Happy Holidays Note 2012

Dear All,

Once again waited until the last minute. Once again sending an impersonal e-holiday greeting. Once again hope you'll forgive me :)

It's been a great year for us, mostly revolving around watching Ryan turn from a baby into a kid. She is funny and kind and smart and stubborn and dramatic--she really keeps us on our toes but also brings so much joy to our lives. She's been saying the funniest things lately, which luckily seem to come at just the time when we feel like sending her two-year-old self back for a refund. (Things like "Dad--I GET the idea!!" after Tyler's repeated himself for the third time because she appears to be ignoring him, or complaining loudly "SOMEBODY PUT ME IN A TIME OUT!!" when she has, indeed, been put into a timeout. Yes. We know. We are in big trouble.) Her interest in music, hiking, and dance parties has evolved over the past year. Current favorites include Katy Perry, watching Sid the Science Kid (on "her iPad"), and berry flavored yogurt squeezers.

This November we were lucky enough to go with my folks and sister to Thailand for two weeks of epic travel. The trip included class V elephant riding, floating bungalows, a remote postcard-like lake, a village stay with a lovely Muslim family, and a five course jungle feast served on freshly cut bamboo plates! It was a truly amazing trip (photos are here if you're interested) and motivated us to do more international travel with little Ryan. She was such a trooper, even on the 46-hour journey to get home, and the perfect cultural equalizer--everyone loves a cute kid!!

Tyler's business Dirt Hugger continues to grow (the Christmas party doubled in size again this year!). They now have 6 employees and are looking at expansion options. Tyler still works harder than anyone I know (and sometimes smells worse, too) but all of their smart decisions and incredible determination is starting to pay off.

I'm currently consulting with a great organization called REDF on a project that will help nonprofits start social enterprises to employ people with barriers to employment. I also took on the Executive Director role at a small nonprofit in the Gorge that provides education and resources related to sustainable living. It's a great organization, and I've loved working on a local project for a change. We're in the process of merging with another fantastic initiative, and I'm excited to see where we can take things in the coming year.

We are truly grateful for and humbled by the incredible friends and family that we are lucky enough to have in our lives--thank you for being a part of it! We wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy 2013.

Sending all our love,
Lindsay, Tyler, Ryan, and Tele (the dog)

 

December, 2012

December has basically been about trying to get you to sleep.

After a long, long, long trip back from Thailand, we finally made it home and started a downward spiral of sleep issues. It started with jet lag--all of us, but you especially, waking up in the middle of the night wide awake and ready to party. You'd yell from your bed at 12:47 am every night, "I'm AWAKE!!" and the fun would begin. The worst night, you were up from 12:45 until 5:30 am. We tried everything--snacks, books, songs, rocking, playing, crying, leaving you to read a huge stack of books in your crib.

Nothing worked.
We were exhausted.
Then you figured out how to climb out of your crib.
Then you figured out how to open doors.

It wouldn't have been that big of a deal if we could count on the fact that you'd come straight into our room and wake us up. Instead, it became a game for you, and your sneaky little self would cruise around the house...in the middle of the night...all alone.

One night I found you in the kitchen getting yourself a snack. Another you were up, had turned on the Christmas tree lights, and were pushing your baby stroller around the living room. Another time Tyler woke up early for work and found you sitting by yourself on the couch at 5:30 in the morning. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Just sitting, Dad!" you said.

You also figured out that if you were quiet about getting up in the night, you wouldn't get caught. I even hung some bells on your door so that I'd hear you when you got up. It worked great the first couple of nights, but on the third night, I heard the bells, headed down the hall to your room, and found your little arm sticking out the door, your hand wrapped around holding the bells so they'd stop ringing. Clearly, we are in big, BIG trouble when you get to be a teenager and start sneaking out of the house. By the time it got really bad, Christmas was just a few days away, and then we were heading to Baja, so there was no real point in making a big deal out of it.

Santa brought you a sleeping bag!

Christmas was super fun this year. You are a very generous, thoughtful little kid, and totally understood the idea of giving gifts to people. You and I went to the paint-your-own ceramics place and made gifts for the grandparents, and the whole time you were painting, you were saying, "Oh, Noni is going to LOVE this!" and "Nana will say this is so beautiful!" Then, when it was time for people to open the gifts you'd made, you ran over and watched and told them proudly, "I made that for you!!" It was so cute. You were also REALLY good about saying thank you for gifts that people gave you. You finally got gift saturated at Noni and Grandpa Rick's house around noon. You started acting horrible--talking back, not listening or doing what you were told. Noni finally asked if you wanted to snuggle in her bed and read some books and you were so grateful.

Helping Dad make hard cider