Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This year we decided to “go green” with our Christmas greetings. If I have your email address, I sent you this letter electronically. If you are related, usually send us cards, or live overseas, I sent you a regular snail mail version of this card.
We started 2008 by finding out that Kyla was pregnant! Fast forward many months to August 13, 2008 at 9:45 am EDT, Katja Johanna Sikorski made her grand entrance! She weighed 7 pounds 1.5 ounces, was 19 inches long, and very healthy! She is truly a happy baby. As I write this the second week of December, she has hand-eye coordination, rolled over, coos and giggles with smiles. She looks a lot like Luella did at this age.
Our house allowed Tim to become quite the handyman. In January he installed hardwood laminate floors in our dining room and hallway. Luella loved helping Tim pick out the floor planks. She also learned how to jump on the new floors and get air under her feet!
On Leap Day (February 29, 2008) Tim took command of HHC, 20th Support Command. It is huge for his Army career – especially since he was chosen over two other captains in the unit. He has over 200 Soldiers in his unit. Tim likens this job to being the mayor of Washington DC. Yes, he’s in charge of the city, but there are many more people who have higher/differing missions residing in his town. Tim will be in command until at least the end of July. We invite you to help celebrate Tim surviving command!
Also in February, Luella’s hair finally grew long enough for a ponytail! She developed her fascination with all things Mommy. She loves wearing Kyla’s high heels and pretending to puke in her potty chair because Mommy puked in the toilet with morning sickness.
March continued Luella’s fascination of all things Mommy and she destroyed most of Kyla’s make-up and sunglasses. She also became quite the parrot and asked to get her ears pierced. We told her when she could ask without prompting, we’d get her ears pierced. Over Easter weekend, we all took our first trip to New York City. We met with Tim’s college friend, Betsey Campbell, her family and her fiancé Shane Astle. Kyla helped Betsey shop for her wedding dress. Betsey was a featured bride on TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” during that shopping trip. We got to see some great sites like the World Trade Center, Central Park, Union Station, Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Tim, Luella and Shane saw the zoo. Kyla and Betsey saw a lot of bridal salons.
In April we spent a lot of time at the park enjoying the fabulous weather! Tim landscaped and planted our garden. He built a huge picnic table and benches permanently built into the ground with a fire pit. It’s been great for BBQs and making s’mores! We also enjoyed the season’s first crab picking! We ended the month with an east coast Larsen family reunion. That’s Kyla’s dad’s side of the family.
May highlights include Tim’s 29th birthday starting the piñata craze for birthdays the rest of the summer! Tim got his motorcycle up and running, saving money from the horrendous gas prices this summer. Kyla got a 3D/4D ultrasound of Katja for Mother’s Day. We saw that Katja has Kyla’s nose! We spent Memorial Day weekend in Virginia Beach. Tim, Kyla’s uncle Phil Rasmussen and Mark Yeary took a fishing trip in the Chesapeake Bay. They caught 7 striped bass, one as big as Luella! We all loved playing the in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time and getting some sun!
June brought swimming lessons for Luella with her best girl friend, Sigrid Evers! She loves swimming and splashing in the water and playing ring-around-the-rosy. Luella also participated in Itty Bitty Sports at the YMCA. It introduced her to many new sports and she loves soccer the best! We learned that Luella isn’t allergic to bees as she stepped on one during a birthday party, hitting a piñata.
We were fortunate enough to spend the 4th of July watching the Nation’s fireworks display from the top floor of the Bank of America building. It’s the same view as the White House, but 9 floors up! It was incredible! We spent the rest of the month playing in the park or our backyard pool and bouncy house. Luella got really good at playing her little piano and singing for her supper. Her favorite song was “Luella wants a cheesy burger!” Tim built and Kyla painted a toddler bed for Luella. It’s a little house with flowers, butterflies and bugs. Luella loves it! Tim and Kyla enjoyed their last overnight date at the Army Chemical Ball at Andrew’s Air Force Base while Luella had a sleepover.
Back to August, Kyla was fortunate enough to have two baby showers! One was given by the army wives and another ladies’ night out given by the church ladies. She had lots of fun and very generous friends! Kyla’s family (parents Dan and Karen, brother Kevin, sister’s family Kirsten, Peter, Isaac, Maren and Anna) all came out for Katja’s birth, baptism, babysitting, early birthday parties for Luella and Anna and sightseeing. It was wonderful having family out to take care of Luella while we were preoccupied with Katja’s arrival. Kyla and Tim watched Baltimore native Michael Phelps win his 8 gold medals while she recuperated in the hospital. There is a lot of pride for him in this town! Kyla’s family and Luella made two trips to Washington DC. Kyla’s family made it to Philly, Annapolis, the Atlantic Ocean, and we all did a day in Baltimore. Luella asked to get her ears pierced without us prompting, and since she was a big sister, we said yes.
