Christmas 2013

2013: This Message brought to you by the Lesser Half

Every Sunday morning, mid-way through Church services, Charlie, our youngest, will look at me and ask “Can we leave early?” He always asks me, because he knows there is a reasonable chance that I just might say yes. If he were to ask his mother, the answer is always a firm “no.” So, he only asks when he and I are attending mass together, which is pretty frequent given our hectic family schedule.

Well, one Sunday not too long ago, we were all attending mass as a family. Charlie leaned over and asks that familiar question. I said what any responsible father would say: “Go ask your mother.” Well, he did and the response was predictable. With a look of disappointment, he leaned back over, pointed at his mother and said: “But dad, you have a vote. You are one-half of this relationship.” I quickly fire back “yes son, but I am the lesser half.” After thinking about it a moment, he looked back at me and said “Yea… You are the lesser half.”

I consider this Charlie’s Animal Farm moment: the recognition that in our egalitarian world, all may be equal, but some are more equal than others. Now, to the family update…

Margaret, our oldest, is now seventeen and is a junior in High School. This year, she changed schools and attends a charter school in Lewisville called iSchool High STEM Academy. She is very happy there and that gives us comfort. Though this school does not have many extracurricular activities, she has found outlets outside the school system. She is now in the Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas and has also started taking piano lessons. She is actually pretty good at piano, especially for someone who started so late in life. She is also gearing up to work on her Girl Scout Gold award this summer. College is also not so far off, so the PSAT, SAT, and ACT are part of our lives.

Our middle child, Cal, is fourteen years old and in eighth grade. Unfortunately, the litany of injuries continues. This year was dominated by foot, ankle, and knee injuries. We are slowly but surely working through those issues. Outside of that, school has gone well. He attends Grapevine Middle School and he excels at science and math. He is a smart kid and in many ways reminds me of my older brother Kevin. He has started taking guitar lessons and just got his first electric guitar. Oh joy of joys.

Charlie, our youngest, is now a ten year old in fifth grade at Dove Elementary. He is still in the talented and gifted program. His most exciting news is that he tried out and is now a member of the Dove Dynamic Drummers. They are a team of 36 kids that travel around performing synchronized drum routines using drumsticks, tables, and other props. All 3 kids had tried out for this while at Dove Elementary and Charlie was the only one to make the team. So, he is very proud of that. Other than that, he is busy running around and having fun with friends.

Laura now works three days a week at the Saint Francis preschool program. On the volunteer side, she is the fifth grade coordinator at Dove Elementary School for Charlie’s final year. She continues to write her blog which you can check out at: www.greenforgod.blogspot.com. With kids at three different schools and a host of extracurricular activities, she (and I) drive a lot and do not have time for much else.

As for me, not much has changed. I still work for a company that manufactures industrial robots for manufacturing. They are based in California and I have worked from home for the last 7 years. This summer, I took the whole family to California while I worked out of the corporate headquarters. It was not exactly a vacation, but it definitely was a big experience. Everyone had lots of fun. I am still taking karate and by the time you read this, I should be a brown belt.

We hope all of you have a peaceful holiday season.             

Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal, Charlie and Mickey (the dog)                                                                            

Christmas 2012

2012: Street Fights and Other Challenges

For those who may not remember, I spend 4 hours every Tuesday night taking karate classes with my son Cal. One night as we were leaving class, he turned to me and asked “So dad… How do you think we would do in a street fight?” A lot was going through my head and I knew I needed to answer carefully but unambiguously. I stopped, looked him straight in the eye, and said “Cal, I think we would get our asses kicked.”

You see, every year is full of challenges and this year was no exception. I won’t bore you with a listing. That would be neither interesting nor entertaining. But this episode represents a microcosm of our family life. The challenge was not so much in the prospects of a street fight, but rather it is the challenge of parenthood. You see, Cal takes karate so he can learn self-confidence and how to protect himself. It’s our responsibility that he thinks very carefully how he uses these skills and to put him on a path that leads to self-awareness and wisdom.

