2007 has been a whirlwind of happenings. I thought life was supposed to get boring after 40! Following is a detailed update on the Montalbano family.
In early January, my niece Stacy (Rod's daughter) moved to Birmingham! This has been nothing but fantastic! She is strong, smart, and independant. She lives less than a mile from me and I really enjoy her company. With Mom and Dad away and Auntie gone, it's nice to have family move close by.
Many of you ask about Mom and Dad when we talk. Mom is very healthy (aside from the Alzheimer’s) and has adjusted well to living at 
n the year. That was awful because of his discomfort, but at least I was able to see him several times a week! We found that his prostate cancer had recurred, metastasized, and was aggressive and non-responsive to any therapies; it was out of control. We transferred his cancer care from
In May, Monty and his boss decided to part on good terms. One week later, it was confirmed that I would be changing jobs, too. Best of times, worst of times; we were both jobless, but we would both continue to receive a paycheck and benefits through September! We celebrated (consoled ourselves) with a week in Destin. We all had a blast! We began visiting and then joined the Cahaba Heights United Methodist Church. CHUM has provided us with a new and wonderful church family, and we've been welcomed so warmly. Scouting events happen there, all the kids from our school are there, and it just rounds out our "community."
In June, we celebrated Father's Day at Rick's house and all the grandchildren were there, including Emily. We were so glad to see her after YEARS! It was truly a wonderful day and Daddy was basking in the love of family.
For the rest of the summer, Monty worked on the back yard and installed stacked stone facing on the deck area of t
he house– instead of siding. It looks fabulous! I began gardening and plant propagation, and everything grew like gangbusters! Monty harvested rainwater and the plants survived the drought beautifully. We had a productive vegetable garden, and the most incredible bird and butterfly garden I could’ve ever imagined! Did you know that goldfinches like to sit atop zinnias and eat the centers? Beautiful!
In late September, Monty accepted a job with Colonial Bank in
Jessie (6th grade – 12 years old) has started band and has cho
sen the flute as her instrument. She practices all the time and is getting QUITE good! Her first concert is December 6th. Jessie is doing well in school and is finally overcoming her mistaken notion that she just isn’t good at math. She draws and writes daily, and enjoys talking and emailing with friends for hours! Her fashion adventures last year at Gwin Elementary have given her lots of encouragement to continue to make her own fashion trends. Her favorite store is the Thrift Store where she can put together everything from Bohemian skirts and blouses to an Annie Hall look. Fabulous! Jessie is enjoying her second year in Junior Girl Scouts.
Noah (5th grade – 10 years old) is playing the recorder better than anyone I’ve ever HEARD! He’s trying to learn guitar now, too. He and his Dad
(the den leader) are BIG into Scouting this year. This is Noah’s second year in Boy Scouts, and he’s achieving badge after badge! He has really enjoyed the Soap Box Derby project and races, camping out at Tannehill, and BB-gun shooting! He’s working on everything from woodworking to first aid to citizenship, and this is really boosting his confidence. Noah went NUTS on his popcorn sales and doubled his goal of selling $1,000 of popcorn! We know this will mean great things for Pack 213, and Noah enjoyed this accomplishment. They participated in the Birmingham Veteran's Day Parade and that was BIG! They are doing the Vestavia Christmas Parade on November 30.
Annie (2nd grade – 7 years old) is a very tall, very sm
art little Love Lamb! She’s a great reader, and she LOVES math. Like her sister, she loves to draw all the time and she’s QUITE good! Annie has also been bitten by the music bug. She’s been plinking around on a toy keyboard we got her for Christmas, and we’re going to let her plink around on a bigger one now. She has been playing by ear and doing very well! Annie is in Brownie Scouts and is looking forward to a BIG cookie sale in January. (We’ll probably be calling you!)
Lizzy (Kindergarten – 5 years old until December 30) is SUCH a cute little lizard! She’
s a great reader and really enjoys school. She is in Daisy Scouts and her mom is the troop leader. Lizzy sings all the time and accompanies her brother and sisters when they play their instruments (whether they want her to or not). She's the baby of the family and we're enjoying her little cuteness. She’s starting to plink around on the keyboard a little bit herself. She and Annie call each other “Best Buddies” and it’s the truth! They do EVERYTHING together and they love each others’ company.
Thanksgiving is past, the turkey leftovers are gone, and the green bean casserole is finished. We now begin our family's Christmas holiday traditions that we've been building on since Jessie was born. A favorite tradition of ours is going to Old Baker Farm (www.oldbakerfarm.com - all these pumpkin pictures were made there on Pumpkin Patch day) in Harpersville to tromp around in the great outdoors, take a hayride, drink warm cider, and cut down our Christmas tree. Then we’ll put the tree on a stand outside for a few hours while we listen to carols, bake c
ookies, drink hot chocolate, and make paper chains! We also like to string popcorn while we watch Christmas movies at night. What are some of your favorite traditions? This blog will allow you to comment and others will be able to see your traditions, too. Let us hear from you as you celebrate with your family. We've updated you on our family, and we want to hear about yours, too.
MERRY Christmas and Happy New Year from Chris, Rebecca, Jessie, Noah, Annie and Lizzy Montalbano!
