2008

christmas 2008-

hey everyyboddy. well this is aly. and I havee been choosen to writee the familyy christmaas letterr this yeaar. uhhm haha  so herre goes,.. well I am in eighhth graade at belmonnt ridgge middle schoooll and I am finnally thirrteeeen.!(: haha. (myy motherr isnnt too extaticc abouutt thaat thouugh.) it hass been a greaat year so faar. my parennts and I are in the applicaation process to apply to a privaate highh schooll. and I will admitttt; sometimess it caan be veryy stressfuul but I knoww they juust wannt whatss bestt for me. Jackk has growwn uup so muuch sinnce last yeaar. he is his owwn little perrson now annd still loveloveloves cars. he goes to a kindergardeen centerr on mondaay tuesdaay and wennsdays. he is doinng greaat therre and he loves beinng with his friendss in an enviormennt otherr thaan home. lateelly he has been a little parrott. and coppiess everrrryyytthhhiinnnnggg he hearss. haha. sometimees my momm and I gett amusment ouut of it though.

Well, there you have it. An authentic verse in FaceSpace, or TwitterBook for short. It is indeed rare for us, who are so old, to get this close a look at the language of the advanced primate *Hominus Teenagepithecus*. This language is not only the newest form of communication between these creatures, but also will only be their Common Online Oral Linguistic pattern (or COOL) for about a month, before another, more advanced form of communication is developed. When spoken aloud, the language involves a series of clicks and short, jerky thumb motions, as well as a series of rolling motions of the eyes and a deep sighing sound as the head moves back and forth. Fascinating. This text, as captured, translates into modern English roughly as: “Hello. I am an independent woman-child, surviving as best I can among the unhip and my younger sibling. I love you Mom and Step-Dad.”

So, although I often make light of her intriguingly unique spelling, I am secretly envious because Aly also writes longhand in her own font, and can text message from a phone inside her pocket without looking. I can sort of send mail messages on my BlackBerry but the last two of them I have had are now officially too small for my giant sized thumbs to work on. I am thinking of having plastic surgery to narrow the points of my thumbs into hard, little pencil erasers so that I will be able to type again in miniature.

Well, we’re late getting our letter written this year, and you can see I’m padding while I think about what we accomplished and experienced. It has certainly been a challenge (and a joy , a joy) having a new teenager and a new toddler both at the same time. Jack Jack has been a wonderful and mostly really well behaved kid, turning 3 in October. Aly turned 18, I mean 13, in May and has had a pretty good first year as a teen. She is a “senior” in Middle School this year in 8th grade. Her grades have been good. She’s helpful and really, really super with Jack. And as she said, she is leading up a look at private high schools that we might consider for next year. She had a great experience in early grades at her school and as we look at the county high school with its 147,000 students, it might seem a little daunting (I may have misoverestimated that number a little).

We did a few trips this year. Grandma Linda and Grampa Ron and Uncle Chad and Aunt Sharon and baby Sawyer bean came out for a trip to the beach in the Outer Banks. That was the highlight of the summer and we had such fun we’re doing it again this July along with cousin Paige this time too! We rode the trolley and built sand castles and all kinds of fun stuff, so we’re looking forward to going back again. Aly and Jean went on a business trip up to Chicago, and they also did a trip for Aly’s birthday up to NYC to see Legally Blonde the musical (Spoiler Alert: She dyes at the end! Ah, hahahahaha!!!). They also went to Paris in the Springtime for almost a week. It was très, trés Audrey Hepburn. Jean had a number of quick trips for business, a change from last year, but I think she enjoys the occasional quick getaway and the chance to sleep on a big soft Marriott bed.

Activities have been a big thing this year. Jack has done swimming lessons with Miss PJ at our pool, Little Gym every week, a few trips to Grandpa Bob’s Camp Creeky Rocks and of course he started preschool at the Golden Pond School (I know, I know) in September. He started going tw o days a week, but recently moved to the Mon-Wed class (for the more advanced baby). He’s had a ton of playdates with his friends from the Mommy group, with whom Jean still meets fairly regularly from the group put together at the hospital when Jack was born.

Aly tried out this year for a dance team at Legacy All\*Stars Dance, a local dance group, and she was selected for their Junior Hip Hop team. She has been dancing for a while now and they have had one competition so far in Richmond. They will be competing in Nationals in Baltimore next month, so it’s been a lot of work doing the practices and keeping in shape and learning all the moves on top of her schoolwork and everything, but she is enjoying it a lot and really good.

Also keeping in shape, Jean and I have been gym rats this year. Jean had not worked out regularly in a while. Rob last worked out during the Reagan Administration (second term). But through force of will and a mutual desire not to be a wuss in front of the other, we’ve been going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week since January. Although I have not yet developed a “six pack” I am back to my wrestling weight, back when I never wrestled. I take it as a good sign that I don’t wheeze and have to catch my breath when carrying Jack up to bed anymore, and I can hang him upside down by his ankles without fear of an impending visit from child protective services. Jean just looks awesomer and awesomer, though.

Work has been going okay for both of us too. Working for the Government is challenging and sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s not so great. Accenture is pretty much the same for Jean. We’re luckily both secure enough and have appreciative bosses and coworkers.

So, that’s the annual wrap up from the Leesburg Martins. Not much earth-shattering this year, just a great year of enjoying the family and hanging out in our house, which we luckily still own. Although our 401K is not doing so well, our spirits are high and we’re looking forward to a great year ahead settling into Aly’s high school years and Jack’s first full year of preschool. I will reach my official 3 year point with the Feds on Christmas Day (although it’s technically been 4 years in April, but who’s counting) so I’ll start getting 6 hours of vacation a pay period instead of 4. So lookout, out of town relatives, the vacation train is pulling out this year!!!

Love to you all,

Aly, Jack, Jean, Rob, Buddy and Biskits

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