When your kids are young, you view them as an extension of yourselves. We are now at the point where our oldest will be going to college in a little over two years from now and the younger two are not far behind. The focus is less and less on the kids as an extension of us, and more about preparing them for life independent of us. There is a sense of accomplishment as we see our kids go through this process, but there is also a mixture of sadness. I have vivid memories of the kids when they were younger and I know those days are fleeting.

But not all of our challenges are so serious. More recently, I was presented with a challenge from the great Rita Ford, one of my sisters-in-law. Her challenge… To use the word millihelen somewhere in my yearly letter. For those not aware, millihelen refers to Helen of Troy who had “the face that launched a thousand ships.” A millihelen is a unit of measurement equal to the amount of beauty needed to launch a single ship. So, it remains to be seen how well we are rising to the challenge of parenthood, but at least for Rita’s challenge, I win. Now, the family update....

Margaret, our oldest, is now sixteen and is a sophomore at Grapevine High School. She continues to take Choir and is in the Women’s concert choir. She also started taking theater classes this year. She is doing reasonably well in school, though there is always room for improvement. In the spring, she was in a private production of Annie where she had several parts. This fall, she played a seagull in the high school production of The Little Mermaid Junior. Over the summer she started driving with a learners permit. We are working on her full license. Please pray for us and all the other drivers in the Grapevine community.

Our middle child, Cal, is now in seventh grade. Unfortunately, the litany of broken bones continues. In May it was his right foot and in August, it was his right wrist. This brings us to 6 bone breaks in nearly 3 years. Oddly enough, none of these breaks have been in karate class where he has recently attained his purple belt. Cal did join the football team this year, but it resulted in the broken wrist. Cal would like to inform all that his glorious, but brief, football career is over.

Charlie, our youngest, is now a nine year old in fourth grade at Dove Elementary. He decided to not do student council this year, but he has still in the talented and gifted program at school. He has signed up for choir and has a part in the winter play. We are all looking forward to seeing that. In karate, he has just attained the rank of second-degree junior blue belt. He is also still active in scouting where he is a Webelo in Pack 300.

Laura continues to teach two days a week at the Saint Francis preschool program. She has scaled back on her volunteering this year, but is still active as the environmental coordinator at Dove elementary school and the treasurer for the Cub Scout pack. She also finished writing a book on environmentalism and the Catholic Church and presented it to a few publishers. For those interested, you can follow her blog at www.greenforgod.blogspot.com. She continues to be very busy.

As for me, not much has changed. I still work for a company that manufactures industrial robots for manufacturing. They are based in California and I have worked from home for the last 6 years.

Have a peaceful holiday season.      Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal, Charlie and Mickey (the dog)       

Christmas 2011

2011: The Year of Karate

This year, I signed up for Karate. Both Cal and Charlie take Karate every Tuesday night at the Grapevine recreation center and I found myself spending a few hours watching them every week. Rather than be passive, I signed up for the teen/adult class with Cal. But before I could join Cal, I had to attend “white belt class.”

For those who don’t know, Karate is a lot like soccer. There are some adults who play soccer, but the overwhelming majority of participants are kids. So, there I found myself in my very first Karate class practicing the double handed wrist grab self defense move with a 10 year old little girl wearing a pink “Hello Kitty” t-shirt. For being 10, she was really fierce. She had the eye of the tiger.

So, how much different was I from the average “pre-tween” in the white belt class?

·         At 42 years old, I am four to six times older than anyone else in the class.

·         I have been alive for as many US presidents (Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama) as the age of most of the other student (8 US presidents = 8 years old).

·         I outweigh everyone by at least 60 pounds and am 1 ½ feet taller than the next tallest person in the class

Fortunately, the instructors promoted me to the teen/adult class after two 30 minute white belt classes. For that, I am grateful. However, I have found out that Karate is really hard. I am not as flexible as I thought I was, but I think this will be good. Cal and I now spend more time together and he and Charlie teach me the more advanced moves.

So, the theme of this letter is spending quality time with the family. As an adult, I do look pretty silly sitting in a class with so many little ones. But that is a small price you pay to create memories and to spend time togther. I am thankful for having the opportunity to look so silly. Now, the family update....

