Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, our family celebrated many firsts in 2008. Not the least of which was a move to a new home three miles west. Other family firsts this year included:Jochen— Visited his family in Germany without the kids for a week in April; was visibly relieved when Obama won the Presidential election; took on leadership of a Sunday school class with Trish and two other couples at church; couldn’t live without the Jon Stewart Daily Show; served as referee at most of Joshua’s Saturday morning soccer games during the AYSO season; continued the four-year old tradition of taking the boys to Deutschstunde – a meeting with 2-3 other German families every Monday afternoon for a German lesson and a meal together; cheerfully completed the myriad home improvement projects generated by the move to the new house; and, studied diligently in an intermediate Spanish course at Ventura College this Fall.
Tricia— Introduced Toby & Joshua to C.S. Lewis novels; discovered that she doesn’t know how she survived this long without a DVR; was delighted when Barack Obama was elected; took on leadership of a Sunday school class with Jochen and two other couples at church; enjoyed having friends over on several occasions for a Raclette meal, after receiving a Raclette table-top grill for her birthday; traveled to Las Vegas for the first time to enjoy a "girls weekend" in April; was inspired by a three-day Urban Planning conference held in Hollywood in September; and, finds the freedom to extend hospitality to a wider group of friends (the new house offers more space) an unexpected joy.
Joshua— Attended a weeklong surf camp in July and loved it; played on the Eagles AYSO soccer team this Fall; lives for recess at school, so he can play soccer with the second and third graders; learned to tie his shoes; recently joined a weekly basketball club and learned how to dribble a ball; became the Wii Fit “tightrope walking champion” at the Tonai's house; developed a passion for reading in Spanish, English, (and German, too!); celebrated his 6th birthday with a pirate party at Aunt Betty's beach house in Seal Beach; traveled with Mom to spend a long weekend in Crescent City with his former foster family in March; fearlessly jumped from the 3 meter diving board in swim class (about 10 feet); became enamored with Where's Waldo? books and the game Hangman; and, discovered a new TV show called Las Aventuras de Henry (a Canadian show dubbed in Spanish and shown on Vme, the new Spanish version of PBS) that he doesn't want to miss on Saturday mornings.
Toby— Proudly began riding a bicycle without training wheels in September and started off-roading two days later; discovered a new love for the Magic Treehouse book series, which he listens to on his CD player; enjoyed a gymnastics class in the Spring; attended preschool for five mornings a week in preparation for Kindergarten; spent much time in our hall closet wishing himself to Narnia, after listening spellbound to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; was the first in our family to break a bone (he broke his collarbone in the Spring); continued to insist that his imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson (see explanation in the 07/13/08 blog post), is quite real and, indeed, responsible for much of his own on-going mischief; and, consumed all of the chocolate in his Advent calendar by December 9th.
Entire Family— Celebrated St. Martin’s Day (November 11th) with seven other German-speaking families by parading through our neighborhood after dusk with colorful, homemade lanterns; cultivated a love of collaborative storytelling and Mad Libs for Kids as an entertainment alternative to the DVD player on long car rides; discovered some great beaches in Santa Barbara this summer; continued our family tradition of spending Thanksgiving weekend with the Tonais in Ladera Ranch; and, ventured down to the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood for a special showing of Tinkerbell.
We remain thankful for all of you— our family and friends— and would love to hear about your “family firsts” in 2008. Wishing you a blessed, peaceful Advent season!
Warmly,
Tricia, Jochen, Joshua & Toby
