Day +1704: We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hard to believe another Christmas has come and for the most part gone. The kids were *so* excited this year. This year might have been the apex of Christmas at our house. Isaac was just absolutely bouncing off the walls. He could barely sleep for like a week before the actual day. He was excited last year, but this year is the first time I think he had a full memory of just how awesome Christmas is. Mina was still very excited also, and is still young enough to fully believe. She'll be in second grade next year and might have some different ideas about Santa Claus. This year on Christmas Eve she was talking about what Santa might leave her when he came down the chimney that night, and then she slipped in "Unless it's just you." I said "What do you mean?" She told me that some people believe that there's no Santa Claus and it's just the parents that fill the stockings. I thought about it for minute, then said "Well Mina, the thing is, if you stop believing in Santa Claus he stops coming. Just like if you stop believing in fairies, you will never see one again." Then she said "I believe in fairies!" and started talking about how she had seen fairies lots of times.

There were lots of great presents, of course. Mina got a digital camera, some doll clothes and a baby seal stuffed animal. Isaac got a remote control car from the Burtons across the street and a portable foosball table from us. Both kids also got Velveteen Rabbits and soccer balls. They were thrilled. We had Christmas Dinner at our house again this year -- 10 adults and 7 kids in our little flat feels like a real party! The day after Christmas we went to see the Nutcracker at the SF Ballet. They really put on a great Nutcracker. The stagecraft is truly amazing. I was worried because our kids were so exhausted and as cranky as they've ever been all day, but they were great during the performance. They've listened to the music enough and they know the story pretty well so that helps a lot.

Isaac has been playing soccer games up and down our hallway for several weeks now, and an integral part of the game is keeping score. He always tells everyone who is playing: "The red team is the Philadelphia Phillies and the blue team is the New York Yankees. Which team do you want to win Daddy?" "It's 2 to 1 Daddy, who do you think is winning?" "Philadelphia just scored! It's 4 to 1!" Sometimes he puts on his SF 49ers helmet and plays football. He's started to go to a few sporting events. Keri took him to a high school soccer game, which was a playoff game featuring his teacher's son (a high school senior). Uncle Brent took him to an Everett Silvertips hockey game while the family was in Washington, which was a really big deal because he got to stay out way past his bedtime. He still remembers the order in which all the goals were scored (the Silvertips lost, 6-2). Then Uncle Steve, Uncle Brent and I took him to a Washington Huskies game where they beat Cal 42-10. He was a little confused at first as to why we were cheering for Washington and not California, but he caught on quickly to all the excitement in the stadium. He remarked after the game that that was the first time he had been to a game where the right team won.

The idea for the soccer ball Christmas present came out of the time when we went to a baby shower for my business partner Snuller and his wife Erica (their baby is due any day now!). They have a little back yard which is perfect for a little soccer game, but they didn't have any balls in their house. So we improvised and made one out of rags and packing tape which worked just fine and we had a great 45-minute soccer game between three 4-5 year old and three parents (the kids won, of course). The key moment was when it was time to leave, and Isaac started to cry because he didn't want to leave his "ball" behind. So Snu gave it to us and Isaac has kept it ever since.

Isaac has really settled down and started flourishing in school. I really feel like it was going to "Cool Camp" that really helped him turn the corner. I'm not sure if it was because it was such a big adventure that he shared with his teacher and his school friends, or if having his Daddy spend that much time with him in that environment, or what exactly it was, or just the confidence gained from having experienced that, but he pretty much stopped clinging to me the next week and now he loves his school and he loves his teacher Randall. He is way into numbers as I've mentioned before, and he's now teaching himself to read as well. He's very sporadic about it and his approach is very different from his sister, who sits down methodically and practices the sounding out skills she's learned in school. He just randomly asks how to spell stuff, or what certain combinations of letters make. This conversation from the other day is typical.

Isaac: What does I-S spell?
Arne: "Is."
Isaac: How do you spell "ice"?
Arne: I-C-E.
Pause
Isaac: How do you spell "ike"?
Arne: I-K-E.

Things have been a little bit difficult with Mina lately. She is very strong-willed, and when she digs in there's almost no punishment that seems to be able to shake her. We have been trying to introduce chores into the daily routine, but the kids have been fighting back hard every step of the way. We've been having Isaac set the breakfast table every morning and Mina clear it. This helps get us out the door in time for school because Isaac has typically been the slow one getting dressed and ready so this gives him a head start after breakfast. He complains but always gives in, but several times Mina has downright refused to do it. I try things like taking toys away, but it doesn't help much. We finally switched our adult roles so that I'm around in the kitchen area while she is clearing and Keri helps Isaac get ready, and that seems to have helped a lot. Now she mostly does it without complaining, but it's been a long road getting there. We were worried for a while that she was stalling because there was some kind of issue at school. She's in a class where she is the youngest by a year, and while she never ever complains I know it can't always be easy. But she loves her teacher a lot and he says she is always cheerful and seems to be totally thriving at school. We've pretty much concluded it's a phase she's going through where we have to probably ease off a little and give her some more control. So we're trying that and things do seem to be getting better.

Other fun stuff:

The kids have gone to see several shows recently, including the Nutcracker, Velveteen Rabbit, the San Francisco Youth Symphony's performance of Peter and the Wolf, the Wizard of Oz. One time I was telling the kids how lucky they are to get to go to all those shows, and how a lot of people aren't so lucky that they get to go to so many shows. Isaac commented that lots of people must get to go to shows because the theater is always full!

Several weeks ago the kids had their friends Aidan and Sophia over for a playdate. At some point during the day the instruments came out, as they usually do, but the kids decided they wanted their band to play on the front steps. So the four of them went down there and Isaac laid out his pirate hat on the sidewalk while they played instruments and sang "songs". The highlight of their day was that two people actually gave them money.

And last but not least, check out this news story about Camp Okizu: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/assignment_7&id=7137448. I'm not going to spoil it but, be sure to pay extra attention starting at around 0:42.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!