Margaret, our oldest, is now fifteen and is a freshman at Grapevine High School. Wow, do I feel old! Her favorite classes are Choir and English. She is doing well in school overall. Over the summer she completed her Girl Scout Silver award, which is the second highest achievement in Girl Scouts. For her project, she spent 55 hours teaching troubled youths and many younger girl scouts how to knit. She is also taking acting lessons and is convinced that she wants to act professionally. I am encouraging her to have a “Plan B” in case that does not work out.

Our middle child, Cal, is now in sixth grade. This is his first year in middle school and he is doing reasonably well. As I noted above, he takes Karate and has recently attained his orange belt. This year he also transitioned from being a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout. He joined troop 700 last spring. He has been on a few campouts and is adjusting to the new routine and requirements. Unfortunately for Cal, he broke his toe, which is the 4^th bone that has broken in 2 years. Laura knows the orthopedic surgeon better than she would like to.

Charlie, our youngest, is now an eight year old in third grade at Dove Elementary. This year his reading has really improved. His has read all of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series. He was elected to the student council and is in the talented and gifted program at school. He also takes Karate and has just attained the junior orange belt rank. Like his older brother, he is active in scouting where he is in the Bear den of Pack 300.

Laura continues to teach two days a week at the Saint Francis preschool program. She is an active volunteer holding the following positions: the environmental coordinator at Dove elementary school, the treasurer for the Cub Scout pack, an assistant in Margaret’s Girl Scout troop, and a room mother in Charlie’s class. She is also finishing her book on environmentalism and the Catholic Church. She hopes to get published sometime next year. For those interested in the topic, you can follow her blog at www.greenforgod.blogspot.com. She is very busy.

As for me, not much has changed. I still work for a company that manufactures industrial robots for manufacturing. They are based in California and I have worked from home for the last 5 years. It is working out well. As in years past, I did a sprint triathlon in May. I had hoped to do more, but timing did not allow for more.  Perhaps next year will be different. Time will tell.

Have a peaceful holiday season.      Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal, Charlie and Mickey (the dog)                                 

Christmas 2010

2010: A Milestone Year

This was a milestone year, of sorts. For the last 10 years, I have been the one who mows our yard. This is the year I have broken free of the shackles of this duty. Cal, our glorious middle child, started to mow our yard and each week I can think of no better way I could spend that $10. Each time he completes the chore, he walks up to me and stretches out his hand. As I pull out my wallet and search for the wages well earned, I reflect on the last 11 years and how we got to this point.

When we were new parents, I remember the excitement and anticipation each new child brought to our lives. We projected illusions of grandeur on our kids when they are born. Would they be the next great scientist, perhaps another Einstein? Or would they be a capitan of industry like Iaccoca? As those dollar bills fall into Cal's hand, I am reminded that part of the process of learning how to become a parent is acceptance. You stop the projection of what you want your kids to become and accept the reality of who they are. Who knows what the future will hold for them. But I do know that the future is less and less about me, and more and more about them. All I hope is that they are prepared to embrace that future and make of it what they will. For now, I accept the fact that I no longer have to mow my yard and that has made me happy.

Now, the family update....

Margaret, the oldest child, is now fourteen and in eighth grade at Grapevine Middle School. She is active in girls scouts and knitting. Last summer, she went on a week long Girl Scout trip to Savannah Georgia, which was probably the highlight for the year. She also likes to read, but I am seeing some warning signs and am wondering if I should be concerned. Recently, I took her to the library and she assembled the usual stack of books, the top of which was titled “Criminals and Assassins.” Every book in the stack was about unsolved true crimes and other nefarious activities. She assures me that none of these are “how to” books and she has been reading books like these for the last few months. I guess I should be thankful for the fact she is a prolific reader. 

Our middle child, Cal, is in fifth grade and in his last year at Dove elementary. Cal has been very active in Cub scouts. He is a Webelo II rank with his sights set on earning all 20 of the activity badges that are available. His favorite badges involve firearms and knives. [That is yet another warning sign.] For the second straight year, he is in the fall play at school, where he plays the role of Santa Claus. He is very excited about that.

