Hi all:

It’s been a very long autumn and winter here, with my father’s illness and passing. I appreciate everyone’s continual re-visits here in the hopes of getting the latest/greatest on the family goings-on. I’ll try my best to make up for lost time and keep everyone current going forward.

The short form summary:

• As many of you already know, my father passed away in December after being diagnosed in late summer with pancreatic cancer. This has been a rough slog for all of us, but my family and I appreciate all the support, kind words and thoughts that have been directed at us. Dad’s memory is a blessing to all of us; we miss him terribly, but remember him fondly.
• Kids are doing great–Josh in kindergarten and tae-kwon-do (ask him about “tushie karate” sometime for a giggle), Noah finishing his last year in preschool and dying to get into “big boy school” (he’s complaining that he doesn’t get homework like his big brother does…), Valli dying to get into any kind of school, but enjoying her brand-new big-girl bed and refurbished bedroom.
• Other than the obvious sadness with my dad, things are going pretty well personally. I took a new job in October, with the College of American Pathologists, in Northfield IL. Great people, interesting problems to solve, and a 10-minute commute…hard to argue with that.

More coming in time. As a appetizer, click on the thumbnail above for some pictures of the kids, taken during the last big snowblow in December:

Best to all, and take care of yourselves.