Christmas Letter

Drum roll please.......Here is our Christmas 2010 letter. Why am I posting it here and not sending it in the mail? Great Question!
1. To save paper (okay $$ too)
2. I haven't sent my cards yet, they are waiting for me at Sams
3. My Dad is sick

Okay, more explanation: Dad was in the hospital for a week after Thanksgiving for a bowel obstruction. He had multiple CT scans done and one showed a mass on his liver and possibly his kidneys. He had an MRI done earlier this week that confirmed what the CT said. He goes in (EDIT) *Thursday* for a biopsy. At this point we don't know whether it is a benign or malignant tumor.

With this said, I have not been in much of a "Christmasy"mood lately with everything that has been going on. I will likely have cards/pictures out in the next couple of weeks. We hope to see those of you who are coming to the Wessel Christmas Party on the 26th.


2010 was quite a busy year. We started with a small remodel to our stairs. We took the carpet off of our stairs and replaced it with hardwood. The carpet was just getting gross and hard to clean. As soon as we had replaced the carpet, I slipped and fell down the entire set of stairs. I was okay, just sore and bruised. My doctor wanted to know how I didn’t break my arm and hip, and all I could say is that all that theater stunt training paid off. Eric and I took a small trip to Cincinnati to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. I took Eric for some fabulous fondue at the Melting Pot and then we enjoyed King’s Island and a few other things in the area. We were able to spend Father’s Day with Emil, Eric’s father, which ended up being quite serendipitous. Emil was killed in a farming accident just a few days later. He was working in a swampy area removing trees and his tractor got stuck and flipped over on top of him. He was rescued several hours later, only to die at the hospital two and a half days later. While his death was a shock to us, he left this world doing what he loved. Just a few months later, in October, Eric lost his Uncle Harold to an unexpected heart attack. Needless to say it was a trying summer/fall.

Alex started the year a wobbly 19 month old and has ended up a walking/running/talking 2 ½ year old machine! He still goes to Gymboree Play and Music once a week for class and loves it!! I would recommend it to anyone with a Gymboree in their area. We also started going to Toddler library time twice a month and joined a Mom’s group out of Alton, IL. We are BUSY, but it’s a good busy. Alex is all ‘boy’. He enjoys trucks, dinosaurs, books, and blocks. He knows the alphabet and can count to 20 with minimal help “Alex do it,” is becoming a common phrase around here. He recently enjoyed his first cooking experience making muffins for Grandpa David. He liked to, “round and round,” (stir), and lick the beaters. We took Alex and my folks to Grant’s Farm this past August. It was so cute to see Dad and Alex being pushed side by side, one in a wheel chair and one in a stroller.

Eric took this summer off from Grad school, so he will finish May of 2011. To say he is anxious to get finished is an understatement. He keeps trying to coerce me into reading his textbooks for him… He recently joined a work volleyball league that plays at the University of Missouri St. Louis.

I had the privilege of going to the giant Vera Bradley sale in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with two of my friends. It only took us an hour to get in the door and then two hours to check out. Lots of Vera, lots of goodies, LOTS of sales! If you haven’t seen the Vera Bradley sale video on YouTube, you need to check it out. I also celebrated my five year Curves anniversary and was recognized at a fall luncheon. Several of our local Curves have started doing Curves Zumba and I have participated in two classes. It brings back many memories of my dancing days.

So, if you are reading this, you have found our blog. Check out the entries; mostly pictures. News on Dad and his condition will be found here.