Charlie, our youngest, is now a seven year old in second grade at Dove Elementary. Charlie has grown a lot this last year. The list of achievements is too great to mention them all. Some highlights are that he has started to read books on his own, he now rides his bicycle without training wheels, and he completed his second season of soccer, where he is improving and seems to like it. He is also very excited that his first season of basketball starts in a few weeks.

Laura continues to teach two days a week at the Saint Francis preschool program. One day focuses on early music development and the other is for developing gross motor skills. Last spring, she was the environmental committee chair at Dove elementary. This school year, she is the PTA secretary. All of these things keep her busy. Lastly, this fall, she completed her first 5K running race. That was a good accomplishment.

As for myself, not much has changed. I still work for a robotics company based in California. I have worked from home for the last 3 years. It is working out well. For anyone interested, the company is Adept Technology (www.adept.com).  I also did a sprint triathlon in May. I had hoped to do more, but the rigors of life did not allow. Perhaps fortunes will turn next year, and I will get to do more. We will see.

In September, we added a new member to our family. We are the proud owners of a dog named Mickey. For those who know dog breeds, he is a Malti-Poo-Chihuahua-Dachshund mix. The kids love him and things are working out well.

Have a peaceful holiday season.                    Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal, Charlie and Micky                                                                              

Christmas 2009

2009: You can judge a man based on the mail he receives

Our local letter carrier probably thinks I am crazy. This year I have ended up on some very strange mailing lists, two of which I would like to share.

This year we considered buying a house located near high voltage power lines. As part of the process, I bought an Electro-Magnetic Field detector off the Internet to measure how far the electric fields extend from the power lines. Apparently EMF readers are also used to measure “paranormal activity” by “ghost hunters.”  You can imagine the mailing lists one might end up on and the catalogs one would receive. Although we did not make an offer on the house, the meter clearly indicates that our microwave is haunted. I am not sure what we need to do about this. The troubleshooting section of the guide that came with the microwave is not specific on this topic. I am continuing to pursue this issue and will update as more information comes available.

The piece of mail I am most excited about concerns three different letters I have received from the AAUW, which is short for the “American Association of University Women.” I am not sure how I got on their mailing list, but apparently they want me to join with them for some reason or another. I can assure you that when I was at the university 20 years ago, I did not get significant attention from university women as a whole. I am not sure why they would show interest now. Perhaps all of them are starting to realize my complete and total awesomeness. I will take their letters for the compliment they surely represent, but in deference to my wife, I will have to decline the invitation... With that being said, here is the family update...

Margaret, the oldest child, is now thirteen and in seventh grade at Grapevine Middle School. She is active in girls scouts and knitting. Last summer, she went on a week long Girl Scout trip to Savannah Georgia, which was probably the highlight for the year. She also likes to read, but I am seeing some warning signs and am wondering if I should be concerned. Recently, I took her to the library and she assembled the usual stack of books, the top of which was titled “Criminals and Assassins.” Every book in the stack was about unsolved true crimes and other nefarious activities. She assures me that none of these are “how to” books and she has been reading books like these for the last few months. I guess I should be thankful for the fact she is a prolific reader. 

Our middle child, Cal, is a fourth grader at Dove elementary. Cal has slowed down a bit on his inventing activities this year, but continues to be very involved in scouting. He is a Webelo I rank with his sights set on earning all 20 of the activity badges that are available. His favorite badges involve firearms and knives. [That is yet another warning sign.] He is also in the fall play at school, where he plays the role of Santa Claus. He is very excited about that.

Charlie, our youngest, is now a 6 year old in first grade at Dove Elementary. Charlie has grown a lot this last year. The list of achievements is too great to mention them all. Some highlights are that he has started to read books on his own, he now rides his bicycle without training wheels, and he completed his second season of soccer, where he is improving and seems to like it. He is also very excited that his first season of basketball starts in a few weeks.

Laura continues to teach two days a week at the Saint Francis preschool program. One day focuses on early music development and the other is for developing gross motor skills. Last spring, she was the environmental committee chair at Dove elementary. This school year, she is the PTA secretary. All of these things keep her busy. Lastly, this fall, she completed her first 5K running race. That was a good accomplishment.

