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                                                                           

 

Christmas 2006

2006 – The Year of Regrets Avoided

 

Before we start on our journey reviewing 2006, let me take a moment to offer thanks to a few of my dedicated readers. If you do not remember, last year I made the bold statement:

 

I have reached the stage in life where I recognize the utility of a nose-hair trimmer. Fortunately I am not old enough to have actually bought one.

 

Well, apparently I am a bit older than I thought. In early January a few friends graciously gave me a mini grooming kit. My wife thanks you. We all should be so lucky to have such concerned friends.

 

Now, to review the status of the family.

 

Margaret, our oldest child, is ten years old and is in fourth grade at Dove Elementary. As in years past, she does very well at reading. In the Grapevine school district, fourth grade is academically much more difficult but she has adjusted fairly well. Margaret is active in her Junior Girl Scout troop and is also an anchor at KDOV, the school television channel. She has good presence on the television screen and does a great job as an anchor. I may be biased, but she is the best one in her television crew. As in years past, she is in the Christmas choir at our church.

               

Cal, our middle child, is seven and is in first grade at Dove as well. He excels in school and, even though he is not excited about every subject, he does well at most everything. As in years past, Cal continues to be a prolific scientist and inventor. This year he has created a “money making” machine, countless rockets, and a machine capable of controlling the weather. He has also expressed interest in cloning. I am not sure as a parent we should encourage this. As I have said before, Cal thinks and dreams big.

 

Charlie, the youngest, is 3 ½ years old. He is still in the preschool program at Saint Francis Catholic Church. He enjoys it very much, especially music, because Laura is the music teacher. He continues to develop his personality and we are seeing the development of his assertive side. I guess that is only inevitable. Overall, though, he is a friendly little boy who likes to play with his brother and sister. He is very intelligent and quite expressive for someone his age.

 

Laura is still teaching music one day a week at the Saint Francis Preschool program where Charlie goes to school. She has scaled back on the volunteering a bit this year, but is still involved with MYC (Mothers with Young Children). She really enjoys her friends in MYC and appreciates all of them greatly. She has little free time, looking after the three kids and does a wonderful job at that sometime thankless endeavor.

 

As for myself, I am doing well. I have recently changed jobs and now work for a robot manufacturer called Adept Technology. I used to work for them several years back and am excited about working for them again. I have continued to do triathlons. This year, I improved my overall time in a typical race by about five minutes. That may sound impressive, but if I were to categorize my capabilities, it is equivalent to making the transition from the category of  “pathetic” to “generally under performing”.

 

I must admit that this year was a slow year. Perhaps that is evident in the fact that the highlight of my year was seeing Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey perform at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo.  For those of you not aware of the Whiplash phenomenon, he is a little capuchin monkey dressed as a cowboy and he rides a sheep dog named Ben. At the Rodeo, he and Ben heard sheep around the arena for about 10 minutes.

 

The desire to see Whiplash began several years ago when I read an article in the paper. The sheer though of a cowboy monkey just captivated me. I know what you are thinking… Oh what a simple mind this man must have. That may be true, but nonetheless, I have had this desire to see Whiplash for years and, in August, we finally saw him. In many ways seeing Whiplash was kind of like going to the prom in high school. There was such a buildup of anticipation, but it culminates in a pretty mundane event. Yes, it was interesting seeing this monkey riding around on a dog, but it did not provide a very deep level of satisfaction. In retrospect, I am not sure why I expected a deep level of satisfaction watching a monkey riding a dog. But in this experience, I was reminded of a very important quote from Sidney J Harris:

 

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.

 

If I had never seen Whiplash, I would have looked back with regret at not having taken the time to seek out that experience. As you go forth into the New Year, take the time to experience things you have always wanted to experience, rather than letting them pass you by. After all you never know how many more opportunities you may have.

 

Have a peaceful holiday season,

 

Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal and Charlie Nelson                                                                           

 

Ps. For those of you who may remember, our toaster we bought two years ago died. This time, I did not research nor obsess about its replacement. I simply went to the store, had a ten-minute discussion with a 15 year old clerk who seemingly knew nothing about toasters, and arbitrarily bought one. For those interested, it was chrome Oster convection/toaster oven. I highly recommend them over the Cuisinart that died.

