I’m pretty much under the gun here, not figuratively, but in a real sense, as I’ve put off penning the annual Christmas letter and Heather’s patience and usual pleasant attitude has morphed into the sour demeanor of a bank robber. Easy, easy, lady, I’m writing now. Her trigger finger is getting itchy, so lets not waste any time.
I’m entering my third year working at the American Cancer Society and am looking forward to another legislative session. This year should be a fun since our state is broke, tobacco sales are up in a down economy, we are getting a new governor any day now, and state is generally operating at peak efficiency, which means barely functioning for those of us in the private sector. At this pace, we’ll be lucky if the government doesn’t start passing out Marlboro’s to the elementary schools. Aside from work, I’m half way towards getting my master’s degree and am astonished at what passes for a good student these days, as evidenced by my high GPA. We also took a trip to California and paid homage to Mickey Mouse. That rat is nothing but a mugger with high pants and no shirt. And I would keep my eye on goofy- not as dumb as you think. Most recently, Heather and I celebrated eight years of marriage by taking a hot air balloon ride and then crashing in the desert for good measure. Nothing like a life threatening experience to bring you a little closer together. Of course, I have been saying that at the dinner table for the last eight years. Ka-Zing!
Heather is doing nothing as usual. Aside from Pampered Chef, teaching 6th grade math, VP of the HOA, MOPS, kids, cooking, cleaning, puttering around to keep herself sane, and apparently brushing up on her hostage taking skills, she is generally just passing the time. I have to admit, I was amused at the result of Heather volunteering in Brielle’s Kindergarten class. Brielle is always excited when mom comes to help out, but as I confirmed, its not the joy of seeing mom, oh no, it’s the lunch trip to McDonalds Brielle gets out of the deal. A fair trade off I think; French fries for the all seeing eye.
Brielle is growing up. A new member of the school age population, she is loving Kindergarten, except for the days she doesn’t want to get out of bed. I can only imagine the upcoming teenage years of prying her out of slumber if it’s a challenge at 5 years of age. She is dancing around at dance class, swimming like a fish, and riding her bike without training wheels. And where would we be without a medical condition? I mean, after all, what is parenting without trips to the doctor? This year Brielle got tubes in her ears and her adenoids removed, and for good measure, her ears pierced. She is something else, always playing outside, knocking on the neighbors doors for kids to come out and play, helping with the cooking, and always checking in to see what everyone is up to. Bottom line, she is a busy body through and through, just like someone else in the family, not named Colby or Cooper.
And speaking of the little guy, he is enjoying being a little bigger and a little older. The good news is that he is plenty big enough now to play on all the riding toys we have and his favorite is certainly the battery powered four-wheeler. His personality is still purely of a focused nature, only doing one thing at a time, very purposefully. He loves to help me out mowing the lawn, working on the cars, planting grass or hammering the cement. I did get a great father’s gift from him this year, one that puts the usual bad ties and socks to shame. He decided that morning that he was done with diapers. Since then, he hasn’t worn one since, not even at night. Just totally potty trained. We can confirm that potty training can happen instantly, and not just in the parenting magazines. It perhaps illustrates his thinking best. When he is going to do something, that’s it, a done deal, no one is going to tell him otherwise. A move to a big boy bed, a bike on the way (Santa willing) and Cooper is going to be ready for school before we know it.
This is the part where I try to transition from my riveting tales of everyday life to some sort of Christmas message. But this year, with the economy in a tailspin, unemployment number skyrocketing, and the government bailing out everyone with money they haven’t printed yet, perhaps this year, the silver lining in all this doom and gloom is less commercialism and perhaps the spirit of a helping hand, thankfulness, and joy will be the gift left under our trees. Perhaps that’s the one gift that Santa leaves to His Son to deliver.
Merry Christmas Everyone,
Colby, Heather, Brielle, and Cooper Bower
Thursday, January 1 | 
