Merry Christmas 2010

The Bardsley Family’s

Top Ten Countdown of

2010

10... Grace entered nursery at the beginning of the year and has since competed in her first nursery eating contest. Anna is overflowing with pride.

9... Spencer has completed his time as an indentured servant in the physics lab and now actually works for pay.

8... Anna successfully ran two half-marathons in record time and thinks her days of running full marathons are definitively over. I mean, really, why run 26 miles when you can run 13 and hurt just as much?

7... The whole family took trips to Utah, Washington D.C., and Michigan to visit family, friends, and a lot of old fashioned cars.

6... Grace is potty-trained. Anna sort of misses diapers.

5... Spencer got a MacBook Pro with our tax return and loves it almost as much as life itself. Almost.

4... Anna read more books than any one person probably should, but unabashedly continues to further her addiction.

3... Grace discovered spontaneous ice cream runs, princesses, trains, and dinosaurs. She has never looked back.

2... Spencer has ventured further into his career path (Engineering Physics) at The Ohio State University and feels like, someday, he might be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

1... The whole family has had a good year and is feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future. We have been so blessed and are so thankful for all the opportunities we have been given.


We hope this letter finds you and yours well and happy. We love you all and are so pleased to have you as a part of our lives. We are who we are because of you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Spencer, Anna and Grace

Celebrating the Small Things

Since Grace is one of the greatest little "small things" that I know, I thought I'd celebrate some of her accomplishments of the past little while. They are many...prepare to be amazed.

First of all, I would like to bring your attention to her zip-lining skills. Notice the form: arms straight, legs tucked gracefully up towards chest, head erect. Flawless. You can't teach that folks. You just can't.

And then there's her decorating abilities. Grace managed to almost single-handedly decorate the bottom of our Christmas tree whilst Spencer and I waged war against the *popcorn we were trying to string together. And she only broke three ornaments!

We're planning on hiring her out next year.

*Notice there is no popcorn on the tree. No doubt you can guess who won the above-mentioned war.

And then there was...the race. Grace participated in her first "Toddler Turkey Trot" on Thanksgiving and furthered the family legacy by finishing...dead last. But honestly, take a look at the above picture. Do you see all that hand-holding and carrying going on? I mean, really.

Just look at that---the flair and finesse of a champion. Grace has learned quickly that, no matter how far back you are in the standings, you still get a medal and a cookie. That's victory in my book, folks. Victory.
She and Spencer have also been practicing their dance moves. With our luck, they'll be winning us an Ipad in no time.

Grace's mad kite-flying skills have already been well-documented on this blog, but I couldn't help but include another photo.

And last, but not least, every once and a while even I have a moment of pure brilliance. Look at those Christmas sweaters. Award-winning Christmas sweaters, that is.

As always, the Bardsleys are in it to win it.

Bye