December 2009
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from the Chiodo family! We hope this letter finds you happy and healthy during this holiday season. We have much to be thankful for as we reflect back on this past year. Here are a few highlights to share with you.
The biggest change for us this year is that we became homeowners again! After renting for two years, saving, and planning for the future, we bought a home in August on Blueberry Lane in Stratford, CT. For several long months, we house hunted and made offers on various homes. We tried a few times at getting a bank-owned house or a fixer-upper that had many offers on it. But we trust that God knew what He was doing, and the door finally opened up for us to turn this house into our home. We love the location, the quiet street, and the big yard for the kids. Our house was outdated (hello 1965!) and needed some updating before we could move in. We gutted the kitchen right away and remodeled it from top to bottom. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into getting the house ready for us…or I should say a lot of paint, spackling, and trips to Home Depot! We’ve been here for 3 ½ months now, and while the need-to-do list is still quite long, we have made some big improvements that have made a considerable difference. It feels goods to finally have a sense of permanence.
Abby turned 4 in July and is in her second year of nursery school. We switched to a different preschool for her due to the move, but she loves her teacher and new friends. Within the first month of school, she knew the Pledge of Allegiance, “God Bless America”, and started learning Bible verses. Abby loves to color and do any kind of art project; she loves to ‘play’ her new guitar she got for her birthday; and she is constantly sounding out words and wanting to know how to spell…everything. Reading-here we come! She tells us frequently that when she turns 5, she is very excited to go to kindergarten, and she is going to lose her teeth and grow new ones.
Ben turned one in July, and he is 100% all boy. The kid never stops moving! He definitely keeps us on our toes. He averages about one new boo-boo every other day, and has figured out how to climb on basically anything in the house. Ben loves to ride on his truck, play with any kind of ball you roll his way, and enjoys playing with his big sister (when he’s not grabbing a handful of her thick curly hair). He is also a big cuddler and gives plenty of sloppy kisses and squeezy hugs. He and Abby play well together and it warms our hearts to see them having a good giggle together.
Jason continues to work at BG Lubricare as a sales representative. He thrives with the flexible schedule and the challenges that come his way. Jason and his dad are also working on their fifth rehab house project. Earlier this year, they finished one from top to bottom and it was sold within one week! He loves getting in his workout every morning and keeping up with the latest news on Investors.com.
Jenn continues to work part-time at Yale-New Haven Hospital in the OR Recovery Room. I work two twelve-hour shifts each week which allow me to enjoy being at home with the kids the rest of the time. I keep busy with the everyday mom stuff…laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning-with a monthly dose of book club with the girlfriends thrown in for good measure.
This year we were able to travel to Oklahoma in April to visit Jenn’s family. Jenn’s mom also came out in July to celebrate Abby’s and Ben’s birthdays with a big picnic at the park. We also took a family vacation this year in November out to California. We enjoyed visiting our dear friends, the Lignos family, out there while seeing the sights at SeaWorld, Disneyland, and the beach.
We’ve had a good year with its ups and downs, but we are blessed with wonderful family both near and far, strong friendships, a supportive church, happy and healthy children, and a God who loves us unconditionally. We hope that you have many blessings to be thankful for as well for this past year and the year to come.
With Love-Jason, Jenn, Abby, & Ben Chiodo
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