Christmas 2005

As many of you know, I have been writing the “Official Nelson Family Christmas Letter” for many years. Just before starting to type, I always read the letters from years past. After completing that exercise this year, I am reminded of one inescapable fact of life. I am not getting any younger. Now, I know I am by no means old. However, I have reached the stage in life where I recognize the utility of a nose-hair trimmer. Fortunately I am not old enough to have actually bought one. Perhaps next year that will change. If it does, perhaps that would be a great topic for next year’s letter. I am sure you will find out in due time.

 

Nonetheless, for so long we have been celebrating the birth, growth and life of our family. As we all know, there are two sides to life and this year we had to take pause as two members of our extended family left us.

 

In February of this year, Laura’s sister Patricia Brandt Fernandez passed away after a six-year struggle with cancer. Though not entirely unexpected, her passing at the youthful age of 53 was quite tragic. Watching Patricia’s immediate and extended family, I am reminded that funerals are a celebration of life and a life well lead.

 

In June of this year, my grandfather on my father’s side, Nevlyn Richard Nelson, also passed away. Though the passing of someone who is in their 90’s does not have the same tragic element as someone who is much younger, it was still quite a sad moment. Growing up, he was a larger than life figure that permeated my formative years. I will miss him.

 

With that in order, here is the Nelson family update.

 

Margaret, our oldest child, is now 9 years old. She is a third grader at Dove Elementary studying under the tutelage of Mrs. Brown. She is an excellent reader and is also solid at math. Recently she has taken to knitting as a hobby. She enjoys it and has improved dramatically. She is also active in her Brownie Girl Scout troop and is a prestigious member of the “Team Green” recycling program at school. Yet again, she is in the Christmas choir at our church. She wishes all of her friends a “Merry Christmas.”

 

Cal, our middle child, is 6 and is in Kindergarten at Dove with his sister. He has adjusted to the rigors of kindergarten with ease. This year, Cal has made a conscious change in his career path. In years past, he wanted to be a superhero and a chef. Now he would like to work at his father’s company building and selling robots. He is also working on a few new hobbies, including hording money, figuring out ways to get money and how he can rule the world. He has also expressed interest in being a rock star. I am getting the sense that Cal, in a materialistic sort of way, might end up being the most successful of my children. He thinks big. He dreams big. Time will tell.

 

Charlie, the youngest child, is 2 ½ years old. He is in a preschool program at Saint Francis Catholic Church. He enjoys it very much, especially music, because Laura is the music teacher. He is a friendly little boy who likes to tell everyone that they are a chicken. Comparing the other 2 kids to Charlie when they were this age, Charlie is by far the most verbal and cognitive of the three.

 

Laura has had an eventful year. She started teaching music one day a week at the Saint Francis Preschool program where Charlie goes to school. She still volunteers a good amount of time with church and at Dove Elementary where she is the third grade parent coordinator. She also enjoys spending time with her MYC (Mothers with Young Children) friends and appreciates all of them greatly. She has little free time, looking after the three kids and does a wonderful job at that sometime thankless endeavor.

 

As for me, I am doing well. This has been an uneventful year and I am happy with that. I am still working at Zyvex Corporation where I develop software that controls nano-manipulators. It is interesting work and I am kept very busy. I enjoy the people I work with very much. This last year, I continued doing triathlons, though I am not able to dedicate as much time nor energy to them as I would like. I am not very good at it, but sometimes it is more important going out and doing it and not worrying about how good you really are.

 

Have a peaceful holiday season,

 

Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal and Charlie Nelson

Christmas 2004

2004 – The year of the toaster

 

It is with great fanfare that I bring to you the Nelson family year in review. 2004 was a kind year for us and I am pleased to announce that, unlike in previous years, we had no fish fatalities to report. More on that later…

 

Laura has had a good year. She has been busy tending to Margaret and her two brothers, Cal and Charlie. Though that is a heavy commitment, Laura manages to handle a lot of volunteer work. For the second year, she organized the Saint Francis Vacation Bible School program. For those who don’t know, VBS is a one-week religious education program for younger kids. There were over 300 kids this summer and more than 150 volunteers to coordinate. It was tiring, but she did a great job.

 

Margaret, who is now eight ears old, enjoys life as a second grade student at Dove Elementary. She does well academically, though math sometimes gives her problems. She enjoys riding bicycles, reading, and spending time with her Girl Scout troop. Recently, she has joined a choir that will be performing a Christmas play in December. In the play, she has the prestigious roll of “Animal Number 4” which happens to be a chicken.

