Merry Christmas from the Retkas!
It seems like I just wrote last year's Christmas letter. It's amazing how fast time flies and how much and how little has changed in the last 12 months.
The most exciting news we have to share is that Baby Retka #2 is on its way. We are due in late June. This means that Myah is going to be a big sister and will moving into her big girl room sometime this spring.
While Myah can clearly tell people she is going to be a "big sister", I don't think she has any idea what it will mean for her :) She has been pretty used to getting a lot of attention from us and our extended family, so a sister/brother should be new and exciting, but will likely be challenging at times.
Overall, she has had a great year and enjoyed spending time with her whole family, including her cousins in Minnesota and North Carolina. She talks about her cousins all the time and looks forward to playing with them or skyping with them :) Myah is also making some little friends at daycare, school, and the neighborhood. She is growing leaps and bounds and is talking up a storm. Some of my favorite phrases she is saying right now are: "I am going to be big sister" , "I want to play" (even at 5am we hear this), "Mama/Dada, where are you?" "Addie, QUIET", "I love you" and "I love you baby in mommy's tummy". These phrases are getting clearer since her ear tube surgery in early December. After multiple ear infections and the cold/flu season approaching, we took the plunge and had it taken care of. Her favorite song right now is Jingle Bells, and I recorded a little video of her singing it here :)
Myah is excited to sing you "Jingle Bells" her favorite Christmas Tune!
Josh continues to work at Optum as a Sr Consultant. He is currently on a pretty cool project and enjoying the work. The big event for Josh this year has been catching the running bug. This is thanks to his friend Jesse Matter who has taught and helped Josh find better fitness and his love for running. Josh completed the Minneapolis Loppet Trail Half Marathon, the Twin Cities 10 Mile, the Wilmington NC Battleship Half Marathon (with Jason and Becky Clamme), and a number of 10K and 5K runs. Next year's goal is to run the Fargo Marathon in May. Josh also made his 7th (approximate) annual trip to the BWCA with the crew, enjoying the solitude of the wilderness, the fight of a few walleye. Unfortunately he learned a valuable lesson that high heat and Kevlar don't mix well ( thank you for reducing my fine Michael).
Well, for me, I don't think that weight loss goals are in my immediate future :) With Baby #2 on the way, I will continue to do some exercising and yoga, but will need to slow things other things down for a bit :) I also had a great year. I continue to work part-time at Target in our training and consulting area. We feel so blessed that I have this opportunity to keep our work/life balance in check. On my days off,I split my time between home to-do's and having fun time with Myah. Our new favorite activity is "school" as we are attending an ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) class on Fridays. It is educational for both Myah and myself as they separate the moms and toddlers for part of the class to discuss mommy topics. In addition to work and home, I have say one of my favorite activities this year was attending my 10 year college reunion. It was so great to reconnect with some of my best friends and some others that I hadn't seen in 10 years.
And, of course.... Addie girl. Well, she had a good year, too. Addie's highlights from this year include trips to the cabin, the North Shore, and baseball field dates with her best friend, Roxy. Addie and Roxy are pretty tight and walk side-by-side down the street to the baseball park. Her owner, Matt, is a great dog dad and also picks up Addie all the time for play dates. I think when the baby comes home this summer, she is just going to sigh and accept it :) One notch further down on the totem pole.
We had a number of other memorable events in 2012. In April we attended the wedding of Rachel Schoch and Derek Volz at Riviera Maya Mexico. We enjoyed 5 days (sans Myah and Addie) of fun in the sun with the Ulmer Crew. The summer months allowed for a number of trips to the Olsen cabin and in August an Olsen family trip to Superior Shores in Two Harbor. Josh, Katy, and Myah also took a fall trip in October to Superior Shores and did some fall hiking, taking in the beauty of the autumn color palette. We continue to attend Immanuel Luther in Eden Prairie and spend time with our fantastic faith group.
Overall we have been more blessed in 2011 than we could imagine, with good health, good news, and an abundance of time with loving family and friends. We are reminded how much God has provided to us to share with others. You are all truly blessings in our lives and we thank you for being part of our (ESPECIALLY Grandma Jeneal and Grandma Sharon who have provided loving backup care for us !)
Well, we hope that this Christmas finds you and your family happy and healthy! Keep in touch and have a great 2012!
Wait, before you go....view our Retka Family Christmas Carol below!
