Reading through some of the Christmas letters we've already received, I was struck by how much can change in a year. New houses, new jobs, new kids. We haven't really been the best at keeping our friends up-to-date with what's been going on in our lives (I just checked and I haven't written an honest-to-goodness Christmas letter since 2007!), but rest assured that none of those big events have been happening to us, just people we know. We've only experienced an accumulation of life's little shifts and changes that you don't necessarily notice day-to-day, but taken together add up to a pretty good year.
Alex is four years old and goes to preschool at the church around the corner (the same preschool his older brother attended at the same age). He plays soccer, takes swim lessons, builds LEGO creations a kid twice his age would be proud of, and has developed an unhealthy preoccupation (dare I say obsession?) with Angry Birds in all its many forms. Alex considers himself to be quite the young photographer, and has recently branched out into cinematography as well.
Evan is six, and is in 1st grade. He really likes school, and is something of a teacher's pet (he inherited brains from both of us and Steph's joy of following the rules). During his summer vacation Evan got to attend a few different week-long camps, including a LEGO camp and one focused on building things (like bridges out of tooth picks and play-doh and cool paper airplanes). He's also a soccer player and swimmer, shares his brother's fixation on Angry Birds (they share a lot of things), loves loves LOVES to draw, and is going to run out of teeth at the rate he's losing them.
Steph (age withheld) spends every hour she can manage in her studio, which is unfortunately not nearly as many as she would like (raising two little boys will do that to you). She continues to work almost exclusively in felted wool and show around the country, but has been developing a new body of sculpture over the past year or so that is similar to some of her previous work but significantly larger. She conducts workshops intermittently around the Bay Area, and spent a week this summer teaching at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Steph also plays roller hockey 2 or 3 times a week in a few adult leagues (which actually started last year, but since there was no Christmas letter...) and regularly has the bruises to prove it.
Hayden is rapidly closing in on the big 4-0! He still works as an engineer at Northrop Grumman and has been primarily on the same project for over 6 years now (in the Special Intelligence Operating Unit, which is... "special", I guess). This year he also contributed to a few business development efforts (which means no one in the government is willing to pay for them yet) which was an interesting change of pace. Hayden doesn't have to travel that often for work, but when he does he usually takes the opportunity to do something fun (like spending a day snowboarding after a conference in Utah) or visit friends and family (like seeing college friends outside DC or his sister Hilary in Allentown, which is also fun) along the way. He plays on a couple different soccer teams, both indoor and outdoor, throughout the year.
And last but not least (well, actually she is least, which is why she's last and didn't make the Christmas card) Peekay turned 10 years old this year and is still going strong. She doesn't get taken on walks anywhere close to as often as she did a few years ago, but some days I think she's perfectly OK with that. She is continually mellowing in her old age, although the neighborhood squirrel population and the mailman would certainly disagree, and she enthusiastically provides slipper delivery service anywhere in the house (to Steph at least... I refuse to give the dog a treat for getting slobber on my slippers).
We hope 2013 was kind to you and your family, and 2014 is better still. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
