The birthday party that lasted all night!

Guess who stayed for dinner...Isadora, Morganza and Emolie....

Better known as: Emily, Morgan and Isabelle

We had a ball!

-Mimi :)

William turns 3!!

Today is a special day -- William turned three! He was very excited about his birthday, especially since last weekend we celebrated Cousin Emily's birthday. William wanted to blow out Emily's candles which Emily was not too thrilled about. So today he got to blow out his very own candles on a cool chocolate puzzle cake -- another creative production by Tom and Kim. Right when we were reading Kate's blog, Kate herself called! How cool is that? Thanks for calling Kate. I figured out how to do skype.com too. isn't it cool? Now we are debating whether Emily, Isabelle and Morgan are all going to spend the night at Mimi and Grandad's house. It is going to be a rocking night at the grandparent's house tonight. I think we should all spend the night here. Love, Aunt Molly

A Declaration of Love...

I think you already know of my great love for you, but today I declare it for all to read! From Nana to William I thank you for filling my heart and life with so much love!

I LOVE YOU... Mama, Terrence, Mike, Mary, Kim, Tom, Shannon, Molly, Kristin, Brian, Bethann, Kate, Ford, Andrew, Joe, Emily, Keegan, Isabelle, Aidan and William...(and a special note of love is added for extended family who read this blog)

For my Terrence, the love of my life, let's continue writing the love story!

Happy Valentine's Day!
From: Mimi/Merry/Mom :)

From Birthday princess to the dancing queen

Emily had a sweet birthday party with all the makings to stuff polar bears. Andrew arranged a fun twist to an old favorite .."Musical Bears" and of course Tom's cake original! Morgan crafted a beautiful bear on canvass and Isabelle contributed to Emily's love of art with her own set of blendy pens.
The princess by day transformed into a dancing queen by night. Tom and Emily had a father/daughter dance to end the birthday celebration(s) (at long last). Oh, to be 8 again.........

Henning is Advertising it's best!

TLC's ad looked really good in the Daily Report. He has had many call of compliments and admiration. I too am very proud of the level of success he has achieved in the legal world. Thank you for sharing that success with all of us...Long live the King...and CROFT!

(Be sure to double click on the ad, it will enlarge so you can read it.)

Mimi...(and T-your beloved -M)

Emily turns 8

Emily woke up this morning with smiles. Breakfast is our time to celebrate. And we had a sweet celebration for our Emly this morning. Her breakfast request was double chocolate waffles and fruit. Tom printed out the many faces of Emily and we used them as chandelier decorations. She had many presents to open. And she was delighted. Morgan called to wish her cousin happy birthday. She was sent to school with her favorite snack to share with her friends. It was a happy and blessed morning. Tom and I are so thankful for the gift of Emily. Happy Birthday my little girl.
Mommy/Kim/Bo

Look what I found! Molly has left a new comment on your post "Memories from Christmas Past...":

to be honest, I have not checked out this site since it first got started and I am VERY impressed. I have no clue whether this post works or not but i'm experimenting. ford has his last basketball game tomorrow. they have lost EVERY game the entire season so please keep your fingers crossed that they win at least one! ford got asked to be on an ALTA tennis team so that is pretty cool. Morgan is busy doing her rockclimbing -- that is quickly becoming her new sport. I even have a harness so I can belay her. she has been asked by the Coach to join the climbing team when she gets a little older. the rock climbing wall is just 5 blocks away so an easy walk. but the biggest news of all is that last night Shannon got asked to be an official assistant coach for Ford's new baseball team. He has always been an unofficial assistant to the assistant but this is a huge deal. the head coach is a really nice guy who lives very close to us. the cutest thing is how excited ford is about it which is very sweet. shannon is already studying all the rules so he is ready to be the one to argue with the officials (sorry Grandad, but you will have to not say anything rude since now you will have an official role as the "Father of the Assistant Coach." I am feeling pretty powerful as the "Wife of the Assistant Coach" (I already got business cards made). All the other parents are going to be trying to schmooze me thinking I can help their kid get moved up in the order. Maybe I could even have a reserved seat in the bleachers. Maybe I won't even have to bring snacks! yeah, right. I told Ford I would fill in for Shannon when he could not be there which scared him a lot. thanks to those of you who checked out the updated Croft web site.

-By Mimi :) - For Molly!

Law Firm Announcement:

We are pleased to announce that

Michael G. Regas II has joined

S. Bradley Houck and Frank A. Ilardi

to form

Houck, Ilardi & Regas, LLP

Trial Lawyers

HIR will continue to represent individuals in state and federal courts in all categories of personal injury and wrongful death matters including automobile accidents, trucking accidents, medical malpractice, products liability and premises liability.

