And away we go… Yet another holiday season is upon us again (where does the time go?) and so that can only mean one thing; time to write another Christmas/holiday letter that may or may not make it to press… again. At this rate, may as well publish a book of past letters, or better yet, the Gudeman Holiday Trilogy box set… just keeping with the times. For those of you who are interested (and too bad if you’re not) in what’s been happening to us over the past few years, I’ve included letters of the past two years… if for no other reason to only prove they were written, and let’s face it… it’s hard to have a trilogy without three… right? So feel free to do with them as you will… kindling, paper airplanes or origami perhaps come to mind. Hopefully you will feel compelled to read them over and over again since they are… uh, were… so masterfully written.
Emmah (8) is in 3rd grade and is keeping with the advancement of her curriculum and so is in 4th grade math and reading. She seems to be keeping up fine and dandy with the “older” crowd, but based on how we get treated here at home, we can’t figure out how she isn’t getting crucified at school. She is, after all, the founding member of the drama guild. We shake our heads when we overhear her making deals with Nick… totally skewed to her advantage…and she derives much pleasure in scaring Nick… though our warnings of payback for both “offenses” fall on deaf ears. It’s interesting watching her when she decides it’s time to take charge and be the big sister, but she’s at a stage where nothing is her fault, nobody listens to her (here at home) nothing’s fair and we get a lot of “how was I supposed to know?” She’s still in Girl Scouts and Young Rembrandts and enjoys them both; additionally she qualified this year for the Plus Program (third grade is the first year of eligibility) which is a gifted program. So needless to say, we are very proud and supportive of her… when we’re not busy being “unfair” of course. She loves to show off and “scoot” around on her scooter whenever possible. She made her first communion this spring. She played on her first softball team this year and I believe is looking forward to the upcoming season. Swim lessons moved from the park district pools to the new water park, so I know she’s looking forward to continuing her swim lessons as well.
Nick (6) is in 1st grade and tells us it’s too easy… we’ll have to see if he’s another Emmah in the making scholastically. He’s smart, when he wants to be, that is if there’s nothing more interesting to do than his homework… a spider on the wall qualifies. He’s also in Young Rembrandts and enjoys it as well. He’s the first to make it across the new monkey rings on the “bigger, badder, new and improved” jungle gym (made possible by the tornado) and thus earned himself a dollar. They needed a little motivation. See, there was much complaining from both camps that “it’s too hard” and I was a tad upset that no one was “enjoying” my efforts, thus the motivator. He needs a little more meat on his bones (just a smidge) so he can better stand up to Emmah. I tell him all in due time though… it won’t be long before you’re stronger and bigger than her, so be patient… it’s like telling the hungry lion not to eat the zebra. He takes great pride in outdoing Emmah in anything and everything he can… even if it’s getting dressed faster. He too feels the force of the great unfairness that flows through the house... it is strong in this one too. He finally mastered his bike sans training wheels and runs with the pack now down the alley… reckless as the lot of ‘em. He loves to show off on his scooter too, almost sitting down as he “scoots” down the alley. He’s also looking forward to continuing his swim lessons. He loves to make Rachael laugh and she enjoys him doing so and he’s trying his hand at juggling.
Jake (3) is becoming/become a close study of the older two… naturally the bad habits. He’s always trying to run with the big dogs and usually gets left behind, but that doesn’t usually deter him. He’s a smarty pants too, telling me that a stop sign is an octagon… and makes trapezoids with play-doh… It’s great to listen to him to understand how his mind works and it’s truly amazing to hear what comes out of his little mouth in terms of his wisdom. He, perhaps, was the most freaked out by the tornado. Any time there’s a weather warning on TV… he’s already envisioning another tornado and he sometimes will say “remember when the tornado came”. His big accomplishments this year were learning to use the potty and figuring out how to buckle himself in the car seat… thank God for small miracles. He proudly gets his new shoes on all by himself now thanks to the Velcro straps. He was happy to see me finish the new sand-box and was equally happy when I got the new slide up. Let’s see… he enjoys asking Emmah and Nick if they have homework when we pick them up from school. He and Rachael are like two peas in a pod… whatever Jake does, Rachael does. He got to experience his first trip to the movies, thanks to Uncle Brian and his girlfriend Kim who took Emmah, Nick and Jake to see “The Incredibles” over the Thanksgiving weekend. He’s also looking forward to starting preschool next fall, though it’s mostly for the social-ness that we send him since he already knows his ABC’s and numbers and colors and shapes… even octagons and trapezoids.
Rachael (2) mimics almost to perfection what ever she sees… mostly Jakey. Jake will strip down to his skivvies and parade around singing George Of The Jungle… seeing that promptly sends Rachael into a gotta get my clothes off frenzy… if she can’t do it herself… she will seek out help and get herself free and down to her diaper and walk around making Tarzan noises while beating her chest and flailing her arms around… just like Jake is. As is the case with most two year olds… she understands a great deal more than she can convey… so sometimes it’s an exercise in frustration… but we manage. She calls Nick… Gick, Jake… Gake, Emmah… Muh. She has no trouble with Mom or Dad… and she’s relentless until someone acknowledges the fact that she’s calling you. Have to keep an eye on this one since she has a taste for butter… have found a few sticks with finger tracks in it… maybe we should just put it on a stick. She is also known as the “Great Houdini”… she mastered getting out of her highchair, her crib and is currently working on the car seat. She is a climber too… kinda like a cat… gets up, but never stops to think about the getting down part. Showing her the hairbrush definitely puts the rain on her parade… you think that we were pulling each and every hair out one at time… but she’s a softie and enjoys sitting in the dad-o-lounger.
The kids are growing up faster than we’d like and other times not fast enough … there’s a tremendous wisdom with them at times and other times we just scratch our heads and wonder if the elevator got stuck in the basement. If we could only figure out how to motivate them on a consistent basis… then we’d have something… and if Jake and Rachael could teach the other two how to put away their things… isn’t that supposed to be the other way around I get confused… as is evident when I call their names and end up sounding like my grandmother when she’d call me by my brother’s name, then my cousin’s name and then finally my name… good thing there weren’t more boys in the family.
We managed to take yet another summer trip, thanks to the generosity of Julie’s parents again, this time to northwest
The house is (if you can believe it) even more in disarray. We lost a total of 15 windows due to the tornado and I have replaced only one to date but am close to getting in three more. All the siding has to come off and new clapboard siding will be put back on… new roof and almost a new garage will be getting done in the spring. Some of you may be thinking… why not have someone else do it? We need the money and plan on using whatever “extra” to fund other projects… so it’s up to me basically to get the house back in order. I will be running how-to’s as I go to anyone who wants to lend a hand and perhaps learn a thing or two… or perhaps refresher courses… hint (not so subtle) hint. If you find you can’t fill up your Saturdays and Sundays, (call us and tell us what it’s like having free time) pick up the phone and come on down, up or over… I’ve got enough hammers, pry bars; tools and tool belts for everyone… bring a friend.
As far as Julie and I are concerned… not much has really changed with us… ‘cept those pesky extra pounds latching on… figuring out where to put them is the hard part… well… at least Julie has an excuse. Julie’s temp job turned into full time and I am working part time at night. We try, in vain, to maintain a level of sanity and consistency here, but there are days that both of us want to flee and drive far far away, in opposite directions. Well done for actually making it this far and double well done if you read this after the other two.
Wishing you health, happiness and a prosperous new year…
Peace
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