(Count 'em!)Dear All,
It's been three huge months since our last update.
Actually I wrote an update about a month and a half ago; but I can't find it, and I don't think it would help to dump it on y'all now anyway. I have published the photos intended to go with it (below) because hey, that's easy.
The photos that accompany this note were all taken in the past week.
I don't think I'll even try to chart all the changes the kids have gone through in the past quarter year. It's been amazing, so exciting and so much fun.
The big news is that Zola turned one year old last Wednesday. She's doing great _ at least, that's the big picture.
Sadly, we had to cancel her birthday party because she's got an odd ailment at the moment: her thigh abruptly developed a lump on it the size of a grapefruit after a vaccination shot almost two weeks ago. She's pretty distressed, but Tylenol helps.
(but she still got cake!)I won't give further details because I just think it's too depressing to rail about sicknesses. My last word on that topic: the whole house was down with the flu for about two weeks in January, which kind of took the heart out of us.
Apart from that it's just been busy! So busy that I've been re-appraising how much time I can spend on various things like blogs, and, yeah, family letters.
Tonight is a good example: I've got to get this written and turn it in soon or suffer the consequences tomorrow.
With babysitting help from Hinke's parents we managed to re-arrange the house to create some small room-lettes for the kids. The new "flow" of the house is much better and we're doing a hair better at keeping things clean.
If anybody was wondering whether I followed through on the various ideas outlined in my previous letter: well, yes.
I went to half-time with the AP, which is pretty daring in these troubled economic times. I also quit the board of the foreign press association, and have more or less stopped updating my blog. I really should leave a note explaining things to my readers there _ I was getting pretty good traffic by the time I tapered off last year.
(A Portrait of the Author)I've started work on my book, with mixed results so far. Lots of ideas about the structure & content, but what I've written feels a little flat. More on that next time.
Hinke is starting to get a little involved in her brother's massive project. If y'all don't know about the project _ it's kind of hard to explain: saving the world, somewhat along the lines of Kiva.org. They're going full speed ahead and I will definitely send you the link to their website once it's operational later this year.
(cold weather).Zeph! The young man is getting more fun and full of surprises all the time. He interrupted my first attempt at writing of this letter (late Sunday evening), curious to know what I was doing. He insisted that I include the fact that he baked a cake for Zola's birthday.
As far as I know, that's a total fabrication.
Tonight he was berating whoever it was who stole my bike about 4 months back, an event he vividly remembers ("The dirty rats"). He refers to the villain as the "purple thief", a reference whose significance eludes me & Hinke.
He's addicted to TV, and so far his major interests include swords and fire engine sirens, but not balls or dinosaurs (okay, a little bit dinosaurs).
Apologies that I haven't sent thank-yous to anybody from Christmas yet. I guess the comments above about being short on time _ blah blah blah it's so boring but it's true _ will have to serve as explanation for now.
I love you all and hope everybody is well!
Love,
Toby
