Archive for the ‘Holiday's’ Category

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Christmas (Letter) in May

May 11, 2009

I finally have our Christmas Letter mailed.  I’m posting it here for those of you who don’t rate a mailed copy ;-)

You may have wondered why you didn’t receive your favorite Christmas Letter, The BBW, in 2008.  Well, it’s because we were in the midst of all sorts of changes.  Now that the majority of them are done, & before the cost of stamps goes up, you’re finally getting your letter.  We have too much to cover so you’ll have to forgive me for the lack of creativity.

I should have known we were in for it when Jason mentioned that 2008 was going to be a year of no major changes.  We were done having kids, his job was going well, the boys were enjoying their schools, Tova was quickly hitting the tantrum filled two’s, I was enjoying my life at home, status quo was feeling pretty good.  And then Jason happened upon a job posting for the Research Station in CSS.  After what seemed like months of talking (it was really only a couple of weeks) we decided he should apply, you know, just to see what happens.  We weren’t really looking to move, things are good in Rural City but CSS would cut our trip to MN in half & it’s one of the few offices we’d consider a move to that would bring us closer to our extended family.  In Oct. Jason was offered the job & he accepted.  Thus began The Fiasco.  It all started out okay.  We were given info that looked good & we began to plan for a move around Christmas.  Only the info we were given wasn’t correct & up until early March, we weren’t sure we were actually going to move.  In the meantime, Jason started his new job in early Jan. & the kids & I stayed in Rural City.

Let me tell you, single parenthood isn’t for sissies & I only did it for 12 weeks.  The kids were nice enough to fall apart one per week instead of all at the same time.  They were vomiting for the first 2 days of our foray into single parenthood – an auspicious beginning, for sure!  After a few weeks we settled into our routine & things were easier.  We all still missed Jason, but none of us were crying daily.  Jason wasn’t really excited about his bachelor life.  The first month was spent in a hotel, eating out every meal (my dream way to cook) & in Feb. he moved into an apartment that may or may not have been the site of a murder (He didn’t find that out until after he moved in.  It’s not that bad of a neighborhood, apparently just a bad tenant who is now in prison).  Anyway, the final piece of The Fiasco fell apart or fell into place (depending on your perspective) in early March & voila!  We are the sellers of our beloved house in Rural City & the owners of a new (to us) house in CSS.

Despite all of this, the kids have continued to thrive.

Ethan is now in second grade.  He is an excellent reader.  He plows through books at an alarming rate & loves The Secrets of Droon, The Boxcar Children, & Harry Potter.  He’s also pretty good at Math & Science, but not so good at keeping his desk clean. Starting a new school was scary but he quickly made new friends & has been busy rubbing it in to his old friends that he’s already doing multiplication.  He played baseball last summer & is looking forward to that activity again this summer.  Ethan still loves his Lego’s.  He spends many hours building Star Wars Replica’s & then gives a dissertation on what he’s built.  For his 8th birthday we threw a parade.  Or to be more accurate, Local University’s homecoming was the same day as his birthday so we had fun making a sign enticing the parade participants to wish him a happy birthday.  Ethan was, of course, mortified ;-)

Gavin is in his second year of preschool. His preschool class this year is a great group of kids.  They all became fast friends & he has had a very enjoyable year.  Gavin is very close to reading & can do simple math.  He’s not attending a preschool here in CSS & he’s recently informed me he’s now being home schooled.  I think that means I’m doing the home schooling.  He played Soccer last.  Most of his friends were on his team so he had a great time.  This past summer Gavin also attended his first weekend of church camp with Ethan & Jason.  Gavin spends a lot of time keeping Tova away from his Playmobil only to realize that playing with her is more fun & more efficient than trying to keep her out of his stuff.  He loves helping Jason with projects & Jason will be helping Gavin with his own project soon: no more training wheels!  Gavin will start Kindergarten this fall.  He’s somewhat excited about it but also pretty nervous.  Kinda how I feel.

Tova has had a difficult year.  Even before the move stuff she was having a hard time.  We were noticing some attachment issues coming to the surface & we spent a great deal of time this past summer & fall adjusting our parenting style to better meet her needs.  Despite her intensity, she’s a fun little girl.  She’s discovered the joy of shoes, dolls, phones, play kitchens, & Star Wars.  She loves to color & ‘write’ her A’s & E’s.  She talks constantly, knows most of the words to songs from High School Musical 1-3, & does great impressions of Darth Vader & Yoda.  Her favorite toys are Sugar Bear (named after the traveling bear from Gavin’s preschool), Baby Sopha, her doll, (the name is a mixture of the names Sophie & Tova) & the armless Darth Vader action figure (It was a fierce battle in her coat pocket with Yoda besting Darth Vader).  We recently celebrated Tova’s second Adoption Day.  It’s hard to believe just 2 years ago, we were arriving home with a teeny little baby.