 

Cal, now five years old, attends preschool two days a week. His favorite part of school is playing with all his friends at recess. Outside of school, he has taken quite an interest in cooking. Much to Laura’s dismay, he helps in the kitchen quite a lot. Over the summer, he even decided that he wanted to be superhero and a chef. He has actually identified an empty lot in Grapevine as the future location of both his house and his restaurant. He wants Margaret to open a store next to his restaurant called “MarMart”.

 

Charlie, who is not quite two, has not discerned his calling in life, like Cal has. He has just grasped the concept behind the word “No,” however. Overall, he is a very well behaved little boy. He likes to pal around with his older brother and sister and will do whatever they do. That is both good and bad.

 

As for me, this year was a calm year. I am working for a nanotechnology company named Zyvex. They have an impressive array of products and services and I have enjoyed my work and the environment. Everyone there is very nice. Also, this summer, two friends of mine convinced me to train for a Sprint Triathlon. One thing lead to another and in early October, I raced in an Olympic distance Triathlon. The term race may be a bit overstating my abilities, though. Suffice it to say I finished, and the fact that I am writing this letter is a testament to the fact that I survived. For that, I am both relieved and grateful.

 

Though we did not have any familial pet tragedies to report, we did suffer a loss in the Nelson family household in January. Our nine-year-old $29.95 Blank & Decker toaster finally died. The heating element had given out and frankly, the way it had struggled over the past few years, it was a relief to see it pass. At that, Laura and I set our sights on a replacement. We scoured the Internet reading about all sorts of brands and models. The reviews convinced me that we had somehow been living a less than full life with the old Black & Decker. With all the new features and functions, the reviews made it sound like our lives would be magically transformed by the newest in toaster technology. After making our decision, which by the way was a classically-styled chrome Cuisinart model, we waited with much anticipation for its arrival.

 

Soon enough, it came. We had hoped for a life changing experience, but what we ended up with was a toaster. In looking back, I am reminded that it is easy to get carried away with all the things that surround us, especially toasters. The holidays are a good time to remember that it is spending time with our family, friends, and community, not the latest in toaster technology, that give us quality of life. So in closing, to all of you who are reading this letter, we thank you for being a part of our lives. We hope to spend more time with you in the coming year.

 

Have a peaceful holiday season,

 

The Nelson Family

 

Christmas 2003

The Nelson Family 2003 “Stream of Consciousness” Christmas Letter

 

Not much time left. Things go so quickly around this time of year. Seems busier this year. Must write a Christmas letter. Not sure when I will find the time. I have an idea. How about I start writing and whatever comes out, I will just send. No editing. Sounds good…

 

Perhaps the biggest present we will receive this year came early. On the 27^th of February, Charles Philip Nelson was born. Those first few months already seem like a distant memory. The days of the never ending three hour cycle of newborn life have already given way to ventures into solid food, fairly regular sleep patterns, and crawling around. We have been lucky because he is not a fussy baby and is usually content and happy. That is better than most people I know.

 

Margaret is also doing well. She has clearly entered a new phase in life that can best be described by the phrase “Girl Power”. That seemingly mystical power has taken hold of Margaret and she talks about it all the time. I think her primary inspiration is watching Kim Possible on the Disney channel.  It has motivated her to take Tai Quan Do classes at the local recreation center, which she loves. She has also been active in her Brownie troop, with the highlights being an overnight trip to the Fort Worth Zoo and walking in the Grapevine Butterfly Flutterby and Christmas parades. Between those activities and school, she is a busy 7-year old.

 

Cal, the middle of the three children, is a rambunctious 4-year old. He is very active and, so far, has a heightened sense of free will. He is the negotiator in the family, and I must say, he’s pretty persuasive. When he is not roaming around, Laura corrals him into preschool 2 days a week, which he loves. He also spends time at a local Kindermusick class. Through Kindermusick, h has shown an affinity and interest in music. He clearly gets this from Laura’s side of the family. He enjoys spending time with his friends. His favorite play activity is to mess up his room and pretend to rescue people and fight fires. He also likes to sweep the walkway in front of the house and the garage. When he’s 5, I will start him mowing.

