The Gazette Continues

One of the many things my children always enjoyed at my parents' house was the old manual typewriter in the basement. Amid the wild noise of pillow and rubber band fights among the cousins, Amy would sit and serenely type up the Grandma's House Gazette. It told the local news, from Grandma's cinnamon rolls to sick cousins.

Amy wasn't along when we went to my folks' place over Christmas, so Hillary, my niece, took up the torch, as follows:


THE GRANDMA’S HOUSE GAZETTE
December 28, 2005

Senior editor (Amy Smucker)
Taking leave of absence. Hillary
Yoder reporting in her place.

STEVEN
A new addition to the family this year is Steven Smucker, who was adopted from Africa one year ago. To celebrate their "gotcha day," the Smuckers created an authentic Kenyan meal on Saturday, complete with Steven’s own ugali. Besides cooking, Steven likes to play basketball and read "Daniel Boone." Although he may seem quiet and reserved around those he doesn’t know very well, Steven is actually quite rambunctious and was described by his younger sister as "noisy, bouncy, and he RATTLES THE CHANDELIERS!" It will be interesting to learn more about Steven in the years to come.
A second, and undoubtedly quieter presence is Nolan Jeremy Koehn, who will be 4 months old in January.

DEATH BY CITRUS
Strange things have been taking place in Grandma’s basement. Most memorably, several children competed in a tangerine-eating contest, as onlookers gasped in horror and photographed prolifically. Said one participant, "The sensation was like a frog going down my throat in the dead of night with a glass of orange juice."

MOVING FORWARD
Best wishes to Matt Smucker and Janet Yoder as they leave this week to brave the wilderness of Bible school. May they have success in both their studies and in their "dear hunting."

Quote of the Day:
"No one was harmfully injured."
--Amy, in an old GHG, writing about a rubber band fight