Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Crossmans

Overall, we had a good but somewhat stressful year. A big move for us was, well, moving. The good news is that we moved to a larger house that feeds into a better elementary school, and one that was also so close we could literally walk from one house to the other. But, they aren’t exactly selling houses for cheap in Fremont.

Quinn is growing up fast. We celebrated his first birthday in February by “carving” a cake in the shape of a rubber ducky. He is very active and has enjoyed rolling around at Gymboree and of course playing with his brother. He loves animals and The Wiggles. He enjoys dancing and is very chatty (we just don’t know what he is saying most of the time).

Riley entered Kindergarten and is enjoying school. His skills at writing, drawing, and coloring are growing fast, on top of his interest in geography, science, stories, and having fun. We turned “tragedy” into “hilarity” when Riley was upset at his favorite TV show being pre-empted. We filmed him with the video camera and sent the tape to said show – America’s Funniest Home Videos. Riley’s clip opened the season premiere episode!

Julie had a busy year teaching her Second Graders. But she really kept busy with her rubber-stamping and scrap-booking hobby. She is now a senior sales associate for Stampin Up! and held several “stamp camps” (website coming soon). Julie also attended a conference in Portland, OR with Kevin’s sister (and fellow stamper) Wendy. Julie enjoyed going to several shows this year, including “Mama Mia” and “Cirque de Soilei.”

Kevin continued as an Intranet Project Manager for Robert Half. He continues to be interested in technology, being recognized as a Palm Powered Software Champion for publishing a guide to “Fun, Goofy, or Weird” Palm software. Kevin’s Lip Balm Anonymous site was included in a book called “505 Unbelievably Stupid Web Pages” but the site “only” ranked 327th. Kevin served another term as the President of his local Toastmasters club as well.

In August we had the pleasure of visiting Kevin’s relatives in Connecticut (a trip originally scheduled for 9/12/01). Quinn and Riley did a great job traveling and we saw many sights including New York City, Mystic, and Plymouth. In October, we went to Disneyland for a few days. Quinn did great on all the rides (better than his brother, in some cases) but was afraid of only one thing: Mickey Mouse! I guess six-foot mice do look pretty scary from a toddler’s perspective.

Other events:

• We visited Yosemite at the end of winter and Quinn and Riley both enjoyed the snow.
• Riley said he didn’t want to see the Sinbad movie because he didn’t like the Shell Viper (voice of Michelle Pfeiffer).
• Kevin again won the Oscar bet with his Aunt Jill, keeping bragging rights for the second straight year. Kevin continues to run a Survivor pool at work, too.
• Kevin served as a groomsman in his friend Jim Jensen’s wedding, and drove on a “roller coaster bachelor party” to Magic Mountain.

Web Bonus - Kevin's Top 10 Favorite Albums and Songs of 2003

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.