Our new contact information is:

Houck, Ilardi & Regas LLC

Two Ravinia Drive, Suite 800

Atlanta, Georgia 30346

Telephone: (770) 392-6080

Facsimile: (770) 392-6083

brad@hirlaw.com

frank@hirlaw.com

mike@hirlaw.com

*

It is official and I am sure that I speak for all of us when I say "Good luck to Mike in his new law firm!". For me...it's just one more good reason to be proud!

As always, Mom/Mimi/Merry

Bonjour!

Hello from Marseille! Jeremy and I dropped in for a bowl of bouillabaisse, and then we're back on the train to Aix-en-Provence. Just wanted to say a general hello and check in. How is everyone?

Just in case you haven't checked, I want you to know that I am narrating the trip, to some (food-focused) extent, on my blog. =)

My love to everybody! Take care,

Kate

PS. Bo - just a note that I haven't slept on any hills.

On your marks.....get set.......

Tom and Emily get ready for the big Indian Princess derby race today. You might remember that several years ago Andrew and Tom swept the entire race to win FIRST place among hundreds of father/son want-to-be winners! Now it's Emily's chance. Wish them well.

Kristin on the News!

Kristin was on the San Francisco news briefly last night, speaking about a new paid sick leave ordinance going into effect in San Francisco in a few weeks. "We have been at the forefront advising employers and working with the San Francisco agency that will enforce the ordinance. Anyway, here's the link to the news story.".
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4968826

CONGRATULATIONS KRISTIN!

-Mimi

We've got more birthdays...

February Birthdays!

Keegan Scott Pedersen

2/3/99

Emily Gwen Sabonis-Chafee

2/5/99

Jeremy Friedman

2/10/86

William Thomas

Sabonis-Chafee

2/18/04

My little brother also has a birthday Jan. 25. He was born in 1950 (a mere child). I had better stop with the extended family list or I will be naming birthdays all day every day! I'll leave that part up to Nana.

HAPPY-HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU!

-Mimi

Off to Europe!

This coming Monday, Kate and Jeremy are off to Europe...

They will see; Paris (about 4 days)->Avignon->Marseille->Carcassonne->Barcellona and other places inbetween. Feb. 10 ( Jeremy's Birthday!) they fly to Dublin (for about 3 days)->Cork->Gallway->Aran Islands->and back to Shannon Airport on Feb. 27th.

Sounds like quite an adventure! I am sure I speak for all of us when I wish them well and God Speed. May you stay healthy and safe, enjoy all you see, and broaden your horizons...and Jeremy, have a "Happy Birthday!".

Dad and I will be waiting for your return. Bon voyage!

-Mimi

Andrew in the spotlight!

Saturday, January 6th, Andrew Sabinis-Chafee was ask to speak at the Wesleyan School Open house. He was one of two elementary students that spoke that day, he sat on a stage with the headmaster, admittance director and other teachers and dignitaries. I can not tell you how proud we were of his writing, delivery and his poise while making that speech. He worked hard over the Christmas holidays, practicing so he could and do a good job telling others what his school meant to him. Kudos to Andrew!

He changed a bit in his delivery (in order to make us laugh) but his speech was as follows...

What I like About Wesleyan

Hi. My name is Andrew Sabonis-Chafee and I’m a 4th grader at Wesleyan. I’ve had the privilege of being at Wesleyan since Kindergarten, and today I’m honored to be standing here talking to you about my experience here at Wesleyan.

My mom would say that the reason my sister and I are here is because God paved the way and continues to provide. I sure am glad that God knows what he’s doing because I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else other than Wesleyan for the past 5 years.

Wesleyan is a great school with great teachers, great faculty and all around great everything. Whenever the teachers have a chance, they always do something nice for you. Whether it is to set up a game or grading papers. Our motto here is J.O.Y., Jesus, Others, Yourself, and the teachers are always following that rule.

When I started Kindergarten on the first day of school, I was nervous, but everyone treated me like we had known each other for years. Everyone is like family to me at Wesleyan.

As I think back to all my years here so far (and God willing more in the future), there are a few things that I can remember about each of my teachers that made a difference to me:

In kindergarten, Mrs. Podojil was loving and kind. If we were good we got to sleep in a loft that was built for her room. I was a bit chatty so I would only admire the loft from a distance.

