US contract!

My US contract with Simon & Schuster arrived yesterday! I signed away everything . . . short of my soul :)

Here it is . . . all 15 pages.



Carefully reading over the fine print.

Happily kissing my life away.


Doing a celebration dance.

Jace

Painting!

Clean hands, mom!

Here is my eye, also paint-free!

Here I am, looking handsome. As usual.

ABCs

Riley worked very hard over Christmas vacation teaching Jace is ABCs.

Batman Legos

Merry Christmas!!!

A few pictures from Christmas morning

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas from the Fitzpatricks! We have fond memories of the time spent with family this year. Highlights include a trip to Idaho for a triathlon, where Justin and Becca competed against each other. (For the record, Becca would like to point out she bested Justin by thirteen minutes. For the record, Justin would like to point out he was scammed.) We also spent a great Thanksgiving with Justin's family.

Justin still enjoys work at Intel, but looks forward to the day he quits with much anticipation. He occupies his free time with competitive volleyball, community service, video games and financial engineering. (Riley would like to point out one more thing: Dad enjoys sending people to their rooms.)

Becca had a breakthrough year, and sold her romantic thriller to Simon & Schuster for publication in January 2010. The book will also be published in the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Holland and Japan. She is writing the sequel, and hopes to make a career in writing. When she's not writing, Becca plays chauffeur to her children, referees their wrestling matches and reads bedtime stories. She also enjoys kickboxing, running and spending money on shoes.

Riley is A Very Busy Boy. He started kindergarten this year, and especially enjoys the social aspect. His reading is improving and I'll often find him in his bedroom reading Star Wars books to Jace. Riley's love for Legos is an enduring passion, and he and Jace build spaceships and hold battles. Almost indefinitely, Riley plays Darth Vader and Jace is Luke Skywalker. Riley is very curious about the world around him, and he and Justin spend time every night reading How Things Work by David Macauley. Soccer took up a large chunk of Riley's time this past fall, and Chess Club ends just before Christmas.

Our nickname for Jace is “Curious George,” and he upholds the title well. He has a strong personality and when he's determined to do something, nothing will stop him. For example, Riley usually plugs in the outdoor Christmas lights at dusk, but feeling left out, Jace wanted his turn. He sat out in the snow for ten minutes, freezing, but refusing any help until he accomplished the task by himself. Jace loves trains, especially electric trains and Thomas. He finds much glee in chasing Riley around the house, and the chasing usually ends with a wrestling match in the living room. Although he is four years younger, Jace is comparable in size, and the match is anybody's game. One of Jace's passions is food, and he never hesitates to try something new. His favorite word at the table is “more.”

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season!

Justin, Becca, Riley & Jace