Hello and joyful wishes to all of you! We had a mostly great 2009 and hope you did too.
One of our biggest joys in 2009 was all our lovely visitors. We were grateful to all the friends and family, local and far-flung, who visited: all the grandparents, all the brothers and sisters-in-law, all the cousins, and even Shannon's cousin Greg from Japan stayed with us at some point. And the friends! Those of you who slept in our guest room and shared wake-up coffee and early-riser Leo's company with us know how much we appreciated your presence. Now we just need to find a way to lure the rest of you over here.
Craig & Shannon both turned 40 in 2009, and had excellent bashes to celebrate those milestones. Craig's party included a bluegrass band, courtesy of our friend Anastasia, and a special guest list that included his parents, my mom, and my brother Mike; Shannon's party included surprise visits from her mom, all three brothers, her auntie Frankie, her cousin Michelle, two of her sisters-in-law, and Craig's brother. Both parties were amazing!
Craig is now a senior online producer for KQED's Quest, which Shannon still considers to be the coolest job in the world. He was a featured speaker at 2009 conferences at Jackson Hole and USC, and may be doing even more travel of a similar nature in 2010.
Shannon hit some professional milestones this year: She is BlogHer's community editor on parenting children with special needs, writing a column every other week (yes that is paid writing!). She also has a part-time position as a headline editor for BlogHer's Ad network, on a team that includes a bunch of her favorite people. Oh ... and she and perennial partner-in-crime Jen Myers had stories published in a book that they didn't edit: My Baby Rides the Short Bus. (It's really good! Buy it now!)
Sixth-grader Zelly turned ten in January, which means she's now a tween or preteen, and actually cares about things like fashion. She has also discovered a true love for soccer, which her dad and Vavo are helping her develop, and which she will talk about non-stop so be careful about bringing it up. (The same warning applies to the TV show Glee.) She's a good kid, with lovely friends. She still participates in the occasional spelling bee, and is experimenting with thespianism, so please come see her in her school's production of A Secret Garden at the end of May.
Leo turned nine in November, is in third grade, and has had one of his best years ever, including three sessions at an overnight camp! His language continues to expand, he has become a jigsaw puzzle fiend, and he remains one of the happiest and sweetest boys you'll ever meet. We're hoping to travel more with him in 2010 -- which may be possible, as we are currently enjoying our first full-family trip in almost two years: visiting with Craig's parents in Las Vegas. So far Leo has been a trooper on the plane, at their home, and even at a fancy restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner! What a guy.
India just turned five and is a feisty kindergartener. Hers is a Spanish immersion school (public! free! fabulous!) and she enjoys both it and her friends, but misses the coddled days of preschool. She tried soccer this past fall, but wasn't terribly into it (Understatement. She liked the snacks, though). She's trying a jazz dance class right now, even though her parents suspect her preferred sport is pushing her big sister's buttons. She is too much fun and still enjoys making instant friends with strangers, everywhere we go.
We lost our cat Boone in 2009. Adios, snuggly beautiful though not-too-bright otter pelt kitty. We enjoyed spending fifteen years with you.
We hope your own lives are wonderful, that you come to visit us, and that you'll leave a comment so we can talk with you -- especially if it's been a while.
With much love,
Craig, Shannon, Zelly, Leo, & India.
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Our favorite videos of the year:
Zelly playing a theremin at Maker Faire
Leo thoroughly enjoying the wave tunnel at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, always:
India being less than enthusiastic about Soccer
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