As for myself, not much has changed. I still work for a robotics company based in California. I have worked from home for the last 3 years. It is working out well. For anyone interested, the company is Adept Technology (www.adept.com).  I also did a sprint triathlon in May. I had hoped to do more, but the rigors of life did not allow. Perhaps fortunes will turn next year, and I will get to do more. We will see.

In September, we added a new member to our family. We are the proud owners of a dog named Mickey. For those who know dog breeds, he is a Malti-Poo-Chihuahua-Dachshund mix. The kids love him and things are working out well.

Have a peaceful holiday season.              Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal, Charlie and Micky     

Christmas 2008

2008: The year of absolute and total embellishment

Truth be told, not much happened in the Nelson household this year. It was very uneventful. The  kids do what they always do. They grow up too fast. Neither I nor Laura had any life altering experiences this year, fortunately or otherwise. So I am going to take the time to embellish practically everything I put into this years letter to make things sound far more interesting then they actually were. I am going to write one of those “pound my chest, in your face, my year was better than your year” kind of Christmas letter. As an aid to the reader, though, I will make sure to put a translation of sorts in parentheses as we go so you get a real sense of where truth ends and the embellishment begins...

Margaret, the oldest child, is twelve and continues her progression up the academic ladder (she is now a sixth grader at Grapevine Middle School). She has established herself as a creative and progressive thinker (she gets all 'A's). In that environment, she has surrounded herself with like-minded individuals who share a common value system. (She is a Girl Scout).  Over the last year, she continued to explore her interest in the ancient and noble art of textile manufacturing. (She taught herself how to knit, crochet, and has taken sewing classes). 

Our middle child, Cal, is a third grader at Dove elementary. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment was the satellite he designed and built this summer. (It was made of cardboard, tin foil, and a healthy amount of Scotch tape). After the initial prototyping phase, he entered into complex negotiations with NASA for the rights to launch it into space. (He sent an email to NASA from a link on their web site). As I am sure you can understand, the negotiations were tricky and the first round happened to break down before significant progress could be made. (He never received a reply to the email). He then engaged in a second round of negotiations (he resent the email) but unfortunately that round did not progress as he had planned. (They did not reply to the second one either). At this point, Cal is pursuing a relationship with the government of Kazakhstan, which most of you know have extensive satellite launching capabilities from their days as a former republic of the now defunct Soviet Union. The relationship is still in development and we will be sure to update you as the situation changes. (To this point, he has not been able to find a web-site nor email address to send his request. He keeps looking, though).

Charlie, our youngest, is now a 5 year old in Kindergarten at Dove Elementary. Charlie has a keen insight for history, music, and the arts. (He takes music classes where he is learning to play the  glockenspiel and he likes to paint).  This year he has taken an  interest in mid-century American nautical folklore. (He watches a lot of Popeye the Sailor Man). In a rather symbiotic manor, this has led me to rediscover my own personal love of the sea which I discovered as a young man. (I have been listening to a lot of my old Gordon Lightfoot CDs lately). Charlie has recently begun honing his academic interests in personal research projects which I know will pave the way for intellectual greatness in the years ahead. (He just got his own public library card and gets to check out books on his own. He is very excited.) 

Laura, as in years past, is a champion to many worthy causes to which she is tirelessly devoted (She is too busy to let herself get tired). She is actively involved in the sustainability and viability of the Earth (She is head of the environmental committee at Dove Elementary). She also believes that the children are our future and she works to develops the creativity in those future leaders of tomorrow (She teaches music at the local preschool and holds private music classes for young children). Throughout all of this, she finds time to maintain a healthy social network. (She now has a Facebook page).

As for myself, I continued to push the boundaries of human physical performance, competing in yet another Triathlon. (Whereas technically true, I am amazed that I am as slow as I am at these things and show no signs of getting much better). At work, I continue to push the envelope and create enabling technologies that provide high value-added synergistic solutions for my company and our customers. (I still work for Adept Technology and I still have a job). I also find time to network within my industry and community. (I, like Laura, also have a Facebook page).