In first grade, Mrs. Johnson was ready to share what she knew (and she knew a lot). And when we were good, she always gave us a piece of candy.

In second grade, Mrs. Dailey (who’s no longer here) was always patient and caring. I’ll always remember going on a long nature walk trying to identify what things we found. She had a way of teaching us through actions.

In third grade, Mrs. Ching taught us by making everything fun. Most of the time when we had trash at our table she’d allow us to throw it into the waste basket. If you made it in the first try she’d give us a piece of candy. By now you can probably tell what children are motivated by.

Last by not least, Ms. Waters in forth grade is always nice and considerate of other people. If we have a problem, or something we need help with, we can write her a note and talk to her about it. She also assigns kids who have extra time with fun projects to complete.

Plays in every classroom are also a highlight each year and since I have a passion for acting I usually get a good part.

The teachers at Wesleyan are just one thing that makes the school special. We learn about Jesus through bible class, we learn about what to do when we encounter everyday problems in Chapel, we have Guidance class which teaches us to make good life choices, and we have a great playground for running and playing on.

Our principle is cool because she gives out mentions for students once a month. A mention is when the teacher gives an encouraging comment and Mrs. Wood reads them over the intercom. She is a great principle that makes the students feel extra special.

We have lots of field trips. One of my favorites was when we went on a train trip to Alabama. The school lunches aren’t that bad either, but they do need a little help with their macaroni. We have really fun parties that the parents usually put together for us. We are really lucky to have caring parents that help out with parties throughout the year. They even throw us really big parties like the annual Hoedown. That’s one of my favorite things.

Even though this is the only school I’ve ever known, I am thankful for each year that I can stay here. Thank you for giving me a chance to talk to you about Wesleyan, and thank you to my teachers who have made an impact on my life.

BRAVO, ANDREW, BRAVO!!

- Mimi

(P.S. Joe and Mike (in a men's league) started roller hockey today...I hope the big guy didn't get hurt! Let me know the extracurricular things that you and yours are doing. I would love to let everyone in on the fun and achievements.)

Memories from Christmas Past...

2006 was a wonderful Christmas. Kate home and in the kitchen cooking up delicious things, the Caroling Party at Tom and Kim's, being with Mike and Mary at the Lawyer's Club Christmas Party, keeping up with Molly and Shannon's adventures while Molly was in China, beautiful singing at the candle light Christmas Eve service, the sweet gathering at Mimi and Grandad's on Christmas morning, our blessed time at Nana's house and of course the addition of Jeremy Friedman to our celebration. Each moment together, each thoughtful gift, phone call or Christmas card made for a joyous season.

Smiles and special visits....



Playing games....and Grandad's supprise....


...even a hint of Santa Claus' excitment....


Christmas morning came and without a doubt, the magic was in the air. We laughed and we played and marveled at the gifts. We even felt the loving arms of love of those far away.


Grandad gets love from the Pedersons and Keegan!


I know I've gone on far too long but I am so
very grateful for all those I hold dear and in some weird and wonderful way...
I can't wait for next year!

I love you,

-Mimi

Message from Layton Croft

Mimi, please post on Chatterbox. Thanks.

Terrence Lee Croft
Trial Lawyer, Mediator and Arbitrator
King & Croft, LLP
127 Peachtree St., Ste. 707 Atlanta, Ga. 30303
404 577-8400
404 5778401 fax
tlc@king-croft.com
www.king-croft.com
www.henningmediation.com

From: Layton Croft [mailto:LaytonC@Ivancorp.net]Sent: Sun 12/31/2006 12:57 AMTo: Layton CroftSubject: SAVE THESE DATES!
31 December 2006

Dear Family and Friends:

Warm pre-New Year’s Greetings from the Gobi desert; I am writing you all this email after just dismounting from my trusty camel. Back in September, Ally ran a half marathon down here in the Gobi and Chaandmon and Sky helped hold up the Finish Line.

Ally and I got married in Ulaanbaatar on 27 September 1997, and soon it will be 10 wedded years together, six of them as a trio and the past two of them as a quartet. Since we effectively eloped the first time, as far as y’all are concerned, we wanted to celebrate with a reprise that includes loved ones from all over the place, and a venue that is a little more accessible.

Consider this email your pre invitation. Please save the dates of 16-19 August 2007, with the core dates being 17-18 August. The location will be Driggs, Idaho, USA, which is just west of the Teton mountains and Jackson Hole, WY, and a short drive to Yellowstone National Park, the Snake River and other beautiful sights and fun outdoor activities.

