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~