I am working through the 7 Stages of Grief: Moving Edition.  I was the one who really wanted to stay in Rural City when everything fell apart.  I loved it there.  I have wonderful friends, the kids went to great schools; sure there’s no Target, but after almost 11 years, I hardly noticed or I drove the hour to the closest one.  I did a bible study on Esther this winter that’s really helped me find peace with the big changes.  It’ll take sometime, but I hope CSS will feel like home soon.

The big treat for me this year was my trip to Tampa to see New Kids on the Block in concert.  I’ll give you a minute so you can stop laughing.  I didn’t get to go to a concert when I was truly in love with the band, but when they reunited this past summer, I quickly called Original Tova (whom I had the obsession with) to do our own reunion for the concert in Tampa (that’s where Tova lives).  I took my Tova along & she was such a trooper.  She loves airplanes so she was thrilled with the layover in Atlanta.  We made it to the beach, ate some of the best barbeque I’ve ever had, & had a blast with Original Tova’s family.  And the concert?  It was AWESOME!  I haven’t screamed like a 12yr old girl in a very long time.

Jason is enjoying his new job a lot more now that we are all in CSS together.  He’s doing more personnel management & less data management.  We’re all anxious to see what his new schedule brings.  How different can growing seasons be?  Jason helped coach Ethan’s baseball team & they both had a great time.  His project list includes replacing the outlets in the new house, building a sandbox, networking the tv to the computer (I don’t know why, I just smile & nod), & unpacking the garage before it starts to snow.  Oh & work.  Good thing his commute is shorter.

The last big family change was the addition of Pablo, our new cat.  The kids & I felt ready for a new cat this past Spring & Pablo came to us via a friend.  He’s a 3yr old cat who’d had all the works done.  Perfect, right?  Ha!  Pablo’s a little bit nervous.  He spent the first 2 days in our house living in the ceiling of the basement.  After fishing him out, I was ready to never own a cat again.  They boys were devastated & talked me into giving him another chance.  A year later, Pablo is still nervous but he’s the greatest cat ever!  He snuggles, he likes people, & he doesn’t pee anywhere but in his litter box.  What more could a person ask for?

It felt like we didn’t do much for fun travel this year but that’s not at all accurate.  In March we took the kids to Memphis for Spring Break.  We visited the zoo & enjoyed some family time.  In June we headed to North Dakota for a wedding reception.  We did our annual camping trip Memorial Weekend in Springfield IL where we were able to do some biking.  We also traveled to St Louis where the highlight was the City Museum.  The kids loved all the climbing & tunnels & we’ll definitely be going back.  We also took the kids to the MN State Fair & to their first Gopher football game.  It was great to reconnect with our Marching Band friends & relive a little of the college years.

Here’s hoping the last half of ’09 is less dramatic!

K~

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2008 Top 40

December 31, 2008

11 years married +

an 8 yr old +

a 5 yr old +

a 2yr old +

1 new job +

3 hours soon to be shaved off our trips to see family +

10 years of our life spent in Small Town

= 40

Happy New Year!

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K~

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Zoo Lights

December 29, 2008

We’ve had some pretty extreme weather lately.  In the past week it’s rained, iced, & snowed, some days all three in that order.  Plus the sub-zero temps.  The roads are terrible, the kids can’t play outside & we were all getting just a little stir crazy.  The day after Christmas we had a weather break so we headed to St Louis to take advantage of the Science Center, the Zoo Lights, & the 60° day.  60°!  It was heaven!

We started the day at the Science Center.  The kids enjoyed building The Arch.

Our Arch

Our Arch

The biggest hit was the Flight section of the museum.  Tova loves airplanes & both boys love Star Wars & therefore Space Stuff.

Jason, Tova, Gavin & Ethan lounging on a moon vehicle

Jason, Tova, Gavin & Ethan lounging on a moon vehicle

After supper at Red Robin (love that place!) we headed to the Zoo to take in the lights.

