Greetings-- I know some of you might find this hard to believe… that is the fact the you’re getting a holiday card/letter from us two years in a row must mean it is the end of the world. I too find it hard to believe, but it’s true. Things are crazy and we can’t afford to wait another five-ish years to lapse to send out a card. Actually, we thought if we send out something year after year after year… you’ll be begging us to stop.
This year started out unassuming, sort of, unless you had someone working for that Andersen place… we no longer do. Julie was one of the “lucky ones” and was relieved of her commute down to the big city. It broke her heart not to have to ride the train anymore. She’s glad to be getting the chance to be the stay at home parent, though I don’t understand why, having done it for the past 3-4 years. If we could only figure out how to keep the both of us home at the same time… then we could drive each other crazy on a full time basis instead of the current part time.
So now it’s off to see about me getting a job/finding work. I managed to find something, well actually something found me. I’m working on a temp basis and am contracted out to a place that makes automated conveyor systems… it’s pretty cool and the easiest job I’ve ever had. I must confess though, I wasn’t exactly pounding down the doors of potential employers. Let’s face it, if given the choice, I think that most people would “give it all up” to stay home, even if it meant that the spouse would be there too. I love my family… it’s just more enjoyable when you get them in little chunks as opposed to 24/7.
24/7… we did it again this summer; we drove to Seattle to visit Julie’s sister. Talk about all family all the time, though, I can honestly say the kids were great. We drove through scenic North Dakota as well as camped there… that’s right… tent, sleeping bags and all. They tell us, when we check in to the campground, that they haven’t had a lick of rain for 40 years. Okay, so it wasn’t that long, but it certainly was long enough to make the ground like cement. Given that news, we figured we were perfectly safe in our unsealed seams tent. See we bought it on the road in Minnesota… long story… better left for another day. Anyway we decided that we didn’t need to put the guy ropes on the rain fly because it was a beautiful night, and no one said anything about rain… right? Right…
Okay, it’s one thing to wake up to an early morning storm in your own bed, the type that rattle and shake you out of your sleep stupor and on to the floor. It’s another thing entirely to be woken up at 4am, to a breathing, swaying, tent flaps a’flappin’, thunder booming, oh my God should we build an Ark kind of storm. I don’t think Gene Kelly would’ve been singin’ in this one. Sadly, we had to ride it out in the tent because you see the storm ripped through the interior of our van first, leaving us only one spot to sit, (you try traveling with three kids across the country and see how clean your vehicle stays) and I didn’t think everyone was going to fit on my lap… even with the seat all the way back. Suffice to say we made it though the ordeal, but that’s not quite what we had in mind when we thought about getting our feet wet in camping with a tent. So we dried off and pressed westward taking in all the beauty of Montana, and there was a lot to take in. It was truly awesome out there… maybe someday we can own a piece of it.
Made it to Seattle and stayed with Julie’s sister Jeannine out there. (I’d like to give a special mention and say thanks for letting us invade your home, and I do mean invade, while we were there) It was a reunion of sorts… with Julie’s parents and other sister Lisa being there as well. There was no scheduling of daily events. Better odds at a craps table than trying to get everyone agreeing and moving. There was a fair amount of, “I dunno what do you think / wanna do” going on. The weather cooperated for the most part and we got the chance to see Mt. Rainier. We also took the ferry across the Puget Sound to see Olympic NP. They too were very cool to see (Puget Sound and Olympic NP that is) and we hope to someday return to Olympic and spend a week or so and camp right in the park.
The return trip was somewhat anti-climatic, but fun none the less. We visited Rushmore over the 4th of July holiday and were looking forward to the fireworks show for the 4th. Unfortunately it was too dry in the semi scenic lower Dakota and the governor had an open flame ban in effect. (There’s a joke in there somewhere, but I’ll leave it alone) The kids enjoyed the Mount Rushmore experience as much as you would expect from a 6 and 4 year old. They’ve changed it around quite a bit since the last time Julie and I were out there in ’93.
Emmah turned 6 this past March and is in the first grade and is doing very well. She’s been bumped up to second grade reading and second grade math. She was the narrator for the big Thanksgiving play at school and did very well I’m told. She’s a reading and spelling fool. Perhaps an investment in a good pocket dictionary might be in order, cuz it won’t be long before she’s out of my league… if not already. She’s also very excited to have a new baby sister… so the drama lessons should be starting in about a year or so. She loves to ride her bike down the hill in the alley with all the other neighborhood “hoodlums” and likes to play anywhere but our yard. See, there’s nothing to do, what with all those toys and the sandbox and swings and slide and stuff. It’s much more fun to play at the neighbor’s house… the one with just a porch. What was I thinking?
Nick turned 4 this past August and is pre-K and doing very well also… he really seems to enjoy going and playing with the other kids. We’ve noticed a change in his vocabulary and his social behavior since he started going to school. He does very well with writing his letters, in fact he’s almost neater that his big sister, but not his little one. He’s proud that he can spell his short name, Nick… but he’s quick to point out to you that he can’t spell his long one, Nicholaus. Said it before, say it again, Nick’s all boy. He decided to test Newton and see if his laws and theories were right by trying to fly down the slide in the back yard. He ended up crash landing. He broke his right arm and was in a cast up until the week before we left for our trip. It was rough, but he handled it pretty well. He liked the fact that he could bang on it and not feel anything. He seems to enjoy doing most of what Emmah does, though that’s starting to change a little. He can’t seem to find anything to do with all that’s here and he too prefers the porch.
Jakob turned one this past May and is a cruisin’ fool… he’s all over the place. I think that he gets into more stuff than either his sister, or brother ever did at that age. He’s upstairs, he’s downstairs, he’s here… there… everywhere… kinda sounds like something from Dr. Seuss. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, he means it! He does understand a whole bunch though which is good. He loves to wave bye and say, “buh” while doing so. Now he’s saying “hi”… with the “buh” wave, as well as mooing like a cow when prompted. He can point out everyone in the family if you ask him including his baby sister. He’s a “half eater”… never finishes. And getting him to eat anything else other than pop-tarts, gold fish, yogurt and basically any kind of “chip” is somewhat of a challenge. Still get a lot of “the right back out of the mouth” with the “yuck, don’t ever give me that again”, face to go along with the no head shake.
So some of you may have surmised, if you’ve been paying attention and not skimming along to keep from dozing off, there’s yet another Gudeman added to the fray. She… so it IS a girl… goes by the name of Rachael, Rachael Ellyse. She was born on the 20th of September of this year and weighed in at a healthy fighting weight of 8# 5oz and stood a towering 21 and ½ “ tall with hair, and has a three inch reach. She has no idea how much she’s loved by everyone. So now we have two and two and are knowingly done? There’s no more room at the Inn to have anymore. She looks like Emmah, and has Nick’s baby disposition… sort of. She’s a cutie… but don’t tell Julie I said so though.
You’re thinking, “is there anything else he can possibly talk about”? Well, just the house and all the projects that dwell within and around, but you’ve had enough… though we’re still looking for volunteers to tend to/entertain our children so we can tend to some things in a more timely fashion.
We sincerely hope this finds you all in good health and good spirits with a bright outlook for the future.
Peace…
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