It's Christmas Eve Eve! Today is December 23, and those were Evan's first words to me this morning. I am a little embarrassed to admit that even as I recognized and appreciated his excitement, I felt a wave of panic as I realized how much I still hope to accomplish before Christmas morning. I really was cheered by his greeting, though, especially since he'd spent the previous 36 hours lying on the floor under the Christmas tree, literally struck down by a (terribly inconveniently timed) stomach bug. This has left me even further behind schedule than I was when the kids got out of school last Friday...I knew this year would come down to the wire in terms of holiday preparations, and I considered not doing a letter. But it still doesn't really feel like Christmas, so perhaps I actually need to write my year-end recap to get myself properly into the spirit. This is my celebration of 2010, a look at its highlights in this final week. I will do my best to mail it before year's end, and will try not to feel guilty for its (my) lateness.
It has been another eventful year for all of us, thankfully filled with happy stories and high points and no major injuries. In January we traveled to Bear Valley with my sister and her family ~ we were there for a HUGE blizzard and the kids (Lydia, Evan, and cousin Ava) got a real taste of Sierra snow. One of our goals this year was to plan special times with family and friends, and this was a great start! We rented a house across the street (actually a snow-mobile track in winter) from our friends Dave and Nena and their girls, McKenzie and Sarah. We all had fun playing out in the snow and coming back in to get warm.
Our next family adventure was Easter weekend on the Mendocino Coast with Aunt Karen, Uncle Chris, and cousins Jonathan and Jacob. They've been going to a magical place called Mar Vista (a group of rustic cabins north of Gualala) for years, and this was our first time tagging along with them. The weather was WET: though it was sunny when we arrived, it was pouring rain by the next morning. The cabins are indeed rustic: no tv or video games, a real step back in time. Disaster, you may think? Not at all! While the two dads (Dadds!) and Karen went for a hike, I stayed in our cabin with the kids and was thoroughly entertained by their marathon game of Monopoly. It lasted several hours. Evan dropped out fairly early on, in favor of cheering on the others (he is a fair-weather fan and took turns rooting for each of his cousins and his sister, depending on who was doing better), but they were all absorbed and completely happy. The whole weekend in that beautiful place was truly wonderful.
Spring and summer were dominated by Evan's baseball and Lydia's swimming. Evan moved up from t-ball to play kid-pitched fastball for the Cal Ripken Rookie Dodgers, and Lydia joined a local team called the Seals. Their schedules kept me and Andrew busy, but we were proud of their commitment and the growth they showed in each of their sports. Evan was placed on a team with some very strong players, which was a challenge. He is good at baseball, but was much newer to the game than his teammates. He learned a lot, thanks in large part to his terrific coach. He earned his team's Sportsmanship Award, and was also named Most Improved Player. He is looking forward to playing again this spring. Lydia was brand-new to competitive swimming at the start of her season. She was nervous at her first meet, but her nerves didn't show and she was recognized as “Swimmer of the Meet” by the Head Coach. Over the course of the summer she improved time on all of her strokes. She plans to continue with the team in 2011, so I anticipate many early Saturday mornings at local pools this summer.
Another significant event was my sister Alice's graduation from California College of Art. In May she earned a BFA in Photography, and our family gathered to celebrate: Mom (Gigi), Uncle John, and our brother, Chris, all came into town. There was an entire weekend of festivities! With the excitement of everyone on one coast for a change, it was quite a whirlwind. The one bummer was that Alice's fiance, Dave, was out of town for the actual graduation ceremony. Although he may be glad to have missed the obligatory attempt at a family photo...
The next milestone was Evan's 7th birthday in June: we hosted a small party at the new waterpark here in Fremont. We ended up spending a lot of time there over the summer. We had terrific weather and I finally got to live the life I'd envisioned having as a stay-home mom: I spent many a lovely afternoon in a lounge chair, watching the kids play in the water. Often we were joined by friends, and it was always a good time. Ahhhh....
Soon enough the school year began again, and Lydia was off to junior high! She has transitioned well to 7th grade and her social life is getting busier. We celebrated her 12th birthday earlier this month with a private lesson/party at a local bead shop. It was very cool. She baked delicious spice cupcakes to serve to her guests.
Andrew and I marked our 15th anniversary on 11/11/10. We spent the day with the kids and have planned a special getaway just for us on 1/1/11. My mother is in town (her first time here for the holiday!) and will stay with the kids while we're gone. But first we have Alice and Dave coming for dinner (and presents) on Christmas Eve; Christmas Day with Gigi; and Boxing Day is always reserved for Chris, Karen, Jonathan, and Jacob (they're coming to our house this year). I've got lots to do, and it appears Evan is on the mend!
We hope you have enjoyed a healthy and happy holiday season, and we wish you much laughter and joy in 2011.