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Insectarium Lights

Insectarium Lights

The only bad part of the day was the Tomtom GPS’s refusal to find a signal.  I think it’s going to have to go back.  Does anyone else have trouble with their GPS finding a signal in a larger city?  We were depending on that solely on Friday & were pretty disappointed that the signal was so spotty.  Anyone have any advice or pointers on GPS system’s?  I’d like to have one but so far I’m not impressed with the Tomtom 130s.

K~

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Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2008
Christmas '08

Christmas '08

K~

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Rudolph

December 18, 2008

A friend pointed me towards Jack Johnson’s version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer last week & it’s become a household favorite.  Jack’s version is a lot nicer than the original.  You can listen here.

Before I leave the Rudolph theme here’s a Christmas snack I saw today & had to recreate.  If Ethan has school tomorrow, this is what he’s taking for his class party.

Nutter Butter Rudolph

Nutter Butter Rudolph

Gavin had his preschool Christmas Program this morning.  He was slated to be Joseph & seemed really excited about it.  However, once we entered the church he had second thoughts.  I’m not sure what he was expecting, this isn’t his first preschool program, but he freaked & refused to be Joseph, citing his shyness.  Ha!  Shy is not a word I would use to describe Gavin.  Anyway, I tried being sensitive, I tried bribery, I called in his teacher for assistance, but nothing doing.  He was not going to be Joseph.  I admit, I probably wanted him to be Joseph worse than Gavin did.  How cute would he be sitting next to Mary & knocking on pretend doors looking for a room?  The kid is a natural performer!

In the end Gavin was a sheep-throwing shepherd & his classmate O~ was Joseph.  Everyone was happy except the sheep who had to endure some stomach jarring flips & a smooch.

gavin-kissing-sheepc1

K~

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That Christmas Feeling

December 11, 2008

I don’t have it this year.  Not one bit.

We’re actually avoiding as many holiday gatherings as possible because of the dreaded “When do you leave?” or “How’s the move going?” questions.

People have every reason to ask the questions.  After all, the move should be an exciting topic for us.  But it really makes me want to cry.  Or swear.  And who wants to be the person who depresses everyone at parties?

I suppose someday I’ll appreciate the comments about how ‘Things will work out’ & ‘Next year we’ll look back on this time & wonder what the fuss was for’ & ‘God’s Plan vs Our Plan’, etc.  I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but honestly, I don’t know how many more platitudes I can take.   I too am sure things will eventually work out but I’m pretty weary of God’s plan & am certainly not looking forward to an open ended time of single parenthood.

I knew the move would be hard.  We’ve been here 10.5 years, we knew it wouldn’t be easy to leave.  I guess I just didn’t expect the uncertainty & the overwhelming feeling of sadness.  I have to dig really, really deep to find some sense of excitement about moving to Metropolis.  And if we were offered a way out, I’d take it!

It’s really hard to feel any joy of the season when it feels more like a season of lasts.  Last night Jason & I were talking about when would be his last day at his current office & I started to cry.  The thought of our last Christmas in this house, the last preschool Advent Program, the last Santa’s Breakfast (Ethan’s school Holiday Program), the last Sunday School Program, the list goes on & on.  All of them leave me in tears.

I hate this.

I want to enjoy our last Christmas here but I couldn’t even set up the tree this year.  This is our tree.

Our Christmas Tree, Sven II

Our Christmas Tree, Sven II

It’s not a bad little tee.  I’d call it our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree but it’s a little fuller.  As a plus, it’ll serve as a nice house plant starting in January.

The kids have been surprisingly resistant to my mood.  They’re fine with the tree & like to add things to it as they bring home projects from school.  Ethan has been building & wrapping Lego projects for everyone, Gavin’s been busy rearranging the ornaments, the cat’s been busy gnawing on the branches, & Tova likes to unwrap whatever Ethan’s just finished.  A typical Christmas ;-)

Okay, vent is over.

On a bright note, Gavin, Tova & I went to Ethan’s school today to do a presentation on Vietnam for his class & one other class.  They had read a book about a Vietnamese girl this week & I put together a PowerPoint with some pictures from our trip.  It was fun to dig through the pictures again.  I realized, yet again, how much our old camera STUNK & we really should have bought a new camera for the trip.  Thankfully, Elise very willingly shared her pictures.  The kids were seemed to enjoy the pictures & had lots of questions at the end.  Gavin & Tova behaved themselves too!

I think I’ve ignored the kids enough.  All for the love of blogging ;-)

K~

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Gift Ideas

December 7, 2008

It’s that time of year again!

