Benjamin Michael Singer -- 2.75 Years!

Well, we've been in the Bay Area for three months or so, and settling into the routines of life. We're very happy not to worry about shoveling snow or salting the driveway anymore, and overjoyed that our basement hasn't gotten any water in it yet. (Mostly because we don't have a basement here...) Joel is settling into his job, trying to do the work of two or three people. He only wishes his salary was commensurate. Melissa has been getting the house organized and ready, visiting friends here, and working with Michigan and Auburn on research from afar.

We are happy to report that we are no longer homeowners! Our Ann Arbor house closed in November, and all the paperwork and finances are finished. One day again we may own a house, but for a while we can appreciate the advantages of having a landlord -- someone else can take care of the broken dishwasher and the moldy washing machine.

Benjamin is settling in at his new preschool, Action Day / Primary Plus. There are times he's unhappy about being dropped off there, and lets us know, but things are getting better. Benjamin attends there Mondays through Thursdays, and gets to spend Fridays with Melissa, visiting other kids. He's also cranky about getting his two-year molars; he's never been a happy teether. The "terrible twos" have arrived, with Benjamin demonstrating his independence at every opportunity. The battles are tiring, but from conversations with others I guess we don't have it too bad. "It could be worse" is an unassailable argument. He does enjoy baking with Joel, though (especially stirring and sampling the batter).

The past few months have been very busy! We went trick-or-treating with Peter for Halloween; Benjamin tolerated his Elmo costume, but wasn't really happy with it. We had lots of fun visiting the pumpkin patch, seeing Alex and his family. Lynn & Ellie have come up to visit a few times, and we drove down to Fresno to visit her once. Michael Cohen has stopped by and we've visited the Wellesley club of the Bay Area. Finally, we flew up to Spokane to see Joel's family for Thanksgiving. Did lots of cooking, fed the ducks, and introduced Benjamin to new musical instruments.

We've hosted a few gaming parties at our house, getting a bit of "adult" contact, all too rare for parents of toddlers. Finally, Lucia has had a good first semester at Santa Clara University, though tough to be separated from Jack for a few months. The Gilberts should be completing their move from Austin to Santa Clara next week, and we look forward to seeing them more often!

Happy Holidays, everyone!