The main gig will consist of reuniting, hanging out, music, food, drink, laughter, PowerPoint presentations and special surprises on August 17-18 at the Grand Targhee Resort, and everyone will stay in traditional Mongolian gers. More details at www.grandtarghee.com and in the attached PDF (which includes discounted rates for rooms at that resort). But you can stay in other places – rented homes, apartments, hotels – in Driggs, or in Jackson Hole if you want. Some useful web sites to explore those options are:
www.grandvalleylodging.com
www.tetonvalleyidaho.com
www.vrbo.com/90977

The closest airports are Idaho Falls and Jackson Hole. Salt Lake City is also doable but is about a five-hour drive to Driggs.

If you have more time please note that on the evening of Thursday, August 16, at the famous Knotty Pine restaurant and live music joint in downtown Victor (between Driggs and the mountain pass to Jackson Hole), there will be an encore performance by a reunion of a band consisting of members of Aggressive Pedestrians, Balsa Gliders and Rose Bowl. And there will be a brunch on the morning of Sunday, August 19 at the famous Miso Hungry café in downtown Driggs.

Please tell us if you plan to come and how many people in your gang so we can start building the gers.

~Love Layton, Ally, Chaandmon and Sky

p.s. – soon we will launch a family web site (password protected and we’ll send the password soon, too) that will have more information about the 10th anniversary gig bash and more fun stuff, including PowerPoint presentations!

p.p.s. – our apologies if this email is coming to you seemingly out of the blue and ten or more years after you saw our faces last…

p.p.p.s. – just kidding about the gers.


------------------------
T. Layton Croft
Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility
Ivanhoe Mines Mongolia Inc.
(976) 9911.3339
www.ot.mn

Happy New Year! 2007

The hour is fast approaching that begins a new years. I pray that each of you look forward to all the joys your hard work, family dedication, and positive living has in store for you. Love one another, stay healthy, visit when you can and don't sweat the small stuff!

You are loved by us...

Mom/Merry/Mimi and

Dad/Terr/Grandad

Merry Christmas Family

May you have a good nights sleep and wake up to a glorious Christmas morning, full of blessings in the giving and joy in the getting. Hallelujah, Christ is born!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

-Mimi

The Great Mother

Passing on the tradition and keeping the story alive... enjoy the traditions of my childhood!
-Mimi

Honoring our Great Mother

Macon Anderson Floyd

Christmas 1987

The Great Mother

by

Kenneth Anderson Floyd

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of Christmas Day night with the Great Mother dear.
The Great Mother sits in her favorite chair,
Waiting patiently for her loved ones to get there.
The house is all ready, it’s warm and it’s bright,
It seems that it knows it’s to be a great night.
The children, and grand-children, and great-grandchildren too,
Have had “Christmas” today till their faces are blue.
But somehow they rally because they all know,
That the Great Mother waits them, so they hurry and go.
And slowly they gather- a trickle at first,
When their number’s complete, it will make the house burst.
They bring in the goodies, to give and to eat,
Finding space just to place all the stuff is a feat.
The Great Mother greets them, her feelings sublime,
That all of her family is home for this time.
She hugs and she kisses each one with a prayer
Of grateful thanksgiving that all could be there.
For so many years they’ve come to her door,
She’s thankful that God has allowed her one more.
To have all her brood gather under her wing
To eat, and to chatter, to laugh, and to sing.
How special to her is each one, and how dear,
How fine that they honor her year after year.
But the honor is theirs, just to be a small part
Of the Great Mother’s family; of the Great Mother’s heart.
Her life’s as example; her care never waives,
She’s worthy of honor; she’s worthy of praise.
Let all of her loved ones, the big and the slight,
Give homage and love to the Great Mother this night.
As long as there’s Christmas, her love will remain
To guide all her loved ones, their love to sustain.
The children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren too
Will keep the Great Mother’s tradition like new.
And generations to come will be filled with delight,
When told of the Great Mother’s Christmas Day Night.

God's Angel turns One

Although it makes me cry a few tears, I have to mark December 8Th, the anniversary of my Dad's death, with thanksgiving that I can now think of him with a smile and beautiful memories of Christmas. What a bright star he was at Christmas time!

To all of you who have loved and lost, I hope you can do the same. Christmas is especially hard but we have to remember that love is the gift that keeps on giving and now we have the baton...so pass it on and never let the light go out.

To my Mama; thank you for keeping the home fires burning. Thank you for loving my Daddy and for continuing your journey with us in his absents. Thanks be to God for the Gift.

-Merry