Saturday, December 31, 2005

December 2005

December is one of the busiest months for a family, and we were no exception. Between the shopping, decorating, getting pictures, and making the rounds to four separate Christmas celebrations (with one left to go on New Year's Day), we feel ready to get back to normal... though don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun along the way.

This past month I've noticed several emotional changes in Kyla. She has become more shy than she used to be with strangers and even people she knows, though this usually wears off within a few minutes and she becomes her more casual, vocal self. On an evening where we had a number of guests over for a book party, Kyla was playing with the stereo and it suddenly came on at an ear-splitting volume. We quickly turned it down, but Kyla was extremely embarrassed that she had caused the entire room to jump.

Recently she has begun counting to two, which I think means more to her as a sequence than a quantity. She can also identify most of the basic body parts, her favorite of which is the belly button.

As is tradition when a new year is about to begin, I found myself reflecting on the one that has come to pass and I am amazed by how much has changed in our little family. Kyla has transformed from an immobile baby to an energetic toddler. This summer just as a delicate feeling of normalcy began to settle on our lives, we decided to upend it with the whole home buying and selling process that took far more blood, sweat, and tears than we anticipated. All in all, 2005 was a transitional year for our family and I expect fewer adjustments in 2006... though I could be wrong.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Holiday Message 2005

2005 was the first full year that our family was a threesome, and it was quite an adventure.

Kyla has gone from a cooing little baby into a rambunctious toddler. She started walking in the summer and has mustered quite a vocabulary. She's constantly picking up new words, even ones we'd rather she didn't repeat. Her favorite hobbies are reading ( i.e. being read to) and climbing up on whatever her parents will find most terrifying once they discover her.

Becky has been very busy doing the full-time Mommy thing, bouncing from play group to toddler class to exercise class, etc. Kyla still doesn't sleep through the night, so Becky actually managed to find herself in a job that requires more hours than a public accounting firm during busy season.

Brett has been working at RAF Technology, a small software development company in Redmond. Most mornings he gets up with Kyla and gets her and himself ready while Becky gets an hour or so of extra sleep. He loves taking Kyla to the park and to swim class with his cousin Tom and Tom's daughter Rylee.

The biggest event of the year for us was our move to a house in the Issaquah Highlands. The buying and selling process took four months and turned into a nightmare, but in the end we found ourselves with a nice home in a terrific neighborhood.

We are growing into our new place very slowly since our condo was quite a bit smaller. For the first two months our Family Room was occupied only with the television and a blow up mattress... that leaked. The extra space has been relished by Kyla who loves to play in the back yard and in the bonus room, which is full of her toys.

We hope that this message finds you having a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous new year.

Sincerely,
Brett, Becky, and Kyla