Saturday, December 11, 2004

Goodbye Mini Cooper!



Big year for us – we added an 8 pound girl and an 80 pound boy to the family.   The girl, of course, is Jesse…the boy is Winston – a four year old, golden retriever. 

It’s surprising how similar the two of them are.  Neither cares about where they sleep, what they put in their mouths or where they poop. Jesse is now 8 months old and is truly wonderful.  She crawls, she sits up, she waves and she loves to smile.  As far as Winston is concerned – great pet…mellow, fun loving and awesome with the kids.  Far and away the best fetch player in the house.

So, other than those small changes, things are relatively the same. 

The reality is, taking care of five others plus an animal is a big job (so I hear – wouldn’t know first hand).  Having a bigger family has forced us to make to some tough choices.  For instance, Shelly has given up on her dream of owning a Mini Cooper or ever reading for pleasure again.  I have come to realize that watching SpongeBob really is more enjoyable then the World Series.  Also, now that Shelly has decided to donate my golf clubs and skis to charity, I have more free time.  Of course, our little growth spurt has allowed us to realize several unexpected benefits. We always get to drive in the HOV lanes and Shelly has mastered the ability to juggle, outsource and multitask all at the same time.  I am also pretty sure that the eyes in the back of her head have developed peripheral vision – ‘cause, man, I can’t get away with anything anymore. 


More about the kids…naming Jesse was quite an effort.  Peyton insisted on being part of the decision making process.   Unfortunately, her first recommendation was Pluto - like the planet…so we stuck with original names - Jesse and Ellie.  We almost went with “Jelly” as a compromise until reason prevailed. 

Jesse is very happy and easy going – the kids love to play with her.  I will admit that she has developed a tremendous set of lungs.  Quite a surprise to us because she started out so quiet.  Guess Darwin was right – over time you really do learn to adapt out of necessity. In this place, there is no other way to get attention.   

Avery has a ridiculous amount of energy.  She is 3 going on 16 – I am already nervous. For a pre-schooler, she is extremely vocal.  It truly seems she that never stops talking (obviously hereditary – on Shelly’s side). Her new saying is, “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, MOM!” 

She is quite competitive and refuses to be outdone by her older siblings.  No matter the activity, she gets herself right into the mix.  It’s good when we are playing games, not so good when we are doing homework.  Either way, she



loves to be involved - singing, dancing, cooking , exercising – you name it. She is going to have her first real chance to demonstrate her own athletic prowess when we put her on skis this winter. 

Peyton has developed a truly wonderful toothless smile.  She is almost 7 and has lost so many teeth that I think the Tooth Fairy just got tired of visiting.  She didn’t even bother to show up the last time that Peyton left a tooth under her pillow (that part is true….OOPS!).

Peyton has blossomed into a terrific athlete.  She has grown into a leader on her soccer team (aside from scoring a few goals, she lead the league in total “hugs given” two seasons in a row), an easy-going skier, a wicked air hockey player and a natural swimmer. None of this compares, though, to her skills as a board game and card player (UNO & Texas Holdem). She is in Brownies and still loves to draw.  She uses so much paper that Shelly thinks that entire forests may be in jeopardy.

Jake recently turned nine and is in fourth grade.  Every holiday letter that I have ever written has mentioned Jake’s passion for video games.  Well he has finally given up on them.  Well, this year is no different.  He has officially made his career choice – he plans to be a “Gamer”.  No idea what that means, but if it gets him into college, I’m all for it.  I don’t even bother playing with him anymore because my ego can’t take it. 

He has also been very active in extracurricular activities.  Snowboarding, golf, baseball, football, chess, choir and even violin.  He got a chance to pitch on his baseball team for the first time.  After plastering the first kid he faced on the very first pitch he threw, he wound up striking out the side.  He comes at the other team with a variety of pitches – he’s got the fastball, the faster fastball and the really fast fastball.  We are working on the slider and curveball to round him out. I am just afraid that he will actually try to use one in a game.  It may be safer for the batters to just wait in the on-deck circle for their base on balls. He also had a very successful season in football (well, to be more honest, he had a very successful game in football – most of the actual season was just a warm-up for him).  His very last game, though, he broke out with some impressive defensive play and an amazing touchdown run.  As I recall, it was a miraculous thirty-yard scamper through dozens of defensive players (all oversized eighth graders) which won the championship game for his team.  In reality, the touchdown may have been a two-yard run in a relatively lopsided game. Don’t remember exactly….

Jake, Peyton and Avery do an outstanding job playing with Jesse and taking care of each another. The most interesting thing about them, though, is how well they get along.  They do everything together, including teaming up on Shelly and me.  I hear them scheming in the corner, “all right, Winston, you distract them by licking Jesse’s face, Avery, you make some screaming noises and Peyton and I will go steal the candy on the top shelf of the pantry.  Ready, Break!!”  They sleep in the same room, play video games together (big surprise) and rely on each other in times of peril.  

What is truly adorable, though, is how they can figure out when we are most tense and then surprise us with big, squeezy hugs - miraculously relieving us of stress.  They also have a unique way of making us laugh in times when we are supposed to be angry with them….Not sure their secret but they really do take good care of us.

Enjoy 2005!