It was a very interesting year! Matthew and I took our very first vacation ever! We went to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. It already feels like it was ages ago. It was a wonderful vacation. We went in March when it was still cold here in Maryland. It was humbling to see how people lived in a smaller country. The people were so very friendly though. The beaches were absolutely beautiful and we both got quite sunburned the second day there! We went on a dune buggy tour of a couple local villages and drove down to a beautiful cave and underground spring. We also took a catamaran trip out to Catalina Island and went snorkling and tubing. Snorkling was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip. Matthew got to sail a small catamaran back at the resort. After a few (15-20) minutes I relaxed and began to enjoy it myself. I think the waves kind of threw me off a bit. I am not a lover of speed! My mother so graciously flew to Maryland to watch the kids for the 7 days that we were gone. They absolutely loved having her here for that long!
The beginning of summer we had cub scout day camp. Aleyna came as a tag along and finally agreed with me that it was a lot more fun than girl scout day camp was! This is Brittin's last year as a cub scout. In February he crosses over to become a boy scout! He has decided to try it out for a year and see how he likes it. He wants to do more sports in the coming years which will conflict with boy scouts. He is really growing into a mature and responsible boy.
Mid summer we had a Reville family reunion held at Holden Beach in NC. It was a wonderful weekend playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean, and just relaxing on the beach. We found out a neat little detail while taking a walk at night on the beach. When you stomp in the sand it creates static electricity between the grains and causes it to look like sparkles beneath your feet. The kids were so enthralled that they had to show everyone who was there. I think Aunt Margaret was the most impressed with it!
Late summer we took our annual trip to Wsconsin. This year was special though. It marked several decade birthdays and we had a huge party to celebrate them. We also just barely made it on our first day there to the Bintzler family reunion. We had a wonderful trip. The kids got to go tubing with Grandpa, Kirstie and her bf. Not for me I must say. I sat back and watched. We also had a very fun day at a water park called Roaring waters. Aleyna celebrated her birthday and had a great party with all her little girl cousins. We spent a day at our very old friends' horse farm. It was one of the kids' favorite parts of the summer. I got to celebrate my birthday with my sister and her boyfriend and my husband at Dave and Busters and we had a great night out! The 2 guys got along swimmingly! I loved being able to spend some time with my little sis.
The boys played soccer again this year. They had taken a 2 year break from the sport. They had a great time even though neither of their teams won a single game. Jayden definitely wants to play again. Brittin isn't quite sure about it though. They are both asking to do gymnastics again this winter. They did gymnastics last fall and absolutely loved it. They will also be signing up for Baseball in the spring. Brittin cannot wait! This year Matthew had the opportunity to volunteer taking x-rays of the Orioles players! In compensation for his time he got free tickets to the games that he worked. He took each of the boys, me, and his old Army buddy throughout the season. We got some amazing photos because we were able to sit right behind the dugout after the first half of the games!
Aleyna has been loving girl scouts for her 4th year in a row. She is now a Junior and has a fabulous leader. She is trying to talk me into becoming the leader for next year since she is moving on with her older daughter to cadets. I am excited to finally be asked to help out with the girls! Aleyna did not sign up for dance this year. We plan to sign her up for ballet next fall. However, we have had several comments on how great a little actress she is! It has been suggested to us that she join a local theater group. She is just not afraid of anything! She loves to be in front of everyone. She had the largest speaking role in our Church's Christmas pageant. This Friday evening she is going to sing with me as I sing a special solo in church. "Who would imagine a king". She is so very excited! We have recently discovered that Brittin has a phenomenal singing voice, though he is very shy and does not like to sing in front of anyone. We all hope he grows out of that. That is such a wonderful talent to have
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Matthew is thoroughly enjoying working at Johns Hopkins. At the recent Christmas Gala, one of the doctors called him their best fellow! Of course he is not a fellow, he is a tech, but that is how much respect they have for him there. Doctors are now calling for him by name. It makes me so proud to have such a dedicated and hard working husband! I am a very lucky woman. This year he decided that he was finally going to go hunting. He has gotten everything he needs to go. Now he just needs to wait for the time off!
As many of you know I am finally going to college. This fall marked my 4th semester. I have just completed my first class of anatomy and Physiology. Boy was that a hard class! I am hoping to get into the Physical Therapy assistant class in the fall of 2012. I will not be finished with all of my pre-required classes until next winter.
This fall we sadly had to re-home my horse. He came to me with a neurological disease and though we treated it, he was not able to carry more than a small child. Aleyna has really caught the horse bug. She loved riding Domani. Both her and Brittin had natural seats. We are hoping that once I am finished with my pre-requisites we will be able to focus on finding the right horse that can fit both my needs and the kids' needs. I am learning dressage with a wonderful instructor who is the most wonderful Christian woman I have ever met. The kids don't know which discipline they want to ride, though Brittin is really interested in jumping!
We really miss everyone in all of our families. Next year we plan to take a few trips to visit as many of you as we can. We already have a busy year ahead of us including 2 family reunions!
Merry Christmas to all of you!
