December 2008
Happy Holidays! We hope you have had a nice year and wish to share our annual family update with you.
Finn Ripken was born April 21. He has the same initials as his paternal grandfather, just as Austin does. Ripken is such a happy little guy whose favorite thing to do is eat. 
He also enjoys ripping papers, chewing cords, and laughing at Ainsleigh. His motor skills are developing much quicker than we would like, and he’s crawling, pulling himself up to standing, going up stairs, threatening to walk, and getting into absolutely everything.
He also enjoys ripping papers, chewing cords, and laughing at Ainsleigh. His motor skills are developing much quicker than we would like, and he’s crawling, pulling himself up to standing, going up stairs, threatening to walk, and getting into absolutely everything.
This year Ainsleigh, now 3, started pre-school two mornings a week, played on a soccer team, and began dance lessons. 
She scored one goal at soccer but generally preferred practices to games. 
At dance, we’re thinking her personality may be more suited to modern than ballet. 
In March she moved out of the nursery to the room next door, which had previously been the storage room that most people call an office (so this was no small task). Ainsleigh is into Thomas and Friends, sharks, coloring and painting, and is very hopeful that it will snow so she can build a snowman.
We spent the summer in Baltimore, where Austin interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We lived right downtown, so we were able to walk to everything.
We had a great time going to many Orioles games, where Ainsleigh discovered peanuts and fireworks, and her favorite position was the catcher. 
We also made weekly trips to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and the Baltimore Zoo. Ainsleigh’s favorite things were the sharks and the dolphin show at the aquarium, 
feeding giraffes and brushing goats at the zoo, 
and digging for fossils and watching planetarium shows at the science center. 
We also went to some of the Smithsonian museums in DC, and Tracy took both kids on her annual PA/NY road trip. We stopped in State College and finally went to the new creamery, enjoyed an amusement park with the Knoebels, and visited Grandma in NY where we went to the museum, fed ducks on the canal, went out to Lake Ontario, swam at the aquatics center, and saw the O’Connors and Janssons. Kay and Reed came to visit over July 4th and we went to Fort McHenry, because nothing says July 4th like shooting off a canon followed by a baseball game. We also went to a train museum. A few weeks later Kay returned with our nephew Erik and we took him to his first baseball game. Although we could have done without the mice and sirens and with more vegetation, we had a fun summer living in Baltimore.
She scored one goal at soccer but generally preferred practices to games. 
At dance, we’re thinking her personality may be more suited to modern than ballet. 
In March she moved out of the nursery to the room next door, which had previously been the storage room that most people call an office (so this was no small task). Ainsleigh is into Thomas and Friends, sharks, coloring and painting, and is very hopeful that it will snow so she can build a snowman.
We spent the summer in Baltimore, where Austin interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We lived right downtown, so we were able to walk to everything.
We had a great time going to many Orioles games, where Ainsleigh discovered peanuts and fireworks, and her favorite position was the catcher. 
We also made weekly trips to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, and the Baltimore Zoo. Ainsleigh’s favorite things were the sharks and the dolphin show at the aquarium, 
feeding giraffes and brushing goats at the zoo, 
and digging for fossils and watching planetarium shows at the science center. 
We also went to some of the Smithsonian museums in DC, and Tracy took both kids on her annual PA/NY road trip. We stopped in State College and finally went to the new creamery, enjoyed an amusement park with the Knoebels, and visited Grandma in NY where we went to the museum, fed ducks on the canal, went out to Lake Ontario, swam at the aquatics center, and saw the O’Connors and Janssons. Kay and Reed came to visit over July 4th and we went to Fort McHenry, because nothing says July 4th like shooting off a canon followed by a baseball game. We also went to a train museum. A few weeks later Kay returned with our nephew Erik and we took him to his first baseball game. Although we could have done without the mice and sirens and with more vegetation, we had a fun summer living in Baltimore.
In October we went to Asheville, NC for fall break. We enjoyed the nature center, some museums, and hiking to several waterfalls. 
Our favorite part was playing in the leaves, which were very nearly at peak. 
Tracy just finished her third semester of PhD coursework in mathematics and teacher education. She also taught the undergrad math methods course, which was very rewarding but resulted in our most overwhelming semester yet. She is also supervising student teachers at the school where she last taught first grade. This spring should be her last semester of coursework!
Austin graduated from UNC this month with his MBA and has one remaining course this spring to complete his MHA. He continues to officiate soccer and volleyball. Austin is currently on the job market, and we are anxious to see where we will be living at the end of the spring semester.
We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and wish you joy and peace throughout the holiday season and in the new year!
Love,
Our favorite part was playing in the leaves, which were very nearly at peak. 
Tracy just finished her third semester of PhD coursework in mathematics and teacher education. She also taught the undergrad math methods course, which was very rewarding but resulted in our most overwhelming semester yet. She is also supervising student teachers at the school where she last taught first grade. This spring should be her last semester of coursework!
Austin graduated from UNC this month with his MBA and has one remaining course this spring to complete his MHA. He continues to officiate soccer and volleyball. Austin is currently on the job market, and we are anxious to see where we will be living at the end of the spring semester.We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and wish you joy and peace throughout the holiday season and in the new year!
Love,