You know, when all the easy (to shop for) people on your list are done & now you have to buy for the difficult “I don’t know what I want” people.  Here are a few of my favorite gift ideas.

Banangrams.  This game is wonderful.  You can play it alone, you can play it in a large group.  Gavin loves it, Ethan loves it, I’ve yet to meet anyone normal who doesn’t like this game.  Even ‘I hate Scrabble’ Jason enjoys a good game of Bananagrams.  If you can read, you’ll probably enjoy this game.

For my kids teachers, Don’t Read!

My parents are both teachers.  I loved the last day of school before Christmas break for many reasons but my favorite thing about that day was ALL THAT CANDY!  Turtles, chocolate covered cherries, peanut brittle, fudge, you name it, we had a little tin of it.  While I enjoyed that, I think my parents were getting a little tired of all the candy.  Not that they ever said that, but now that it’s just the two of them, that candy lasts a long time.  I decided when Ethan hit Kindergarten that I would buy his teachers (school & Sunday School) one of my favorite things, Penzey’s Spices.  For school teachers I usually give hot chocolate mix & cinnamon sticks.  Or I include the Pizza Seasoning.  This years I’m incorporating my newest favorite, Chicken Taco.  It’s a useful gift & I’ve heard that it’s appreciated.  One Sunday School teacher was a little upset when she no longer had any of my kids because she’d have to get her own Hot Chocolate.  Some of my other suggestions would be Vanilla, Cinnamon, Vanilla Sugar, & Pepper.  If you know your teacher is a cook or just likes to eat, there’s tons of blends & spices to choose from.  If you need any suggestions, I have tons.

At our elementary school, Star Wars reigns supreme.  Ethan & Gavin are obsessed with Stars Wars.  Ethan’s obsession takes the form of Lego’s & Gavin’s is the action figures.  I have found something that will satisfy them both.  This book is chock full of cross-section pictures of the Star Wars ships.  The DK Star Wars series books disappear from the school library shelves faster than any other series, so I’m confident in saying  this book will be a huge hit.

For the baby or toddler on your list, I suggest Baby Legs.  Tova has a couple of pairs & I originally bought them because they are extremely cute.  Besides being really cute, they are actually very useful.  I put them over regular tights to jazz up a Sunday dress.  I put them under pants on really cold days to cover the gap between her socks & pant leg.  When she’s sick, I’ll put them on her to speed up diaper changes.  My friend Julie has put them on her daughter when O~ in the hospital.  They have tons of uses.  And they’re cute.  Have I mentioned that yet?

For the  person on your list who collects DVD’s you can’t go wrong with The Office series or Arrested Development.  The recipient would have to like smart humor in order to really enjoy these, but if you tell them that ahead of time then they’ll never tell you they don’t like it because then you’d think they were stupid ;-)

Lastly, Etsy is another great place to find unique gifts for the unique person on your list.

Have fun shopping!

K~

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Example #2, The Christmas Newsletter

December 5, 2008

The formatting didn’t transfer to WordPress so you’ll just have to take my word for it that it looked pretty neat.  I formatted it like a newspaper with columns & such.  I wrote it on Word using a table format.  It took some time to get it to look the way I wanted but it was worth the effort.  Maybe I’ll have Jason scan it in at work & post a photo of it soon.  I’ve only used this format once but I like the idea, it just takes a little more work than the Quiz.

The B~ Bay Window

A look inside…

Local 5yr-old Finds Bear Scat in Backyard
While exploring his backyard, Ethan B~ made a startling discovery – Bear Scat (poop).  He scooped it into his hand and rushed inside to show his mom.  His mom was relieved to see that it was just an old walnut shell.  This has not deterred young explorer Ethan, he’s still actively hunting for snakes, monkeys, and other wildlife in his backyard.  It seems that preschool has awakened him to the wonders of the whole world.  Young Ethan has learned that the world is round, 2+3=5, and that kids in China are asleep when he’s awake.  When Ethan is not finding the wonders of the world he enjoys playing with his brother, building with Lego’s, swimming, and reading books.  His parents are very proud of the strides he’s made in the last year and look forward to his further discoveries.

Commuter Ceases to be Regular on Traffic Report
Area commuter, Jason B~, finally traded in his old not-so-trusty Corsica for a newer, more reliable car.  “It was a little hard to give up the old car,” says B~, “who wouldn’t miss the roar of the engine when you hit 20mph and the oil slicks in the driveway.  But I guess when your car is old enough to drive itself, it’s time to let it go.”  Jason’s drive to his office at P~ is much more pleasant in a car that has working A/C and a CD player.  But the car doesn’t just go to work and back, it’s made a couple of trips to MN and St. Louis and with any luck, will still be in operation when Ethan and Gavin begin to drive.

