Dearest Friends & Family!
Happy Holidays Everyone!
We hope this message finds you each happy, healthy and balanced. As everyone knows by now, we try to sum up
our year in a word. Each year, we find
it more challenging. We guess it has to
do with each year…we have added to our family and our dynamics COMPLETELY
change. To find ONE word that fits each
of us (including Derby) is challenging.
So, let’s K.I.S.S.! We know it’s not exactly ONE word, but an
acronym counts, right? Keep.
It. Super. Simple. Some say “Sally,” some “Sexy,” the smart
alec’s out there would say “Simple, Stupid!”
Either way, it’s about stream-lining things, not over-complicating,
doing what you can do and being satisfied with enough. Clive has starting singing the song, “You get
what you get and you don’t get upset!” I
think we can all learn from this simple preschool tune. While KISS is DEFINITELY been the most
challenging for Christina (she can’t help but have TOO much to do, it will most
likely become a 2014 resolution as we can never KISS enough! So here is our year’s worth of “KISS”es!
We
took TWO family vacations this year. One
to visit Christina’s family in CA and the other to visit Josh’s family in
Tennessee. Traveling with two toddlers
is challenging, so the only way to manage IS to KISS! Despite the
loads of gear we needed just to get from point A to point B, we really did keep
it simple. We have found that no matter
what toys, books and gear you bring, they just want to play with whatever is at
your final destination. So, no need to
weigh yourself down with stuff they won’t even use. In Flight entertainment however is a
MUST! The kids traveled pretty well (and
even slept a little) and for that, we are grateful! We truly enjoyed spending time with our
families. In CA, it was amazing for all
of the first cousins to meet and start to get to know each other. COUSINS are the best! In TN, it was fun to watch Clive be in his element.
We couldn’t help ourselves fast forwarding and seeing Clive as a country music
star. After all, how many kids would
choose their one vacation gift to be an accordion!?!?! Natalie on the other hand, she sweetly chose
a pony!
This
is the one year mark for Christina’s new job at Crabtree & Evelyn. Boy has it been a ride. She has really enjoyed the people she works
with and most importantly, enjoys a 5 mile commute! In the spirit of KISS, being able to drop off/pick up two kids at two
different daycares and then get to work all within 30 minutes is pretty
awesome! Since the office is fairly
learn, Christina has to really challenge herself to KISS….and NO, no way, and never, KISS A**! That isn’t her
style! She still thinks it funny that
everyone talks about Soap, Hand Creams and Candles as “super cute” or
“fun.” Who knew that made it a marketing
qualifier! But regardless, she is
enjoying the adventures in the world of beauty and thriving in her new role.
How’s
Derby? We had to embrace KISS and quite simply, she became a
DOG! It has been quite the transition
for Derby to have been a puppy princess and now a normal dog. Not that she has it bad at all, but kids are
a game changer! We do what we can to
spend time with Derby and Josh has finally got a running buddy! We love our Derby and look forward to
spending a little more quality time with her next year.
Our
“Missy-Moo”, Natalie EMBODIES KISS! We had so many gadgets, toys,
“age-appropriate” things for Natalie…and you know how many things she
likes…about 4 things: her kitchen, a
microphone, baby doll and her brother! So, we have been able to PURGE! Hooray!
Someday, Mommy and Daddy will really get their living room back! Natalie just wants to do what Clivey is
doing. She would rather learn how to
balance on a scooter, jump into a mountain of pillows or look out the window
with her big brother. She is mesmerized
by him. So far, so good. We have had no major injuries as a result of
sibling “love,” so we will enjoy it while it lasts! She is also really picking up the language
and is becoming quite the chatter box.
We are enjoying her easy-going, sweet and silly girl who LOVES Derby and
her big brother, Clive. We’ll keep her
fo’ sure!
So
you are thinking: How in the world does
a 3 year old KISS? THEY DON’T!
We will not dispute that! No, No! Not that kind of “Kissing!” That is not
acceptable either until he’s at least 25!
We are learning that we need to keep this complex little being and the
world around him as simple and easy as possible. From potty-training, mastering the scooter,
dressing himself…we have learned the more you ease up and not make it a big
deal, the quicker they will master the task at hand! This truly interesting child is musical to
his core. We are so fortunate to find
this innate talent and hope we can foster it and help him find his path. He has also had a lot of first trips this
year: to the Red Sox, Davis Farmland,
the Boston Pops…we look forward to many more firsts with Clive…I think we’ll
have a first concert at some point, too!
We
know many of you have or have had a special grandparent in your life.
Many of us were fortunate to have had many
years and fond memories and experiences with them.
Both Clive and Natalie’s middle names are
after our grandparents for this very reason.
We believe in giving them something special they will take with them
forever.
This year, we lost our beloved
Bina (Bubbe).
She was Josh’s
grandmother.
She was strong,
independent, a great cook, loved Josh and believed in taking care of her
family.
As a Holocaust survivor, we
admired her triumph over all odds and loved her tenacity.
As we made our final preparations for Bubbe,
we
KISS.
It was a simple, beautiful ceremony in the
company of those closest to us.
We will miss
our Bubbe, but look forward to telling our children stories about her amazing
life!
Wear
your hair curly, no straight, take the frizz out, need more lift, smooth the
fly always…hair care can be complicated!
So this year, Josh had his sites on a KISS-able kind of job. He left
Living Proof (and ‘working’ with Jennifer Aniston) and went back to
bio-technology. New England bio-labs is
the new gig and so far, so good. While he
has a bit of a commute now, he is able to do what he enjoys and hopefully create
more of an opportunity for us to find even more balance with work and
home.
One
thing we would say about our kids is that they are truly
KISS-able!
Natalie loves to
hug and kiss everyone and we kiss her right back!
We will cherish our Clivey-poo kisses while
we can as they are the best, especially when he blows Mommy one and tells her
to “save it for later.”
We are also
fortunate that we haven’t had too many OW-ies we had to kiss and make them feel
better.
Clive had a run-in with a vacuum
cleaner which brought us to the ER and stitches on the eyebrow (the guys keep
telling us that will make him sexy later…HUH?)
Natalie has had a few minor bumps and bruises, but nothing too major so
far!
Whew!
WOW!
That was enough KISS-ING! We would love to hear how ya’ll keep it
simple and we welcome any tips! We say
it every year, but we mean it: We think
of you often and hope to see you, hear from you, skype with you, tweet with you,
etc…Have a great holiday and here’s to a great 2014 and a KISS-able year!
Love Always,
Josh, Christina,
Clive, Natalie & Derby
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