Have a peaceful holiday season...                      Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal and Charlie Nelso

Christmas 2007

2007: The year I lost my cool

Two years ago, I mentioned nose hair trimmers in the yearly Nelson family update letter. In early January I anonymously received a mini-grooming kit. Last year, I talked about Whiplash, the Cowboy monkey. Soon thereafter, a mouse pad with a picture of the famous capuchin monkey mysteriously arrives on my doorstep. These two facts have lead me to the inescapable conclusion that the title of this 2007 letter needs to be: 2007: The Year of Cold Hard Cash. Unfortunately, my wife does not agree. Given the fact that I am a non-voting member of the Nelson family coalition, this leaves me no other option than to shift over to “Plan B” and discuss other matters. This is the year my children started to realize what all my classmates in high school learned rather quickly: I am not as cool as you might think. For now, though, let us turn to the family update...

Margaret, the oldest child, is eleven years old and is in fifth grade at Dove Elementary. Her favorite subjects this year are social studies and math. She is still very active in her Girl Scout troop and KDOV, the school television channel. She is in the Christmas choir at at our church and is also an alter server.

Cal is a second grader at Dove Elementary. He would like all of you to know that his money collection is coming along quite nicely. His goal is to collect one of every bill printed in the USA. He has been very active in other areas as well, participating in boy scouts, fencing, and karate where he has just earned his yellow belt. He considers himself an aspiring magician.

Charlie, who is now four years old, is in his last year at the preschool program at Saint Francis Catholic Church. He also takes 2 different music classes and loves to play with his brother Cal and his neighborhood friends. He has learned how to swim, can dress himself, and is growing up very fast. It is hard to believe that he will be in kindergarten next year.

Laura has had a very busy year. Last year, she taught music 1 day a week at the Saint Francis preschool program. This year, she has added a second day of teaching where she focuses on gross motor skills. Additionally, she has also started teaching Musikgarten music classes independent of the preschool program. She currently teaches a music class for kids aged 4-7 and plans on adding classes for other age groups in the future. She is very good at this and seems to have found a good rhythm.

As for myself, I had one significant event this year. This is the year my children started to doubt my coolness. As those of us with children understand, our kids are born thinking their parents are smart, interesting, and very cool. The journey to young adulthood teaches them that this just isn't so.

The catalyst in this unfortunate event is Cal. As many of you know, he is both ambitious and a dreamer. He is constantly coming up with schemes and plans. Earlier this year, Cal decided to combine his love of guns and his desire to help animals in a somewhat unconventional way. He approached me with a “business plan” on how we were going to help animals. This was a plan he had been thinking about for a long time and he had a vision he wanted to share. His thought process went something like this: I would first need to buy Cal a shotgun. He would then use the shotgun to hunt animals. After shooting the animals, he would sell the animal fur for money. He would then donate the money to a charity to help save animals.

My initial reaction was not what he expected: “Cal, do you think that if we just didn't shoot the animals, we might, in a way, be helping them? Let's just not shoot them. How does that sound?” In his eyes, his plan was solid. His vision was bold. When he approached me, he had been looking for affirmation. He could tell that I just did not “get it.” I sensed a moment of doubt had arrived. Of course the shadow of doubt was not cast over his plan, but rather on me. Perhaps his father was not as clever and cool as he had previously thought. Perhaps I am not a visionary, like him.

Fortunately for me, it is important to remember that we are not called to be popular. We are called into service to help others. As parents, we fulfill this service by teaching and protecting our children, sometimes from their own ideas. If you had not gathered by now, this means Cal did not get the shotgun. Consequently,  my popularity has taken a hit. This time of year, though, we are reminded that this call to help others extends beyond our circle of family and friends.

Now, this episode did not caused any real friction between Cal and myself. It is just the natural process of children growing into their own. As my kids find their own way, I will probably be less and less popular. Well, as the kids from my high school will vouch, that is a roll I can handle...

 

Have a peaceful holiday season,

 

Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal and Charlie Nelson