Grandparents’ Dream Comes True
The grandparents of “Gavin Monster” B~ had an early Christmas present.  “You know that moment when you wish your kid would have a kid just like them?  Gavin is that child.” Says one grandparent, who wishes to remain anonymous.  “He’s not that bad!” says Gavin’s mom.  “He’s a very good-natured child; he just likes to get his way.  What 2yr-old doesn’t?”  Gavin’s agreeable side does temper his temper.  He’s always ready to play with his brother and his dog.  He loves to spend time playing Lego’s and trains.  Gavin’s also become quite a prolific artist.  His favorite medium is crayon on paper, but he has dabbled in crayon on tile and plastic.  Gavin also enjoys swimming and slides and shows no fear of either.  His personality is strong and he seems to learn things shortly after his big brother, whether it’s jumping, running, or wrestling.

Do Stay-at-Home Moms Really Stay-at-Home?
Resident mom, Kristen, finds that staying home isn’t the norm anymore.  “It seems we’re always on the go.  If it’s not school, it’s play dates, church activities, or visits to the Y.  Something is always going on.”  Being on the go does make time at home that much nicer.  She follows by saying that having the time to devote to her family has been a blessing.

B~ Boys Take on Simon and Garfunkel
Ethan and Gavin B~ began performing a new rendition of Cecelia this summer.  It’s been a hit with family and friends.  “The boys made a few lyric changes, but over all the song is pretty close to the original.” says proud dad.  The boys have been singing together for about a year.  Cecelia is their first folk tune.  Their repertoire mainly includes church songs and nursery rhymes.  No date has been set for the studio recording sessions.


In Today’s Travel Section – Flying with Children, is it a Good Idea?
Yes, but only in moderation.” say vacationers Jason and Kristen.  It’s best to pack lots of fun things in-between flights.  For instance, when flying to Las Vegas, make sure to stay in a hotel with lots of swimming pools and an hourly parade.  Also, it’s best to include a nice drive, like a weekend trip to LA.  Visiting a good friend is a great way to spend time in LA.  On the way home, it’s best to strap the kids in a big stroller-it’ll get you on the fast track through security!


Established July 1997

Christmas Picture 2005

Christmas Picture 2005

I’m definitely going to have Jason scan that letter.  It was a masterpiece!  It even had an ad at the bottom for Arrested Development.  That’s where the title of the Newsletter came from. You know, the Balboa Bay Window?  No?  Not familiar?  You really need to get the DVD’s…

K~

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Write a Christmas Letter!

December 3, 2008

The first Christmas Card arrived in the mail today!  I love Christmas cards!  Congrats goes to Dani & Tom for being the first in the mail box & also thanks for including a note!  I love cards with notes!

As you can probably tell by all the exclamation points, I love a good Christmas Letter.  A newsy update on your lives is just as good of a read as something ‘written’ by your dog.

I suspect Christmas letters got a bad rap from professional writers.  They’re the ones writing their little pieces complaining about Christmas Drivel probably because they know there are legions of us with writing talent, just waiting to be discovered through our annual Christmas Update. ;-)   I agree, that letters shouldn’t read like an awards ceremony, unless that’s really what happened this year.  Most letters we get update on the kids grade at school, activities & the family vacation. Nothing wrong with that.

In the past, I have used a newspaper format, a quiz, & a standard update.  All have been well received.  We have friends who have written letters from the view point of their tomato plant, or done a crossword puzzle.  That one looked like a lot of work.  Over the next few days I will publish a few of our old letters on the blog so you can have some examples if you’d like to try something different.

Just know that there are people who enjoy reading about your life.  Why else would blogs exist?

K~

btw, I am currently not planning on writing my annual letter at Christmas this year.  I’m going to wait until after The Move From Hell is over & then maybe I’ll be in the mood.  Unless the move doesn’t happen until the summer, then I may be forced to do an Ash Wednesday Letter.

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Happy 4th of July!

July 4, 2008

We still haven’t figured out our plan for today, but we took the kids to fireworks last night.  Gavin even enjoyed himself.  His fingers were in his ears, but his eyes were open.  Enjoy the holiday!

Ethan & Gabe enjoying the fireworks.

K~