No GOOD reason it’s being sent out at the beginning of 2004 but procrastination, utter disorganization & being totally enraptured by our new Norwich Terrier Puppy “Twix”
Last year, amazingly we took 1, yes only *1* photo, this year, knowing we couldn’t top the ‘take one perfect photo’ we set out to top the unusual setting of last years photo (on our roof.)
This
year, after much discussion & some WILD suggestions (sky-diving!)
we decided on a setting that many of you may have seen before, but we added
a twist to keep us true to the “The Bertelsons are NUTS!” reputation
we seem to have acquired! So once again we suffered the cold for the shot!
The water a mere 74 deg, we braved the cold water to bring you this photo
taken Nov 30th. You will of course notice that we have added a 7th member to our family – Her name is Twix (actually Foxlea’s M&M Caramel Twix) She is our 4 mth old Norwich Terrier, a total joy & we’re all in love with this little fur-baby – There’s OODLES of photos of her (from B4 she was born even!) on our family web site (as well as photos of the rest of us! – If you visit, Please sign the guestbook too.
M&M
#1 aka Matt. Now only 1 mth away from turning 15. NO! I’m NOT
ready for him to be behind the wheel of a car! A typical teen “I know”
is still his #1 answer for anything. This year Matt left the Christian Sch they’ve all been at for so long. He won a place (by audition) to Dreyfoos, The High School of the Arts (in Communications) & is loving it there. Still loves music, especially the guitar, he had professional lessons this year & we were told he has an ear for music. When I listen to him, I am actually very impressed!
Although we daily battle teenage attitude & general irritation that the world doesn’t revolve around him & his desires in life, basically he’s a great kid with a lot of potential. The highlight of his year was his one month stay in UK with Mum & my sister, BIL Andy & their 2 boys.
M&M #2 - Melanie Kate - aka Mel. 12.5, still officially a ‘tween’
......But is OH so close to the real thing, a true teenager ! I now see why MY older sister Melanie struggled at times having a nosy little sister (ME!) Poor Mel is constantly retrieving her belongings from the little Klepto Magpies that live in the room next to her.
She is turning into such a beauty, both inside & out with oodles of both girl & boy friends at school. More often now we hear “She is SO like you Alice” – a compliment for me for sure; not so sure how Mel feels about that! We do actually get along REALLY well still. So spending one on one time with her is a treat for me. I know, give it time, puberty hormones haven’t kicked in for real just yet, but for now I am enjoying it while it lasts!
M&M #3 – Madeline Grace, aka Maddie, now
only 3 wks away from turning 8. She has grown so much this year. The MOST said sentence to her this year has to be…..“Put the dog DOWN!” Twix is irresistible to her, she simply CANNOT resist picking her up ALL the time. Twix is NOT thrilled with this so is now totally ‘gun-shy’ with both Maddie & Kenz.
Braces entered Maddie’s life this yr & her face needs to do a fair bit of growing still to fit her adult teeth. Even a palette expander is near in sight for her.
Maddie is doing excellently in school with A’s across the board & even appears to be mature & well behaved at school ! Not sure what happens when she enters the house it all seems to go out the window! Her & Kenz seem totally content to live in what we call “The Hovel” with a sea of clothes, toys, books & even unidentifiable objects ALL over the floor. When we help clean it up, within 24 hrs it’s a mess again, I have given up!
M&M #4 - Mackenzie or Kenzie is 6.5, still a tiny little spitfire!!
Quite possibly the bossiest 6 year old I know! Still a ‘Bag Lady,’ ever
toting a bag stuffed with an assortment of stuff, useless to most, ‘portant
to her! She’s doing OK in school, but struggling with bossiness there too! I suppose being the ‘baby’ has it’s advantages as well as disadvantages!
Still singing like her Ma, with even a duet in the school Christmas Play this year. When we practiced she could never remember the words to the 2nd line. She assured us that when Summer started to sing it she would remember & join in, Trouble is on the night of the performance Summer froze, so Kenz sang the first line solo, then it went totally silent as they both clapped their hands over their mouths & dissolved in fits of giggles. It was actually very funny!
Nils,
a year older at 42, but still a big kid at heart and Twix who is
now a permanent fixture at our Crosswaves Events, which Nils still runs. Nils decided to write his own 2003 synopsis!
Feb – Boys Snowboard Trip to Bertsnest NC,
Spring Break Bertsnest, Grandma, (no Alice)
our 4 kids plus an extra – definitely female intense!
June – IWS Surf Camp Cocoa Beach, Florida, Matt & Maddie go too. Fearless Factor game. Wasabi, Raw Egg eating & Lime Juice feature. Got dubbed McGyvor for have myself & my truck equipped for ANYTHING. Had annual “No Talent” night – impersonation of me with makeshift tool belt, holding everything & a BIG coffee mug! Quite a compliment really!
July - 2 wks surfing in Costa Rica, got back after Alice left for UK (apart for a MONTH!)
July (Alice & Matt in UK) Bertsnest again with 5 females (OY!) I was the ONLY male!
Got a NEW Bicycle that’s worth 2 “Twix’s” (the dog not the candy! we’re getting a 2nd)
Going to Medic School for 6 mths in 2004 My ‘playtime’ will be seriously affected !
Still MADLY in love with Alice (OK so that was an added note from the master editor!)
Alice
still at the big M (16.5yrs), still singing, acting & part of programming
team at church. Even have trips of my own to report although competing
with Nils’ time off is hard! Joined Matt in UK for 2 wks, was LOVELY spending time with Mum & my sisters family. Having 1 child is a breeze! Plus a ‘girls trip’ to Bertsnest that ended up being a (much needed) week of R&R for just me & my best bud Karen as the 3 others backed out ? September NEXT year girls!!
Since we are done adding babies to our family, we have moved onto ‘fur babies.’ We drove to TN to get our Twix (11 wks) & she’s a TOTAL joy, I am so enraptured by this 7 lb ball of feisty fur! She steals the show wherever she goes & we are seriously thinking of investing in a LARGE neon sign that we can drag around behind us that says “Actually she is NOT a Yorkie, She’s a TWIX!” (the UK-ites will realize that’s a ‘funny’ - As a Yorkie is also a candy bar in the UK !)
Our plan is to get another Norwich Terrier (a ‘Red’ – the colour of Twix’ feet) to be Foxlea’s M&M Strawberry Twizzler, aka Twiz) from the same lovely breeder in TN (I designed her website for her foxleafarm.net) when we are up in NC (3 hrs away) for Christmas 2004. We’re hoping one of the 4 breeding females she has will accommodate & pop out a litter that will be ready to go to their new homes then!