Winter 2008-2009


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Winter 2008-2009

Time for our quarterly webpage update! First, the adults in the family have weathered the recession well; both our jobs seem secure and stable. In fact, a hidden plus of the economy is watching housing prices fall -- in that case, it's better to be on the outside renting and waiting and saving money. In the meantime, it is nice to be able to call the landlord to fix the electric outlets, or clean the gutters, or repair the garbage disposal (to name a few recent random chores).

Our big family task right now is deciding where Benjamin will go to kindergarten in the fall. Hard to believe, but he's nearly five years old. We've been debating advantages and disadvantages of various schools and seeing what our options are. In any case, I think we're staying right where we are in Santa Clara, not moving in an attempt to get him into a "better" school. (How much does kindergarten influence your chances of getting into the Ivy League, anyway?)

Benjamin will enter the school system with a nice advantage, as he's reading up a storm. We've progressed to books he picks and checks out of the public library himself, and he's learning how to use the computer system to reserve books that aren't available. We still read every evening before bed, although now it's titles like The World of Winnie-the-Pooh, Stuart Little (thanks, Melissa Aczon!), or Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends (thanks, Gary & Mary!). Benjamin enjoys getting the newspaper every morning and reporting on the day's weather. Now we're having to answer more questions, as he reads street signs, advertisements, headlines, and notes on the whiteboard with speed and accuracy. (Maybe I'll have to start writing in cursive...)

Benjamin still loves being with Eliza and playing with her and entertaining her. Little to no jealousy there yet, which we're thankful for. Eliza is healthy and happy and growing. Crawling around everywhere and pulling up to standing; doing a bit of cruising along the furniture, but not much. She'll take her first steps in the not-too-distant future, we think. She likes exploring and crawling into new places, like the dishwasher and refrigerator, the pantry, low-lying kitchen cupboards, shower stalls. She tends to be a quiet observer, much like her brother at that age; sitting and watching events, not talking too much yet. Big eyes and an infectious giggle, and we can often understand her by her body language, when she's hungry or tired or wanting to be picked up. Sleep is going better and more consistently for her, but adjusting to Daylight Savings Time is a royal pain.

We had a great holiday celebration, both Chanukah and Christmas, and a wonderful (if tiring) trip to Denver for Michael & Lisa's wedding. Benjamin looks great in a tuxedo! It was great to see Eric & Kirsten during their visit to Santa Clara. We enjoyed a wonderful 70th birthday celebration for Jack at the end of January but the pictures aren't ready to upload yet so we'll have to wait until next time for those! We had a cold and snowy but fun trip sledding and skiing in Bear Valley with many friends, even if our Forester became the designed shuttle bus. (We didn't take many pictures there; too busy!) And Gary and Mary drove down at the end of February to see their grandchildren, much-grown from the last visit. Love to all!