Over Labor Day weekend we had visitors from across the pond! Kirstie Phipps, her roommate Simon Talbot and Jordan Harp came to experience DC and the Maryland State Fair. Kyla and Kirstie worked together at the West Logo Shop at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in 2005-2006. The UK doesn’t have fairs, so it was quite an adventure. We learned things like cotton candy is called floss. I bet we’d all floss more if it meant cotton candy was involved! Uncle Phil was our tour guide for DC. He’s so good at the tour; we picked up random people along the way. He should get paid!
Tim spent most of September in Texas doing a training exercise. He missed our 3rd anniversary, Luella’s 2nd birthday and Kyla’s 30th birthday. The UPS man made quite a few trips to our house! So many that when Tim came home and got an order for his home brew beer kit, the UPS man cheered for him! Tim missed out on Hurricane Hanna, but got to experience Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in Texas.
Back on the home front, Kyla had lots of support from our church and army families. We had many dinners prepared for us and help clearing out the yard so if Hurricane Hanna became worst case scenario, we wouldn’t have to pick up debris in the yard. Thankfully it was just a lot of rain and not a lot of wind by the time it got to us. We quietly celebrated Luella’s and Kyla’s birthdays with play dates and cake. When Tim got home we did a joint 2-year-old birthday party with Luella’s favorite boy friend Ian Riisager at the YMCA. Everyone had a great time!
We ended September with a trip out to Sacramento, CA for Betsey Campbell and Shane Astle’s wedding. Kyla was a bridesmaid and Tim had little girl duty. It was a gorgeous wedding at the State Capitol Rose Garden warmed with love and 97 degree heat! We also got to visit with Tim’s Uncle Matt, Aunt Kris, cousins Grady and Kaeli McIntyre and Great-Aunt Rosalie Lapham and former next-door neighbor Mrs. Anita Marsolais. Luella loved flying again and often asks to fly back to California.
As soon as we got back, Tim and 1SG Tamiko Bogad executed their plan for the 1st Annual 20th Support Command Ball. The 20th has only been in existence since October 16, 2004. They wanted to inspire esprit de corps with a ball for everyone to attend and enjoy. It worked! It was Katja’s first night with a babysitter. Thank you Rita LaCotti! The next weekend, Suzy Gysler came from Honduras for an overnight stay on her way to a wedding in Philly.
Tim and Kyla ran almost every weekend in October. Tim finished his third Army 10-miler with his best time. Kyla was on the Warriors for the Cure team for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Race for the Cure. Tim also ran the Marine Corps Marathon. The girls came and cheered us on for all the races!
October also brought Halloween and festivities. We drove all the way to Gettysburg, PA to find a pumpkin patch. Okay, Luella really needed a nap and the long drive provided that and a fun family day enjoying the fall foliage and pumpkins! Kyla broke out her sewing machine and made both girls their Halloween costumes. Luella was a pirate, thanks to Veggie Tales starring Jonah and the Pirates who don’t do anything. Katja was a saguaro cactus since she looks like one when she sleeps! Bet you can’t tell that her Arizona daddy had anything to do with the costume!
November provided Tim two four-day weekends, so he decided it was finally time to remodel his bathroom. It’s looking great! On the 21st, Katja experienced her first snowfall. She thought it was cold and wet. Luella remembered playing in the snow and catching the snowflakes on her tongue. She loved it! Kyla prepared her first Thanksgiving dinner. Kevin and Uncle Phil came for dinner and the weekend. It was a nice quiet family time. Katja slept through her first Thanksgiving dinner. Luella still loves green beans best.
December came before we knew it. On December 7th, we had the FRG Holiday Party for the families in Tim’s unit. Kyla volunteered to be the special events coordinator, planned and executed the party with help from the other wives. It was a great party and everyone had a lot of fun! Santa was a huge hit and the girls didn’t cry this year!
We have plans to stay local and participate in the early Christmas Eve service. The girls will be jingling bells and gingerbread cookies. They should be adorable!
Next year will bring many changes. Tim was notified that he is no longer a Chemical Officer. He got his functional area of Information Operations (IO) Officer. It means after he finishes command this summer, he will go to a 12-week course to teach him how to be an IO at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. After that we will be moving somewhere. We haven’t been told where yet. Pray the house sells! We have asked for Ft. Bragg, NC since we have many friends there and Hawaii since Kyla’s brother will be stationed there starting next year on his new submarine the USS Texas. But we’ll have to wait and see where the Army needs us most. We will definitely miss the friends we made here. We have all summer to see the sights we wanted to hit before moving. Top of the list for Luella is Sesame Place and Crayola World; Kyla is Chocolate World at Hershey, PA; Tim is NYC again and seeing shows on Broadway. We all want to go to Atlantic City and New England. We tend to make these trips when we get visitors. Anyone want to come and see the sights with us?!
