A few years ago I received a Christmas letter from a family that had a recap for each family member and we have adopted that structure. It is fun to think back over the year and to see what has made an impact. Here is our letter for 2014!
Dear
Family and Friends,
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year! We definitely cannot believe 2014 has come to an
end. It seems each year goes by faster
and faster as these kids grow. For the
McCools 2014 was a busy year with many activities, vacations and memories.
Cale and Mallory: Both Cale and Mallory are growing up and
changing so much. 4 years old and they are in Pre K with Ms. Lauren and Ms.
Mandy and LOVE their friends and teachers at daycare. We hear many stories of what goes on during
the day and let me say that it is A LOT!
They cannot wait to go to Kindergarten, which we will determine in April
2015 but this mom is trying to keep them in the moment as much as
possible.
Cale
enjoyed outdoor soccer where he scored some goals and we had to teach him that
pushing kids down is not how the game goes.
He is fun to watch and enjoyed making new friends. He is looking forward to indoor and then
finally being able to play baseball in 2015.
His loyalty in cheering on a team lies with his daddy and Purdue, the
Cyclones and the Reds.
Mallory
too played soccer, she is more into the social side vs. the game side but did
well and played hard. She is on her
second year of dance, she now does ballet and tap and will perform two dances
in the recital in 2015. She LOVES tap,
is still our quiet one and the only one who will stand for IU with Momma.
Caden and Maggie: Both Caden and Maggie graduated Kindergarten
in May 2015 and loved their year with Mrs. Pindell and Mrs. Albright. They are doing AWESOME in 1st grade
and enjoying being in their separate classes with their amazing teachers. Being in separate classes has been an
adjustment for all but good as well so we will see what the future holds. They just turned 7 but cannot wait to be 16!
Caden
enjoyed soccer, basketball and LOTS of baseball for 2014. He did and is currently playing indoor soccer
and doing well, learning lots and enjoying himself. Basketball was very different for him and
something he has chosen to not repeat again but we okay with him trying new
things. Baseball is his love and passion.
That kid would play every day if the weather would allow. Many days in the backyard with Papaw Casey
and his brother or whoever will play is how we spend our days. He was selected for the All Star team this
summer and enjoyed playing with all of the kids and learned a lot from Coach
Knigga. He loves his Steelers and
Boilermakers and will continue to surprise us with a new favorite team every
once in a while.
Maggie
continues to do ballet and tap as well as adding hip hop this year. It will be a busy recital for her but she is
enjoying herself and really loves to perform.
She continues to compete in
pageants and is learning a lot about winning, not winning and working hard for
what you want. She did perform a talent
this year where she sang a song from Annie and it proved to us this kid can do
anything she sets her mind to – a few lessons and up on that stage she
went. We did not place in talent but
none the less she did it. She did bring
home most promising model, runner up in Photogenic and Casual wear. We did not travel to nationals but that is
her big goal, she wants that crown. She
played softball and soccer this year and is enjoying both, mostly to hang out
with her friends but she is doing well at soccer and learned a TON this year in
outdoor. She remains neutral on colleges
in this house divided and says Ball State is a good school for her, which we
know Aunt Erica agrees.
Matt: What a busy year 2014 was! I needed my own personal assistant to manage
my schedule of husband, dad, coach, and employee! I’m still working for Coca-Cola after almost
13 years. My new position has led to a
lot of travel. While it is hard being
away, I did get to do some fun stuff while on travel. I was able to see a Reds/Cubs game at
Wrigley, a Bengals/Chiefs game at Arrowhead, and a Royals/Cards game at Busch
Stadium. I managed to balance my travel
with coaching 2 soccer teams and a baseball team. I love that the kids are getting so into
sports! I joined a running team this
year, Tatum’s Bags of Fun, and competed in many races. I finished my 2nd half marathon with Trina
this fall in Indianapolis. I’m shooting
for a full in 2015. We had 2 very fun
fundraising trips for the team to Keeneland and can’t wait to do them again next
year!
Trina: So much changed and was
accomplished for me in 2014. I completed
my first ever half marathon and was super excited to do this at Disney World,
what an amazing run that I could not have done without my side kick Alex. Matt’s cousin agreed to run with me when my
friend could not due to injury, we are grateful for Carmen sharing her bib as I
am not sure I could have done it without Alex by my side the whole way. We had Matt, his cousin Whitney, Mary Jo and
the girls cheering us on and it was a fabulous accomplishment when my heart was
heavy with the passing of my Grandma Ramey the day before the run. Our run was topped off with a quick trip to
the Magic Kingdom since Whitney and Alex has never been before, they look great
in Minnie ears and we had a fun fast visit.
I guess you could say I became a runner this year because I ran 3 10K
races and two half marathons and logged many stress relieving miles in between. I LOVE an early morning run and will schedule
life around them.
My Grandma
Ramey passed away in February but she is no longer in pain. She is enjoying a healthy life reunited with
my dad and I continue to miss them both in my life and deal with the
after. We also had to say goodbye to my
Aunt Lisa, Uncle Butch’s wife this year as she passed unexpectedly. It was a rough 10 months for our family and
appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers while we were going through
everything.
Lastly,
I started a new chapter in my career. My
almost 9 years at ConAgra ended and I began a new adventure at a broker, The
Sell Group, calling on Kroger. My new
team is great, small and I am learning a ton and still calling on Kroger which
is what I love to do. I am looking
forward to 2015 and what it may bring, I pray for less heartache and more
memories and learning my new job.
The
kids keep us busy and I maintain a part time job of juggling the calendar and
logistics especially with Matt’s travel. Matt and I are grateful to all of our family
and friends who help us out to raise these little people. It takes a village and we have a pretty
awesome village!
McCool Family Top 10 of 2014:
·
McCool
Family vacation to Orange Beach, Alabama (lots of McCools! 26 of us!)
·
Family
vacation to Pompano Beach, Florida
·
A
new career for Trina
·
Caden
and Maggie turned 7
·
Mallory
and Cale turned 4
·
Trina
and Matt run the Monumental Half Marathon
·
Caden
makes the All-Star Team
·
Maggie
wins Most Promising Model at National American Miss Indiana
·
Mallory’s
First Dance Recital
·
Cale
scored his first goal in soccer
While
these are not in any particular order they are what stands out as good memories
for us and fun times. You can follow
along on our adventures at trinamccool.blogspot.com I am on there as much as
possible and have so much more to write!
The 6
Cools,
 |
Pompano Beach 2014
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