Thursday, December 6, 2001

Is Shelly Really Out of a Job?

 
Happy Holidays!!



We just wanted to share some of the good things that we experienced in 2001.  It has been a busy time for us both personally and professionally. 



Avery is nearly nine months and is just amazing.  She is extremely independent and always flashing her beautiful 3 tooth smile….she gets lots of attention and is adored by her older siblings.  But the fact is, being the third child, she would have to attempt to juggle knives before she could elicit concerns from us - a far cry from when Jake was that age.    A cough out of him would send us scrambling to the hospital.




I started a new job as an institutional derivatives salesman this year.  Shelly’s job, however, was in serious jeopardy for a while.  You see, Avery’s birth had caused a major rift within our household.  Since we don’t plan to have more children, Shelly’s no longer needed to manufacture babies.   Hence, the David family had announced a cost cutting initiative with plans to downsize.  Fortunately for her, a combination of forceful lobbying by the children (with a serious threat of boycott) and a renegotiation of Jake’s long-term contract, allowed management to squeeze her salary in under the cap.  It may seem extreme, particularly considering her senior level within the organization, but she was a huge drag on expenses.  Besides, she’s a really good hugger.



Jake just turned six and we are very proud of his development.  He enjoys motocross racing, long romantic walks with older women and full contact origami.   He deciphers Sanskrit in his spare time. 



Everything I just told you is a lie (except his age).



Jake is in first grade and attends a “Mano-a-Mano” program at school, which is taught half in English and half in Spanish.   He has become a very good reader and sadly, an amazing video game player.  I routinely find him zoned in on a playstation 2 or computer game.  I am not kidding – I can’t beat the kid – no matter how hard I try….and he is still not able to read the directions. 



Peyton will turn four next month.  She will be my little heart breaker.  I am already concerned about her teenage development and have leased an automatic weapon for her dating years.   We will soon enroll Jake in Tae Kwon Doe as an extra defense mechanism against boys on the prowl. 



She is very in to “girl things” – Barbie dolls (she has all of my old ones), manicures and the color pink.  She just learned to ride a bike with training wheels and will be up on skis for the first time shortly.   She is in her second year of pre-school and attends ballet class once a week.



That’s all for now – hope all is well with you.  Warm wishes for a happy and healthy new year.  Enjoy 2002!



Love,



Jon, Shelly, Jake, Peyton and Avery