Happy Holidays 2001

Dear Friends and Family,
    Our theme for this past year has been the building of home and hearth.  We’ve had a wonderful time as a growing family and spent much of what time remained remodeling our house.
    In February we added a kitten to the mix, Quixl, and she and our dog Pepper are both very good with B.  Fortunately, as B gets older, he is getting better at being gentle with them and has learned to throw tennis balls for Pepper, so the pets are getting more perks from the situation than just droppings from the high chair and a bigger pack.
    We adore being parents.  B is a wonder and delight that we are able to appreciate almost every day.  We are fortunate enough that N has been able to stay at home with our son full-time.  She has shepherded him to swimming lessons, music classes, and lots of park dates, sing-a-longs, and gatherings with other families met through a parenting group.  B has any number of people he is happy to see, gets wiggly-excited when we are outside the swimming center or his daddy’s work, and has a best buddy, J, with whom he loves to spend time (even without us).
    B is now officially a toddler, moving independently and confidently, able to stand up again in the middle of the floor when he falls.  He understands far more than even we imagine, and can say a fair number of words understandably, most notably “kitty,” “dog,” and “moon.”  His eyes are big and hazel, he has 10 teeth, and he has long blond curls we’ve trimmed only a little.  He melts our hearts regularly with a reach or a tired head on our shoulder.
    We’re still managing with one car and no cell-phones, though there’ve been situations with increasing frequency which have caused us to re-think those positions.  Since cell plans are less expensive than the Toyota Prius that we want, I suspect we will cave in that direction first.  Unless, of course, our 10-year-old 119,000-mile Volkswagen blows up on us completely and unexpectedly.  (We had a scare earlier this summer in which we lost first, second, and fifth gears.  Fortunately, despite dire, expensive projections from a mechanic, we fixed it ourselves with a $1.83 part.)
    Our physical house has undergone many changes: new roof, new windows, new insulation, new paint inside, new bathroom, newly refinished floors, and new garden.  The roof and the floors we had done, but the rest has been our handiwork.  We anticipate a new kitchen, new paint outside, and a new gate in the next year, but we shall see.  Although it is hard to live in a fixer-upper without fixing it, it does take time we’d rather spend playing.
    We hope this reaches you in health and happiness this holiday season.  We wish peace, justice, and love to you, yours, and all the world.