Dear Friends and Family,
In today’s economy we have been trying to figure out how to save a dollar here and a dollar there without having to cut back on our wine addiction. Well here it is, my first Christmas email replacing the yearly letter that cost us roughly $50 to send, once you count all the paper and stamps. That’s like 5 bottles of wine- hey we may drink but we know how to drink cheap. For those of you not receiving this via email…would you please catch up with the times so you can follow us throughout the year on our blog and save me $.44 next year- Thanks!
OK so on to “What have those Bouchard’s been up to?”- of course if you are reading this on our blog you pretty much know we are busy with our little man but here is my question of the year: Why don’t these kids come with manuals? I mean seriously there are over 1,000 books out there but none of them give you the same information, so how am I supposed to know which is the best way to raise my child. We could seriously screw him up if we choose the wrong book. That is way to much pressure. Our microwave is less complicated and it came with a manual. Honestly I think Gene and I are doing a great job thus far if I may say so myself.
JC started walking at 10 months and has not stopped since. He is saying over 35 words and is happy to show the world where his belly button is. He loves to read and dance, just like his mommy. JC can also be found throwing a ball around- he has an arm on him like you wouldn’t believe, just like his daddy. When JC is spending his week with Grandpa you can find the two of them glued to the TV in the afternoon watching Giada and the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network- are you laughing cause it is funnier to see in person. He LOVES the water, whether it is a pool or a bathtub it’s hard to get him out sometimes. His best friends are his bear, his daddy and his grandpa- all of which he spends hours with each week. To help JC burn off some of his energy we have put him into a tumbling class- really it’s a bunch of toddlers just running and jumping around but we are teaching him early that exercise and nutrition are important. The kid thinks fruit is like crack or something. I mean he goes crazy for a strawberry or banana. He spent the past year being watched once a week by a wonderful family and recently we enrolled him into an at home daycare twice a week. He is learning to interact more with kids his age, color, transition from one activity to the next among many other activities.
Gene has gone back to school, well sort of. He has been training since April to be a volunteer fireman with the county. So we have lost him to school every Tuesday and Thursday and to studying when he is home but we are really proud of him. He has found something that he really enjoys doing. He is still at the marina and continues to like working there. He recently passed his beginner fire training class with a 78 and is waiting to take his HAZMAT class before starting his mentorship package.
I have been working like a dog but that is nothing new. I have been at Old Navy for just over a year and at Merrill Lynch for 3 years now. It’s hard to leave JC every morning but Gene is good at bringing him by to see me during the day and I make the most of our weekends and nights together. After several failed attempts I am still studying for my Series 7 to become a registered associate at Merrill Lynch but in the meantime I just enjoy taking a 6 hour test every few months. I have taken on many new responsibilities in the office and I am really enjoying working there.
Speaking of dog, Minnie and JC are getting along much better these days. JC loves to feed her cookies and help bring her dinner- which of course she is happy to receive. They love playing together and JC has even figured out how to hug and kiss her. Though Minnie still loves her time alone so most days you can find her curled up under our bed with her nose sticking out into the sunlight. Ah to be a dog.
This years trips were limited- 2 trips were to FL to see JC’s Great Grandpa and his Godfather. We made 2 quick trips to Savannah, one was for JC’s girlfriend’s 1st birthday and the other was for lunch on our way to FL. We drove to Mt. Pleasant so many times during the first 3 months of the year for JC’s helmet scans I almost feel like we vacationed there. Speaking of, with the help of 3 different doctors JC has a perfectly shaped head and made quick progress with physical therapy and chiropractic care.
JC’s 1st birthday in July was perfect with many family and friends traveling to join in on the special occasion. Oh we even squeezed in a surprise 30th birthday party for Gene in May with some special visitors from NY coming down for the big celebration. What can I say I love a good party and these were two great reasons to get friends and family together to celebrate and put my party planning skills to use.
As 2010 sneaks in on us we are looking forward to more new adventures with JC, including a trip to Disney later in the year (hopefully), a charity walk for ALS in memory of JC’s grandmother – we are looking to raise $900 for the walk ($100 for every year she has been deceased). So since it is the season for giving log onto http://web.alsa.org/goto/BAMBAM and help us reach our goal. And of course you can keep up with all of our adventures throughout the year by logging into http://www.cbouchard.blogspot.com/.
From our family to yours- May you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The Bouchard’s
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