Dearest Family and Friends,

 

Like most of you, this past year whipped by so quickly that we’re still adjusting. Seymour and I still wake up with a start each morning as we remember that we have a new baby—who just turned one in November. (!)

 

We suspect that most families with three small children are busy ones, but we still find ourselves shaking our heads and wondering how on earth other families have been managing for so long. My guess is that the ones who keep it together are the ones who, like us, have a great support network. We are so very grateful for our wonderful family, and friends. Even if we only keep in contact via email (and take weeks to return said email), it means more than you know to have you in our lives.

 

And what crazy lives they are at the moment. Seymour has weathered a rather intriguing year at The Wack (leadership tectonics) but still managed to get in at least one good cycling trip to Lake Tahoe. Squid continues to manage a family schedule so intense that her brain starts leaking from her ears if she stops to think about it; however she has a ground crew of friends from whom to draw strength and boundless humor.

 

The kids are all doing well. Iz is in 2^nd grade, and is still in a Spanish immersion school. Her Spanish is now so fluent that one of her classmates’ parents recently asked where in Mexico Iz’s dad was from—assuming that since I wasn’t a native Spanish speaker, then her dad certainly must be. More importantly, she’s enjoying the “super power” of being bilingual, and being able to chatter away at even more people about town. She also managed to lose both her front teeth in the last week, and delighted in being able to write to Santa and demand them back. Overall, she’s a hoot and great fun to have around, if only to hear what she’ll come up with next: Most recently she was pondering how to engineer food more efficiently so as to eliminate the need for a large intestine…

 

Leelo just turned five and is doing really well. He is a sweet little snugglebug and is developing an impish sense of humor. Though he is still behind his peers in most areas—we are not sure if a regular kindergarten will be the best place for him next year, even with an aide—he continues to make incredible progress with the help of his equally incredible team. Seymour and I always tried to be optimistic about his outlook, but this year is for the first time we honestly feel that he’s going to end up in a good place, no matter where that place is [Seymour pointed out that this sound like we’re sending him to a home].

 

Mali is also doing well. She is enrolled in the Infant Siblings of Autistics program at the U.C. Dervis MYND Institute, and recently passed her 12 month evaluation with all ratings of “at or above age level.” Very cheering. She is a hilarious mimic, is unremittingly chipper, and is one of the most social babies we’ve ever seen (as evidenced at Squid’s brother JD’s wedding in November, where she demanded to be held by every person she encountered). She is also very “busy,” and manages to destroy almost anything she encounters, given sufficient time. It’s a very good thing she’s so cute. A very good thing.

 

We hope that you are doing well. If we haven’t seen or talked to you in a while, know that we miss you very much.

 

 

 

Love, Seymour, Mali, Leelo, Squid, and Isobel