The Retkas
Josh, Katy, Myah, #2 (due 6/27/12), and Addie Girl
It seems like I just wrote last year's Christmas letter. It's amazing how fast time flies and how much and how little has changed in the last 12 months.
The most exciting news we have to share is that Baby Retka #2 is on its way. We are due in late June. This means that Myah is going to be a big sister and will moving into her big girl room sometime this spring.
While Myah can clearly tell people she is going to be a "big sister", I don't think she has any idea what it will mean for her :) She has been pretty used to getting a lot of attention from us and our extended family, so a sister/brother should be new and exciting, but will likely be challenging at times.
Overall, she has had a great year and enjoyed spending time with her whole family, including her cousins in Minnesota and North Carolina. She talks about her cousins all the time and looks forward to playing with them or skyping with them :) Myah is also making some little friends at daycare, school, and the neighborhood. She is growing leaps and bounds and is talking up a storm. Some of my favorite phrases she is saying right now are: "I am going to be big sister" , "I want to play" (even at 5am we hear this), "Mama/Dada, where are you?" "Addie, QUIET", "I love you" and "I love you baby in mommy's tummy". These phrases are getting clearer since her ear tube surgery in early December. After multiple ear infections and the cold/flu season approaching, we took the plunge and had it taken care of. Her favorite song right now is Jingle Bells, and I recorded a little video of her singing it here :)
Myah is excited to sing you "Jingle Bells" her favorite Christmas Tune!
Josh continues to work at Optum as a Sr Consultant. He is currently on a pretty cool project and enjoying the work. The big event for Josh this year has been catching the running bug. This is thanks to his friend Jesse Matter who has taught and helped Josh find better fitness and his love for running. Josh completed the Minneapolis Loppet Trail Half Marathon, the Twin Cities 10 Mile, the Wilmington NC Battleship Half Marathon (with Jason and Becky Clamme), and a number of 10K and 5K runs. Next year's goal is to run the Fargo Marathon in May. Josh also made his 7th (approximate) annual trip to the BWCA with the crew, enjoying the solitude of the wilderness, the fight of a few walleye. Unfortunately he learned a valuable lesson that high heat and Kevlar don't mix well ( thank you for reducing my fine Michael).
Well, for me, I don't think that weight loss goals are in my immediate future :) With Baby #2 on the way, I will continue to do some exercising and yoga, but will need to slow things other things down for a bit :) I also had a great year. I continue to work part-time at Target in our training and consulting area. We feel so blessed that I have this opportunity to keep our work/life balance in check. On my days off,I split my time between home to-do's and having fun time with Myah. Our new favorite activity is "school" as we are attending an ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) class on Fridays. It is educational for both Myah and myself as they separate the moms and toddlers for part of the class to discuss mommy topics. In addition to work and home, I have say one of my favorite activities this year was attending my 10 year college reunion. It was so great to reconnect with some of my best friends and some others that I hadn't seen in 10 years.
And, of course.... Addie girl. Well, she had a good year, too. Addie's highlights from this year include trips to the cabin, the North Shore, and baseball field dates with her best friend, Roxy. Addie and Roxy are pretty tight and walk side-by-side down the street to the baseball park. Her owner, Matt, is a great dog dad and also picks up Addie all the time for play dates. I think when the baby comes home this summer, she is just going to sigh and accept it :) One notch further down on the totem pole.
We had a number of other memorable events in 2012. In April we attended the wedding of Rachel Schoch and Derek Volz at Riviera Maya Mexico. We enjoyed 5 days (sans Myah and Addie) of fun in the sun with the Ulmer Crew. The summer months allowed for a number of trips to the Olsen cabin and in August an Olsen family trip to Superior Shores in Two Harbor. Josh, Katy, and Myah also took a fall trip in October to Superior Shores and did some fall hiking, taking in the beauty of the autumn color palette. We continue to attend Immanuel Luther in Eden Prairie and spend time with our fantastic faith group.
Overall we have been more blessed in 2011 than we could imagine, with good health, good news, and an abundance of time with loving family and friends. We are reminded how much God has provided to us to share with others. You are all truly blessings in our lives and we thank you for being part of our (ESPECIALLY Grandma Jeneal and Grandma Sharon who have provided loving backup care for us !)
Well, we hope that this Christmas finds you and your family happy and healthy! Keep in touch and have a great 2012!
Wait, before you go....view our Retka Family Christmas Carol below!
The Retkas
Josh, Katy, Myah, #2 (due 6/27/12), and Addie Girl
Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!
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