Frankie playing the sax in the Christmas parade.
Happy Holidays!! I haven't posted in quite some time, so I thought I would wrap up this year in one last post (well, I may post again before the end of the year -- so this will simply have to qualify for my Christmas letter!!)
Our fall and early winter were quite busy. Joey qualified for the Kit Carson Soccer team, meaning we spent one very cold weekend in Carson City, NV while he and his team played three games. They got off to a slow start (it is hard have defenders when you have a team full of forwards -- you soccer moms and dads will understand what I mean!) and never really hit their stride. Despite losing, Joey had a great time.
After soccer, he went on to participate in the spelling bee. He won the first round, going on to represent the elementary school in round two against the spelling wizards from the Jr. High. Although he did not make it through that round, he did a great job, beating many kids much older than him. I, of course, cannot spell without spell check -- so I know he did not inherit this skill from me!
Frankie has been adjusting to Jr. High and the rest of the family is adjusting to puberty! Yes, boys have mood swings too! Now more than ever he likes girls. This past weekend he attended his first school dance; he even asked a girl to go with him (well, meet him there -- he still can't drive!) After the dance he told me that the girl got mad at him because he danced a slow dance with another girl; he couldn't understand why she was so mad. When I asked him why he danced with the second girl, he exclaimed "mom, don't you get it, the chicks come to me! If I don't dance with them, they get mad." Oh, my little Casanova. I'm not sure I will survive his dating years!
Besides girls and puberty, Frankie has been busy with sports and school. He also played soccer this year and his team won his division. For the first time in his soccer career, he really took to the game. He had a wonderful coach, who made all the difference. He has also become quite the musician, teaching himself songs on his sax and teaching himself the piano. He has a great ear for music (between the Cash gene and Aunt Jane, he certainly has music in his blood) and certainly loves to play. He also has become quite the writer, writing stories about everything from Vietnam to Spiderman. His imagination amazes me.
Both boys have done great in school, making the honor roll and earning the accolades from their teachers. Despite the occasional battles between the two of them, they are great kids.
HALLOWEEN 2008
Halloween 2008 - Hans Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker
Not having enough to keep me busy with work, kids, Rotary and life in general, I decided to throw the kids a Halloween party for their friends. And what would a Halloween party be without a haunted house. So, for the two weeks before Halloween, I transformed my garage into a haunted house. Everyone got into the action -- Cathy and Richard helped hang the plywood for the maze and cover the walls with black plastic; my mom and dad helped hang the various ghosts, goblins, skeletons, spiders and other things that screeched and howled. The whole thing was topped off with a fog machine (fyi - a fog machine WILL set off your smoke detector!) By the time Halloween arrived, we were all "spooked" out. The boys and their friends loved everything and demanded that this be an annual tradition (which I'm not so sure of!)
THANKSGIVING 2008
Sunset at Malibu - Thanksgiving 2008
This year we spent Thanksgiving in Malibu, camping at the Malibu RV park. My mom and dad, Cathy and Richard and the boys and I packed up our respective RVs and trekked on down to Malibu. This was my first time driving my RV on the freeway and, if I say so myself, I did a darn good job! The freeway interchanges were challenging, but I found that most of the cars simply got out of the way. I'm not sure if that is because most of the cars in So Cal are so expense or because my personalized plates make clear that a woman is behind the wheel!
The week was very relaxing. The boys helped Richard use his metal detector on the beach, cashing in on some real treasures (a hammer, a few quarters and some fishing weights!) Joey made the biggest find with a gold ring. The night before Thanksgiving we saw the new 007 movie, only to have it break seven minutes before the end. The boys were very disappointed; the grown ups guessed that, once again, Bond lived and got the girl. I still have not seen the whole movie, so don't spoil the ending!
Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyed overlooking the ocean and watching the beautiful sunset. We had all the fixings. It is amazing what you can cook in three RVs! Although two of those RVs have all the creature comforts of home - including a washer and dryer!
On Black Friday, we skipped the shopping crowds and went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The Library sits up on a hill overlooking the valley. I attended a Rotary conference there last spring, but did not have the time to take the tour. This time we saw it all! The boys loved Air Force One and Marine One and Frankie loved the exhibit about the fall of the Berlin Wall. We even saw the Mule Days belt buckle he received when President. Regardless of what you may think of Ronald Reagan's policies, the museum is very interesting and well worth the trip.
Me, Mom and Cathy with Ronnie; Richard and Cathy before they boarded Air Force One
I finally renegotiated my contract with the County and, if all goes well tomorrow, will be returning to my juvenile duties after the 1st. I will be happy to have a little more time to spend with my family. As I expected, this is a very emotional time of year for us -- as kids Christmas was always our favorite time of year and I can't help but be sad. With the help and support of some very good friends, I know we will get through it.
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