Christmas Letter 2011

Goodness gracious! I say this every year but seriously…how is it that time is flying at such an exponential rate? We just celebrated Christmas like, 3 months ago. The small people aren’t so small anymore so the time must have gone by.

The Leeks are all doing well in the Rain Rose City. I continue to be blessed in so many ways. I have a healthy beautiful family, we live in a supportive and wonderful neighborhood, our house is comfortable and cozy and I have amazing and loving family & friends. I feel so lucky.

Here’s the lowdown on the kids. Sophia is fully in t’ween stage and is almost 11. She is going full throttle towards becoming a teenager. She occasionally throws out attitude but most of the time she is delightful. She is a crazy reader, continues to ride horses, is an avid tree climber and as always, is a loving and supportive big sister. She is in 5^th grade this year and is in a 4/5 blend. All summer she was adamant that she did not want to be in a class with a bunch of 4^th graders. As it turns out she has made new friends and realizes that we’re all more alike than not, a lesson that we all need to learn.

Coulter is going to be 8 at the end of December. He has a level of concentration that is amazing. As a matter of fact if he is reading a book you either have to shout or touch him to get his attention. He gets completely enveloped in a concentration bubble. I wish I could do that. While occasionally it is frustrating I think it will serve him well for the long term. He continues to be my cuddly boy. I know that won’t last forever but it is very sweet right now. He loves school and when asked at the end of each day, “How was your day?” inevitably he answers, “It was the best day of my life.” His joie de vivre is contagious. He laughs harder, plays bigger and loves more whole heartedly than most.

Kees turned 6 in August and we finally have him in Kindergarten. He was pretty miffed last year when a bunch of his buddies went to kindergarten and he stayed in preschool. I wasn’t sure at the time if it was the right decision but this year I couldn’t be more sure. He has a confidence that wasn’t there last year and LOVES school. This summer he was a pest. I thought it was just because he wanted to push all our buttons. The truth of the matter was he was bored. When asked about his day, everyday may not be the “best day” like his brother but every day is “GREAT.” Last night I was talking to some of the kindergarten parents. When I was asked to describe Kees I said, “He’s the kid with fairly long blond hair and he thinks he’s cool.” 3 or 4 parents later said, “He thinks he’s cool because he IS cool.” And so it begins……

Bob is still with Kaiser Permanente and enjoys his work most days. He was afforded an amazing opportunity this year. Kaiser sent him to Harvard to attend the Executive Leadership Program with another 65 Kaiser people from all over the country. The days were long and they went out a few evenings. Bob got to be a college man again and really enjoyed the whole experience. He set up a few poker games and even got out to play some golf. So it was the college experience but with some money. He was gone a total of 4 weeks but it was split into two 2 week periods. We all missed him a LOT but understood that this was something daddy needed to do. He also got in quite a bit of golf this year including a trip to Nevada with 15 new friends. Google Wolf Creek to see the course.  Guys, golf, good times…It was a great play date.

We didn’t fly much but we covered a lot of ground this year. The kids and I took a quick trip to Walla Walla and Spokane for Spring Break. We spent the latter half of Spring Break with daddy at home. Staying at home with time off is THE BEST. Then, the day after school got out the kids and I along with my pal Sarah and her kids drove to the SF Bay area. We all travel well together. The kids and I stayed with the Slacks in Martinez and Sarah went to her brother’s. We lucked into the best weather. It was about 80° in the city even in Golden Gate Park! When we got home from California we packed up again and went to a 3 day Bluegrass Festival in Fossil OR with the Bauer-Baker Clan and best of all Bob got to come this time. The weather was sublime and the company was the best. On the second day our kids and Clara wrote a song and entered the song writer’s contest with 15 other singer/song writers. Our kids WON! It was amazing and they were totally pumped. We left Fossil and went straight to Priest Lake, ID to see our long time friends the Thompsons. We have talked about getting together at their lake house for about 10 years now. The time was right and again…the sun followed us to Idaho. The Thompsons took great care of us and shared all their toys too. They have boats, floating things, 4 wheelers and so on. The kids loved being dragged behind the boat and riding the 4 wheelers. There are trails all around the house and up the mountain to beautiful vistas. We loved our time there. We got home on July 11^th and Portland was just starting to see some sun….FINALLY.

Sophia went to camp for a whole week….my baby gone a whole week. A week later all 3 of our kids went to Cousin Camp on Anderson Island hosted by my dad and Sally. They had all their grandkids in one place. Good times and a LOT of work and planning. The kids love their cousins and their grandparents and had a great experience. Bob and I enjoyed a quiet house.  Empty nest preview?

In August we had a family reunion at mom and Ed’s place. All the “kids” (the under 50 set) camped down by the water. The “adults” (the over 50 crowd) all found beds at mom’s or with a neighbor. We played poker, roasted hot dogs and such and laughed a lot. There is something about getting together with family….maybe it’s the blackmail material we all have on each other? I’m not sure if it keeps us in check but it does make for funny stories that only family understands or that actually pass as acceptable. Lots of our stories would only draw blank stares or looks of disgust from anyone else. We laughed our heads off.  All the “little kids” (the under 20’s) all got reacquainted and had a great time playing together. It was such fun.

In October we went to Disneyland with mom and Ed. We spent 3 of the days down there at Disneyland and had a couple of down days too. We were all big enough to ride everything and even the boys did the scary rides. The only one they bypassed was the Tower of Terror (my favorite). The boys loved Star Tours. Sophia liked Space Mountain and Mom and Ed loved the Indiana Jones ride. Bob….loved it all.

Our Thanksgiving was lovely with the Bauer-Bakers and Bob’s mom Ans came out from Atlanta. We were so happy to have her with us. It’s a long way to come for 3 days but we are so glad she made the effort. We all enjoyed her company immensely.

Our holiday is ramping up. As I type Bob is putting up Christmas lights outside and dragging out the decorations. We look forward to Dad and Sally coming for Christmas. We’ll be going to the Nutcracker and hosting Christmas Dinner with friends. The kids are excited for Santa’s arrival. Little do they know, Santa has been busy already and is fairly prepared. I have been trying to stay relaxed and keep the stress to a minimum. Momma needs to have fun too. I have been so blessed and remain grateful. Take time to reflect on your blessings during this crazy time of year. Remember Christ’s birth, hold your family close and have a safe and happy holiday!