We started 2008 by finding out that Kyla was pregnant! Fast forward many months to August 13, 2008 at 9:45 am EDT, Katja Johanna Sikorski made her grand entrance! She weighed 7 pounds 1.5 ounces, was 19 inches long, and very healthy! She is truly a happy baby. As I write this the second week of December, she has hand-eye coordination, rolled over, coos and giggles with smiles. She looks a lot like Luella did at this age.
Our house allowed Tim to become quite the handyman. In January he installed hardwood laminate floors in our dining room and hallway. Luella loved helping Tim pick out the floor planks. She also learned how to jump on the new floors and get air under her feet!
On Leap Day (February 29, 2008) Tim took command of HHC, 20th Support Command. It is huge for his Army career – especially since he was chosen over two other captains in the unit. He has over 200 Soldiers in his unit. Tim likens this job to being the mayor of Washington DC. Yes, he’s in charge of the city, but there are many more people who have higher/differing missions residing in his town. Tim will be in command until at least the end of July. We invite you to help celebrate Tim surviving command!
Also in February, Luella’s hair finally grew long enough for a ponytail! She developed her fascination with all things Mommy. She loves wearing Kyla’s high heels and pretending to puke in her potty chair because Mommy puked in the toilet with morning sickness.
March continued Luella’s fascination of all things Mommy and she destroyed most of Kyla’s make-up and sunglasses. She also became quite the parrot and asked to get her ears pierced. We told her when she could ask without prompting, we’d get her ears pierced. Over Easter weekend, we all took our first trip to New York City. We met with Tim’s college friend, Betsey Campbell, her family and her fiancé Shane Astle. Kyla helped Betsey shop for her wedding dress. Betsey was a featured bride on TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” during that shopping trip. We got to see some great sites like the World Trade Center, Central Park, Union Station, Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Tim, Luella and Shane saw the zoo. Kyla and Betsey saw a lot of bridal salons.
In April we spent a lot of time at the park enjoying the fabulous weather! Tim landscaped and planted our garden. He built a huge picnic table and benches permanently built into the ground with a fire pit. It’s been great for BBQs and making s’mores! We also enjoyed the season’s first crab picking! We ended the month with an east coast Larsen family reunion. That’s Kyla’s dad’s side of the family.
May highlights include Tim’s 29th birthday starting the piñata craze for birthdays the rest of the summer! Tim got his motorcycle up and running, saving money from the horrendous gas prices this summer. Kyla got a 3D/4D ultrasound of Katja for Mother’s Day. We saw that Katja has Kyla’s nose! We spent Memorial Day weekend in Virginia Beach. Tim, Kyla’s uncle Phil Rasmussen and Mark Yeary took a fishing trip in the Chesapeake Bay. They caught 7 striped bass, one as big as Luella! We all loved playing the in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time and getting some sun!
June brought swimming lessons for Luella with her best girl friend, Sigrid Evers! She loves swimming and splashing in the water and playing ring-around-the-rosy. Luella also participated in Itty Bitty Sports at the YMCA. It introduced her to many new sports and she loves soccer the best! We learned that Luella isn’t allergic to bees as she stepped on one during a birthday party, hitting a piñata.
We were fortunate enough to spend the 4th of July watching the Nation’s fireworks display from the top floor of the Bank of America building. It’s the same view as the White House, but 9 floors up! It was incredible! We spent the rest of the month playing in the park or our backyard pool and bouncy house. Luella got really good at playing her little piano and singing for her supper. Her favorite song was “Luella wants a cheesy burger!” Tim built and Kyla painted a toddler bed for Luella. It’s a little house with flowers, butterflies and bugs. Luella loves it! Tim and Kyla enjoyed their last overnight date at the Army Chemical Ball at Andrew’s Air Force Base while Luella had a sleepover.
Back to August, Kyla was fortunate enough to have two baby showers! One was given by the army wives and another ladies’ night out given by the church ladies. She had lots of fun and very generous friends! Kyla’s family (parents Dan and Karen, brother Kevin, sister’s family Kirsten, Peter, Isaac, Maren and Anna) all came out for Katja’s birth, baptism, babysitting, early birthday parties for Luella and Anna and sightseeing. It was wonderful having family out to take care of Luella while we were preoccupied with Katja’s arrival. Kyla and Tim watched Baltimore native Michael Phelps win his 8 gold medals while she recuperated in the hospital. There is a lot of pride for him in this town! Kyla’s family and Luella made two trips to Washington DC. Kyla’s family made it to Philly, Annapolis, the Atlantic Ocean, and we all did a day in Baltimore. Luella asked to get her ears pierced without us prompting, and since she was a big sister, we said yes.
