2011 was a year of growth and changes for us in many ways. First of all, our little family of three became four on November 5th with the addition of Arthur Ellsworth. He arrived a week early and took only 6½ hours of labor—proof that he was ready and raring to get out here. And even though he was early, he was still pretty hefty: 8 lbs. 13 oz., and 21½ inches long! Arthur is a bright and beautiful little boy and we’re all thrilled to have him here, especially big sister Maggie. Connie and Steve both had a lucrative year on the job front: Connie got a teaching job and Steve changed departments on campus. We’ve had the privilege and joy of witnessing the marriages of family and close friends this summer. We also experienced the sad loss of Steve’s grandmother this summer. We take solace in the knowledge that she got to spend time with her first great-grandchild before her passing. Our traveling this year was limited to visiting family, mostly because of the logistics of traveling with a pregnant mama, studious daddy, and cantankerous toddler. We were able to go to the Sandwich Fair and Oswego’s PrairieFest, which are always fun for the whole family.
Connie enjoyed her job teaching at the ELS center located on campus as an English reading and writing instructor. Her work was intensive as each session lasted four weeks at a time, but it was rewarding and enriching because of the time challenge. She loved getting to know her students and learning about their customs and cultures from Asia, South America, and Europe. Both Maggie and Connie picked up a little Arabic too from some of the students from Saudi Arabia. Teaching was really the bright point of most of Connie’s year, considering that she spent the rest of her time swelling and suffering from pregnancy and one of the hottest summers on record. She also enjoyed working with the kids at her church teaching music and preparing them for their annual presentation. Any time and energy that was left over was spent reading and playing with Maggie.
Steve found a new position at the university in Registration and Records, but while it pays better than his previous job, it is no less Sisyphean—just pushing a different boulder up a different hill. At least he’s still a 10-minute walk from home so he can eat lunch with us every day. In an attempt to slowly dig his way out of the prison of cubicle life, Steve has been taking night classes toward a master’s degree in Counseling at NIU. So far the classes seem to be going well, but we miss him on the evenings when he is in class. When he’s not being a super student, he is a super dad, chasing toddlers and late night feeding infants. And although he is studying the human condition, he still manages to scrape together some time for genealogy and rocking out. Sleeping and eating are saved for vacations and weekends.
Maggie continues to grow by leaps and bounds. She is a big helper to Mommy and Daddy with little brother Arthur, giving him baths, making bottles, and throwing out dirty diapers. Maggie’s interests are many and varied, ranging from swimming, playing drums, ballet dancing, exploring nature, trying out new recipes, learning new languages (Arabic and Spanish), and conducting science experiments with her parents. Other fun Maggie facts: her newest favorite food is salami. Her favorite children’s book series is the Berenstain Bears. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite animal is a cat. She was Mater from Cars this Halloween and had fun trick-or-treating for the first time, although she still says that Christmas will always be her favorite holiday. Probably the most fun thing about Maggie this year is that she has taken a real interest in the world around her, and is asking any question that comes in her head. Thank goodness for Google and the library!
Just as we’ve enjoyed all of the changes this year, we can hardly wait to see how everything will be this time next year. Hopefully we’ll all be a little wiser, happier, and closer together. We wish the same good things to all of you, and are hoping that we can share our happiness again with you throughout the coming year.
Best to you and yours!
Steve, Connie, Maggie, & Arthur
