2013 and beyond

Another holiday gone by and it is nearly Valentine's Day again. November through January always seems tricky for Jenn to keep on top of things. This year a little trickier because she had a nasty virus of some sort in November that threw her out of whack and had her at home for more than a week. It wasn't influenza, but it did turn into an ear and sinus infection requiring a couple of rounds of antibiotics. Joel also got hit with some version of that virus twice, and so the holidays were a little tough all around.

A local museum was getting a professional movie made for their galleries and used Old World Wisconsin as their setting. Joel, Willem and Alice were called in to help fill out the crowds and they got some close ups. If you're ever in Kenosha, you can check out the Civil War Museum to see the video and hopefully the family. Alice also helped Mom by appearing in some on-line videos at her work.  You can see her here:

 and as a little ghostie at the end here:







The family got a fun vacation in the St. Paul area in June after having visited new cousin during their spring break. They got to see their AZ  and MN cousins, aunts and uncles and grandma and grandpa for a week. We stayed in a house with Jenn's sister Emily and her family and had adventures in the Mall of America and some other area museums. The "Let's have cake" tradition took full hold on this occasion with cake for birthdays for people who were there and who weren't there.

Jenn had a new nephew in the beginning of the year that she helped out with for a week in January, to give her brother and sister-in-law an extra hand. He was super cute, so it was no burden. She also continued with spin class and picked up riding with a group once a week. Her tire changing skills were put to the test one very rainy day. She failed, but everyone around was impressed with her trying. She finished her 8th season with Old World Wisconsin.

Joel started subbing every day in January. He really loves the hours, as it gets him home about the time the kids are done with school and left him available for the summer around the house. He continued it into the fall and finds it's a job that doesn't aggravate his back. He also loves the variety of kids he gets to see and work with every day. On his summer vacation, he jacked up the garage and replaced a very large sill log and built a chicken coop for potentially housing egg layers next summer. He also joined the local committee working to build a warming house for a local skating pond. He's having a great time with all those activities. He is still contemplating if getting a teaching license and going full-time will work for him.

Willem decided to grow this past year. First he passed his grandma (Jenn's mom)then he passed Jenn. He still enjoys playing soccer, he did the youth triathlon a second time and got third in his class, and when he started eighth grade, he began with geometry at the high school for his day and with 6 other classmates gets a ride back to the middle school for the rest of the day. He's been very interested in his future and as he starts to choose his high school classes, it's with an eye on a career in computer sciences already. He is continuing band and got himself involved with jazz band this year, having started on valve trombone. He's thinking about learning slide trombone. He also celebrated his golden birthday (14 on the 14th) with a trip to a vintage video arcade. His favorite game to stuff quarters in was Gauntlet.

Alice is also much taller than she was last year. She turned 10 on Mother's Day and she and Mom did a special horseback ride to celebrate Mother's Day and her birthday of 10 years. She finished what would be her last year of dance with a little Austin Powers number. Joel even danced with her on stage in a Daddy & Dancer routine.  She gave the triathlon a try, but it was so cold on that late July day, that she may never try it again. She toughed it out and was nowhere near the bottom, which was good for her. She also still enjoys soccer and started on a traveling team this fall. That made getting kids to games a challenge.  Her last year in elementary school she's really getting creative.  She started French horn in November and sounds very good, as far as we can tell.  She had a solo in her winter music production. We think she sounded great. She got a paint set for Christmas and has painted many pictures with it already.  She continues to love reading, writing and math and is doing well in all her classes, especially science.

Joel and Jenn worked together to create an awesome Halloween costume for her.  She asked to be Tauriel, the female warrior elf character from The Hobbit movies.

Joel made the bow from PVC pipe, the leather waist cincher, arm guards, and quiver. Jenn made the leaf green tunic and colored and braided her hair like the character in the movie. Jenn decided to tweet it to The Hobbit Movie account and to Evangeline Lily's account (the actress who played Tauriel) and they retweeted it to their followers. It was potentially seen by over 200,000 people. We're just glad it met her exacting specifications. She's become very particular since turning 10.


Other than the crazy illness at the end of the year, that didn't seem to touch the kids, the Van Haaftens had a really good year. We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying 2014, though the winter weather doesn't promise to be nicer anytime soon. Until the next new year.

Love from us: Jenn, Joel, Will and Alice.