Over Labor Day weekend we had visitors from across the pond! Kirstie Phipps, her roommate Simon Talbot and Jordan Harp came to experience DC and the Maryland State Fair. Kyla and Kirstie worked together at the West Logo Shop at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs in 2005-2006. The UK doesn’t have fairs, so it was quite an adventure. We learned things like cotton candy is called floss. I bet we’d all floss more if it meant cotton candy was involved! Uncle Phil was our tour guide for DC. He’s so good at the tour; we picked up random people along the way. He should get paid!
Tim spent most of September in Texas doing a training exercise. He missed our 3rd anniversary, Luella’s 2nd birthday and Kyla’s 30th birthday. The UPS man made quite a few trips to our house! So many that when Tim came home and got an order for his home brew beer kit, the UPS man cheered for him! Tim missed out on Hurricane Hanna, but got to experience Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in Texas.
Back on the home front, Kyla had lots of support from our church and army families. We had many dinners prepared for us and help clearing out the yard so if Hurricane Hanna became worst case scenario, we wouldn’t have to pick up debris in the yard. Thankfully it was just a lot of rain and not a lot of wind by the time it got to us. We quietly celebrated Luella’s and Kyla’s birthdays with play dates and cake. When Tim got home we did a joint 2-year-old birthday party with Luella’s favorite boy friend Ian Riisager at the YMCA. Everyone had a great time!
We ended September with a trip out to Sacramento, CA for Betsey Campbell and Shane Astle’s wedding. Kyla was a bridesmaid and Tim had little girl duty. It was a gorgeous wedding at the State Capitol Rose Garden warmed with love and 97 degree heat! We also got to visit with Tim’s Uncle Matt, Aunt Kris, cousins Grady and Kaeli McIntyre and Great-Aunt Rosalie Lapham and former next-door neighbor Mrs. Anita Marsolais. Luella loved flying again and often asks to fly back to California.
As soon as we got back, Tim and 1SG Tamiko Bogad executed their plan for the 1st Annual 20th Support Command Ball. The 20th has only been in existence since October 16, 2004. They wanted to inspire esprit de corps with a ball for everyone to attend and enjoy. It worked! It was Katja’s first night with a babysitter. Thank you Rita LaCotti! The next weekend, Suzy Gysler came from Honduras for an overnight stay on her way to a wedding in Philly.
Tim and Kyla ran almost every weekend in October. Tim finished his third Army 10-miler with his best time. Kyla was on the Warriors for the Cure team for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Race for the Cure. Tim also ran the Marine Corps Marathon. The girls came and cheered us on for all the races!
October also brought Halloween and festivities. We drove all the way to Gettysburg, PA to find a pumpkin patch. Okay, Luella really needed a nap and the long drive provided that and a fun family day enjoying the fall foliage and pumpkins! Kyla broke out her sewing machine and made both girls their Halloween costumes. Luella was a pirate, thanks to Veggie Tales starring Jonah and the Pirates who don’t do anything. Katja was a saguaro cactus since she looks like one when she sleeps! Bet you can’t tell that her Arizona daddy had anything to do with the costume!
November provided Tim two four-day weekends, so he decided it was finally time to remodel his bathroom. It’s looking great! On the 21st, Katja experienced her first snowfall. She thought it was cold and wet. Luella remembered playing in the snow and catching the snowflakes on her tongue. She loved it! Kyla prepared her first Thanksgiving dinner. Kevin and Uncle Phil came for dinner and the weekend. It was a nice quiet family time. Katja slept through her first Thanksgiving dinner. Luella still loves green beans best.
December came before we knew it. On December 7th, we had the FRG Holiday Party for the families in Tim’s unit. Kyla volunteered to be the special events coordinator, planned and executed the party with help from the other wives. It was a great party and everyone had a lot of fun! Santa was a huge hit and the girls didn’t cry this year!
We have plans to stay local and participate in the early Christmas Eve service. The girls will be jingling bells and gingerbread cookies. They should be adorable!
Next year will bring many changes. Tim was notified that he is no longer a Chemical Officer. He got his functional area of Information Operations (IO) Officer. It means after he finishes command this summer, he will go to a 12-week course to teach him how to be an IO at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. After that we will be moving somewhere. We haven’t been told where yet. Pray the house sells! We have asked for Ft. Bragg, NC since we have many friends there and Hawaii since Kyla’s brother will be stationed there starting next year on his new submarine the USS Texas. But we’ll have to wait and see where the Army needs us most. We will definitely miss the friends we made here. We have all summer to see the sights we wanted to hit before moving. Top of the list for Luella is Sesame Place and Crayola World; Kyla is Chocolate World at Hershey, PA; Tim is NYC again and seeing shows on Broadway. We all want to go to Atlantic City and New England. We tend to make these trips when we get visitors. Anyone want to come and see the sights with us?!
Merry Christmas and Happy 2009! May the peace and joy of Christ be with you!
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