 

Now on to Laura, whose big event this year was, of course, having Charlie. She has rebounded well. Since her sleep patterns returned to a relative sense of normalcy, Laura is still busy with some of her church activities like the local Mother’s with Young Children group. For the MYC group, she organized this year’s vacation bible school program that had been dormant for several years. It was a lot of work, but she enjoyed it immensely. Other than that, she spends most of her time carting around Margaret, Cal, and Charlie.

 

Lastly, Cyle is doing fine. He recently started a new job at a company called Zyvex. They are a nanotechnology company. For those who do not know, nanotechnology companies build very small things. He is their lead software architect working on their next generation of automation products. So far it has gone well. Other than that, he has filled his time with home projects: everything from painting, organizing, building a patio, and landscaping.

 

In closing, Laura, Margaret, Cal, Charlie and I want to wish you all a safe and peaceful holiday season. I would also like to personally thank all of you still reading my “stream of consciousness” Christmas letter. Not bad for 15 minutes of work!

 

Merry Christmas!                      

Laura, Cyle, Margaret, Cal, and Charlie Nelson

 

PS. And for those of you who remember last year’s Christmas letter, Goldie the goldfish is still doing fine. 2003 has been kind to her. Early in the year, she was joined by Daisy, another goldfish. They swim around and spend quality time together. The have both grown a bit bigger and slower that they were last year, but hey, aren’t we all.

Christmas 2002

The time has come yet again to take stock of the Nelson family. How quickly it comes around. The year 2002 was a quiet and peaceful year in the Nelson family household. We didn’t really do much this year, other than house projects. The most exciting and eventful news is that we are expecting our third child, a boy due in early March.

Now that we have reached the update section of the letter, perhaps we should start with the smallest of the Nelson family members, for which this has been quite a memorable year. Some of you might be expecting an update on Cal, our youngest. But no, that comes later. Others are probably anticipating a discussion about the new addition to the Nelson family. That is a bit premature. I want to talk about Goldie, our goldfish. In August we moved Goldie from her small cramped goldfish bowl to a spacious new 5-gallon tank, fully equipped with rocks, toys, and a water filter. Yes, 2002 has been kind to Goldie and she is thankful.

Our youngest son, Cal, turned 3 in September. He is a very intelligent and active little boy. Cal presently attends Saint Francis preschool two days each week and he and Laura like it very much. Cal has honed his interest in trains and has shown an affinity for Thomas the Tank Engine. In fact, he had a Thomas Birthday party and was Thomas for Halloween. On his birthday, he received several trains from the Thomas collection and he is looking forward to receiving Mavis and Percy, in case Santa is listening.

Margaret is in kindergarten at Dove elementary.  She loves being a Dove Dolphin and has adapted to school very well. She has lots of friends and likes to play with them as often as possible. Recently, she just completed her first, and possibly, last season of soccer. She says she likes it, but she is not sure she wants to play it again. Instead, she wants to focus on her other two activities, Daisy Girl Scouts and ballet. Margaret takes ballet every week in the spring and fall. I believe she likes it because she gets to wear pink from head to toe. Margaret is also doing very well in her reading. It is amazing how much farther along she is that when I was 6 years old.

Laura is doing well. Being pregnant, she is slowed down a bit. There were some early complications in the pregnancy that elevated our stress levels, but everything has settled down and we are in the middle of an ordinary pregnancy. This year, Laura is the president of the local Mother’s group at Saint Francis Catholic Church. This usually keeps her busy looking for speakers for the monthly meetings and organizing other logistics. She enjoys the work and the friendships she has formed through the group. She is room mother for Cal’s preschool class and also spends a fair amount of time volunteering at Dove Elementary, much to the delight of Margaret. She is also organizing the Vacation Bible School program for next summer at Saint Francis Church. Pray for her sanity.

Cyle is also doing well. For me, it has been a rather uneventful year. I am still working with Adept Technology. Though the economy has been quite stressful this year, I am still gainfully employed and enjoy what I am doing. Other than that, my life has been filled with house projects, most notably painting the entire inside of our house and buying, sanding and staining wood furniture. That has kept me quite busy and that is good.

In closing, we hope that each of you has a peaceful and safe holiday season. We hope that 2002 has been kind to you and look forward to seeing all of you in 2003.

 

Best Regards,

 

Cyle, Laura, Margaret, Cal, and Goldie