my favorite part was my brother just casually strolling into my sister’s kitchen as part of a surprise visit.
Happy Holidays
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for letting us share some of our highlights with you. Of course there were low points as well. We’ll try to squeeze in a letter of grudges and grievances in time for the new year (#StayTuned). Our wish for the coming year is that we can reconnect with more of our friends and family. Until then, we’re wishing you very merry holidays.
Love,
Philip, Cynthia, George and Henry