Stories & Pictures

January 2014

Where did this month go? Seriously, it's hard to believe it is almost February. Ack.

Here's the highlights of what happened around our house...

The kids went back to school after a nice long holiday break.

We baked amazing Doubletree Copycat cookies.

I released another new quilt pattern.

The kids all got sick with high fevers and a cough.

The kids all got better fairly quickly.

Bill and Danny ran a 5k. (David and Kelly still had fevers.)

I went on a fun quilt retreat with my friends.

Bill spent the night in a Kroger after being stuck in "snowmagedden" for 8 hours.

The kids got a week off school to  play in the snow.

I quilted...almost every day.

We made a few new smoothie recipes. Yum.

The boys ran almost every day. So did Bill.

Bill went to work, flying to a bunch of places, but no place particularly interesting.

We ate lots of chili, loaded potatoes and scrambled eggs.

The weather has not helped, but Kelly has gotten to ride a few times.

The kids went to their first track and field practice, there will be many more in the next few months.

We got some serious snuggle time in with the doggies.

I did a few thousand loads of laundry but I'm still not caught up.

We had plenty of sleepovers and fun with friends.

We may have gone to Leon's for ice cream a time or two.

The boys got their sports physicals updated and impressed the doctor with their growth spurts and weight loss. 

Our grocery bill exceeded our mortgage.

0 out of 3 teenagers in this house want to drive, so I'm still carpool queen.

We laughed a lot, loved a lot and remembered how truly blessed we are to be together.

It was a pretty good start to a new year.

 

2013 Review

Feeling a little too tired (or maybe just lazy) to rehash what turned out to be a fairly decent, albeit busy, year for our family. Instead I've just decided to share our Christmas letter, so if you're on our card list you can skip it, it will look familiar...

Knott News 2013 edition…

 

This year was crazy and wonderful and busy, but mostly it was healthy, and for that we are so grateful!

Danny and David just turned fifteen and are freshmen in high school! They both had a great first season of running on the high school cross country team and sign up with their dad for every 5k or 10k available. Placing first and second in their age group had become a habit, until this week when they moved up to the next age group. No doubt they will simply rise to the challenge. They are doing really well in school and while they don’t particularly like schoolwork, they are determined to do well. They continue to be best friends and talk late into the night, every night, but they can also drive one another crazy in no time flat. They stay busy (when they aren’t running) with their computers and talking to friends online. Sleepovers, campfires and making their own pizzas top their list of favorite things currently.

 

Kelly recovered completely from her leg surgery, in December of last year, and is back to doing all the things she loves. She was a true champ during her months of recovery and hardly ever complained about how much she missed riding and running. She’s a sophomore this year and continues to have amazing grades in all of her honors classes. She is quick to point out that she’s really not that smart, she just tries hard. Her humor and quick wit have entertained us on a daily basis. At sixteen, she is now working part time at the barn and still riding every chance she gets. She has also started running the occasional 5k with her brothers and Bill. She’s sporting contacts instead of glasses. Her kitty Luna has turned into a very sassy cat and is totally adored by all of us.

 

Diane has been way too busy with her quilting business, in a very good way. Being published in four national magazines this year started the ball rolling, and there are several more planned for next year. Teaching workshops and doing lectures on quilting are filling the calendar and it constantly amazes Bill that people pay her to talk for an hour. He’s been listening for free for years!

 

Bill is currently a Captain on the 767 for Delta and still based in Atlanta. He flies both in the US and overseas. His trips constantly change, but his mission of bringing home the occasional surprise for the kids and Diane remains.  We did manage an amazing few days together in Brussels enjoying the gorgeous city and partaking of the local chocolates and waffles. Bill is wonderful at driving carpool, making coffee, doing yard work and cooking dinner and running with the boys and Kelly when he’s not flying.

 

Buddy and Bailey remain completely confused as to why the family feline detests them so much. They are still trying to be friends with her in spite of the daily rejection. It’s quite pitiful. They do get their share of human love, and the occasional doggie treat helps.

We hope that all of you are doing well, staying healthy, and having a wonderful holiday season with the people you love most. We always look forward to the news and photos from far away, and hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes for a wonderful 2014, 

 

The Knott Family