Wow! We’ve had a busy year down here in Georgia! The weather has been erratic and the economy has thrown us, along with everyone else, into lifestyle detox. This year has brought its share of frustrations and worries for our family, but it has also brought joy and we’d like to share that with all our family and friends!

In Case You Missed it…
We added a new McClelland to the family this year and named her Kendall Noelle. She entered the world rather quietly (thank goodness!), but has since found her voice and now enjoys making all the noise she can. She is healthy, happy and prefers to play with anything that will get her into trouble! She is now 10 months and should be walking in no time at all.

Peas in a Pod
Brody has taken to his baby sister just wonderfully. For the first six months he acted as though he didn’t even hear the crying and now that Kendall has gotten louder he just calmly puts his hands over his ears when he doesn’t want to hear it anymore. They love to play together although they frequently want to play with the same thing at the same time… a little sibling rivalry shouldn’t hurt, right?

Brody started to like cartoons this year with Curious George being his hands-down favorite. He recently discovered Spiderman with some help from a loving father burned out on George. He also still enjoys reading, anything related to firemen, airplanes and racecars, and changes his mind nearly everyday on which of those careers he’d like to pursue. Kendall of course cheers him on in awe at everything he does.

As for the rest of us…
Having quickly proven his ability as General Manager of his first Chili’s in Chattanooga, TN, Matt was offered the store in Dalton, GA. It’s nice because the clientele is easier… you know, he doesn’t have to have an armed off-duty cop on shifts at night and all that jazz. In less than a year he has ranked the Dalton store 4th out of nearly 75 stores in his region. He’ll be number one next year for sure! He also recently participated in a 5k run which he did pretty well in and is looking forward to participating in more events next year. I of course am loving the new fit figure he is sporting!

And I have been staying home with the kids since moving here and am trying to learn how to live in the moment instead of looking to times past and times yet to happen. It’s a lesson that takes many a lifetime, but I’m hoping I can master it at least long enough to enjoy the kids before they’re too old to want anything to do with me anymore. I’m patiently… well, let’s be honest… I’m anxiously waiting for Matt to graduate from DeVry University this March so I can make plans to get my Master’s degree and a teaching credential.

In a Nutshell
That just about sums our year up and we are ready for 2009. In spite of the wonderful things that have happened for us this year we’re ready to kick 2008 out the door and good riddance! We hope to be able to see more of our family in the coming year. Love to all from our family to yours!

Matt, Katie, Brody and Kendall