Once again this year we are sending out our "Christmas letter" via a link on our Christmas cards to this weblog. So while you can scroll down the entries in the "family" section of this weblog to see what we've been up to this year (and browse the online photo albums), this post is intended to summarize everything that's happened this year. For more information and photos, just click on the "family" section of the weblog and scroll down. (This post will be the first one - just keep scrolling down).
In February, Grayson, then seven and a first grade Tiger Cub competed in his first Pinewood Derby contest with Cub Scouts. 
We (uh, he) finished fourth, and when someone ahead of him dropped out, he got to go to the district competition with his "Bat" car. Also in February we hosted the Marshall Symphony League's Presentation Tea at our home, which brought in about 200 guests to see the girls being presented this year. 
In June we went to both the Kleypas (my maternal grandmother) and Flowers (Jamie's maternal grandmother) family reunions (think we grew up in matriarchal families? I'm still living in one). 
In July Jamie and I and her parents Jim and Marie took Grayson, Collin and Parker to Disneyland in California for several days. 
We went to Universal Studios, Disneyland and California Adventure, and the Reagan Library. For the full details, see here and the photo album here. Highlights were meeting Spiderman, and touring Air Force One (we thought the Oval Office replica at the Reagan Library wasn't accurate - the lighting wasn't right). July was also the twins' 4th birthday party, which had a Cars theme this year. 
August brought the return of school, with Grayson starting second grade, and Collin and Parker starting 4 year old day school - all in the same uniforms. 
The boys all played soccer this year, Grayson's fifth season, and the twins' first (and boy, did it show!).
Throughout the year I tried to post on the books and movies we've read and watched, and those posts are included under the "Books" and "Movies/TV" tabs on the weblog, as well as being crossreferenced by fiction, history, etc. Highlights this year included a lengthy analysis of the Pope's first encyclical Deus Caritas Est as well as two important new books on the Battle of Midway, and a decent selection of history and fiction. Still not a lot of music, although I am actually listening to a lot more on XM radio these days. I am also getting closer and closer to actually finishing a ship model for the first time in 13 years, and the boys and I are spending more time in the workshop - last weekend Grayson and I built a wooden suitcase that he drew up the plans for - see the whole story here. He has also developed plans for an improved Titanic ocean liner and I have not yet explained why I can't handle building one of those.
As far as work, the law office has been busy this year. I have gotten some notice for our work with the local patent docket, and was quoted in articles in the Dallas Morning News, Austin American Statesman and New York Times this year, as well as a few legal publications, as well as writing a couple of features on the subject, including for the Texas Bar Journal this month. All that is summarized on my legal weblog www.EDTexweblog.com , which tracks caselaw and news out of our local federal district courts. I'm also in my second year on the State Bar of Texas board of directors, and finished my term as president of the Eastern District of Texas bar association this fall. I also worked on a few cases during the year, including arguing three appeals before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans (don't know yet if I won or lost) and helping try a case or two up this way (lost those, unfortunately). But overall a very good (and very busy) year on the legal front.
Jamie's year at the office was a little more colorful. She faced an opponent in the general election this fall and in November won reelection to her fourth four-year 
term as county treasurer, leading all contested countywide races with 56.23% of the vote. Our best campaigners (other than her dad Jim, of course) were the boys, whose candid photo on the left we turned into our campaign ad, with a banner headline reading "Please Vote for Our Mom". No, I am not joking. See? 
This is BY FAR the best picture the three have ever taken together, so please click on it and see just how cute they are, would you?
But best of all, the morning after the election, Jamie and I left Marshall for a nineteen-day trip to Europe for our 10th wedding anniversary. (Yes, it really has been that long). 
Our itinerary included one night in Rome, after which we boarded our ship and went to Naples, then to Greece (Athens and Mykonos), Turkey (Istanbul and Kusadasi) and Egypt (Cairo via Port Said and Alexandria) then back to Rome for an intensive four days of seeing everything. Highlights of the trip included the Pyramids and seeing St. Peter's tomb under the altar at St. Peter's in Rome on the special tour of the excavations under the basilica. Watching Tony Romo and the Cowboys beat the class act of Peyton Manning's Colts on the ship was a close third - we stayed up till three in the morning to watch that, but it was worth it. Highlights from the trip are in the photo album. I am still working on the detailed posts, as there is just so much to say.
Back home after the trip has meant a lot of catching up with work and around the house, but it has been a lot of fun as well. But we are glad to be home with our boys, even though that seems to mean - as usual - catching every germ known to man.
Anyway, it has been a very good year for the Smiths and we hope it has been for you as well. happy holidays and have a very merry Christmas!
Jamie, Michael, Grayson, Collin & Parker Smith