2011

The ABCs of our year - still a work in progress:

Animals: despite a health scare last winter, we still have our cat, Larry, and somehow, a handful of fish. One adult in the household desperately wants a dog; the other - let's call her the primary care taker - says "no dog" (hence, still no dog)

Ben: our 7.5 year old second grader is such a joy. He's got a smile on his face so much of the day; it makes you light up to see his big grin. When he's not smiling, he's contemplating his next move in a game, or he's squealing from something his brother did to him. (See R, below, for "rivalry") He's a great reader, puzzle solver, and soccer player.

Cure: we again fundraised for JDRF, forming a Walk for a Cure team, this year raising over $6,000 for a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Dave Draper: Haley's stepdad of over 30 years passed on January 10, a month shy of his 69th birthday. We were so happy to have been able to spend time with him at Christmas, 2010, right as his health began to dramatically fail.

Eye can see!!  Haley got lasik eye surgery in November!

Fifth grader: yoiks! It's hard to believe Michael, who turns 10 in January, is a "big fish" at his elementary school; he will be starting middle school next fall. He is overall a good student but his favorite subject is science. Michael is becoming more independent and seems to enjoy arguing with most things his parents say ("please don't be a lawyer, please don't be a lawyer") - but he is, truly, an incredibly caring and sensitive child. This past summer, he began checking Kate's blood sugar at his request and her assent - enabling us, until we also found a sitter with diabetes, to go out on dates at normal times. We used to have to wait until close to bed time -basically, until two hours after dinner.

Girlie: The most feminine person in our house is also incredibly independent and strongwilled. She has rolled with diabetes amazingly well and takes eating restrictions in stride. (She can basically eat anything, but if her blood sugar is really high, she should wait to eat - and she handles that very well [as do the boys, really].) Kate went to a weekly "gymnastics" class for most of the year, but in the late fall, switched to ballet. Not quite sure why she wanted the change, except for maybe she prefers ballet clothes...? She spent the night at a friend's fairly recently and loved it. When asked if she missed us, she said, "I didn't think about you at all."

Honest: see above :) Michael's learning to sugar coat things (ie be polite in certain settings, ie "mmm, this broccoli is good") - but Kate and Ben still just say it like it is.

Insulin pump: lifesaver. It's not a panacea, but it is so nice to give Kate insulin not only without injections, but remotely!!

Jumpers: the kids love the trampoline in the back yard! (until a recent storm, see W)

Karish & Bjorgum: Marc's intellectual property practice moved to Pasadena in July, from downtown LA. Hooray! And they hit their two year anniversary in October.

Little League: Ben moved up to Farm division, playing various positions for the Sand Gnats. He was a great hitter and good fielder. He likes baseball almost as much as soccer. Michael moved up to Minors, playing for the Yankees. He was stuck in left field for too long until finally his coach realized he could pitch. He loved pitching and hitting, but 2011 may be his last season, as he focuses more on tennis, a year round sport he loves.

Maid of the Mist: the boat we took to get close to Niagara Falls - awesome!

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Ontario, Canada: as part of our great summer trip back east, we had a lot of fun in Toronto and Ottawa.

Perch Island: after touring a bit of Ontario, we spent several days on our cousin's island in the St. Lawrence River (NY). Fun fun fun as always!!

Quiet mornings (except when volunteering at the elementary school): all the kids attend school five days/mornings per week.

Rivalry: although there are always exceptions, the boys interaction is sometimes the hardest part of our day. They have very similar interests and they're both incredibly competitive and very smart (so says the mother...). Kate gets in the mix sometimes too, and then it's even more fun...

Scales: Ben is now the piano player in the house! Michael "took a break" in March and Ben took his lesson spot. Michael tried a new teacher in September, but it only lasted a couple months. Guess piano is not his "thing."

Trips: Besides our grand family trip back east, and Yosemite camping trip (see Y below), Marc somehow went to Las Vegas twice --once with friends and once with his brother, who had been given tickets to the Billboard Music Awards. Marc had a great time - and had to learn about popular music rather quickly :) Haley flew alone (!) to Sacramento and spent a relaxing weekend in Calistoga with her mom and sister. In March, Marc took the boys with a big group from our elementary school to Sequoia National Park. Haley & Kate stayed home because Kate was quite sick - one of our hardest weeks, having to deal with the combination of fever/asthma/diabetes. We also visitied family in Northern California a couple times this year.

United Airlines: not our favorite company - since we missed both our connections out of Dulles this summer - however, we made the most of it on the leg home and spent a full day in Washington DC. Highlight was probably the amazing gem collection in the Natural History Museum; Michael loves rocks and minerals - and was eager to show us the many specimens he had learned about in a book his third grade teacher had given him.

Value: we are so thankful for friends and family, but our biggest prize is each other.

Windstorm: had the most insane windstorm we've ever experienced occured earlier in the year, it might not make this list, but since we're still staring at the debris pile in front of our house, waiting to be picked up by the city, this storm - causing a nearly 4 day power outage and ruining our beautiful oak tree - makes the cut.

Xray: just for teeth this year (two years in a row -woo hoo!!) Still knocking on wood. The xrays indicated only one person had cavities and we won't reveal which red-headed child screamed his way through the fillings...

Yosemite: another fun camping trip there. This year, we were joined by friends and some of Haley's family.

Zzzz: still not getting enough sleep. Thanks to T1d, we check Kate's blood sugar around midnight and 3AM most nights. Read about the necessary constant vigilance on Haley's blog.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!