Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Crossmans

We were blessed again this year and hope the same holds true for all of you as well. Here are some of the comings and goings that kept us busy in 2004.

During the summer we took a Pacific Northwest trip to Oregon, Seattle, and Vancouver. We stood six feet away from a Grizzly bear and got to touch Dinosaurs. We spent an unexpected night in Crescent City, CA but had a great time petting sharks! We enjoyed Seattle, including many great views of the Space Needle, the underground tour, riding the "ducks", and trying out the "garbage cans of the future" at the Pacific Science Center. Our whale-watching excursion in Vancouver was a bust (unless you count Dahl's Porpoises as whales) but we did get to see Whistler, home of the 2010 Olympics.

We enjoyed all that California has to offer in March. One weekend we went to see the Elephant Seals at Ano Nuevo and the next weekend took a day trip to play in the snow at Lake Tahoe. Other family adventures took place at the SF Zoo (beating the Labor Day crowds), Monterey Bay Aquarium, riding the cable cars, and at Athletics and Giants baseball games. At time of writing we had not completed our yearly trek to Disneyland because we will be spending Christmas there!

Kevin and Julie enjoyed a ninth anniversary weekend in Vegas away from the kids. Along the way, we saw Ben Affleck and space aliens. We also had the pleasure of visiting Julie's grandmother who moved to Vegas during the middle of the year.

Quinn had some ups and downs this year. In February he was hospitalized for two days due to respiratory issues and later in the year became the first two-year old on his block to wear glasses for far-sightedness. On a positive note, Quinn played in Dad's Survivor pool and even won one of the weeks (we couldn't have been prouder)! Quinn loves animals, music, dancing, thrill-rides, and sports. He got to see the Wiggles and Disney on Ice this year and does enjoy seeing movies as well.

Riley spent much of the spring playing T-Ball as number 9 for the Yankees. This was Riley's first successful endeavor in sports and we are looking forward to cheering him on next season. Riley does well in school, and even received a homework award. Tony Hawk Pro Skateboarder is Riley's favorite videogame (on the old iMac now in his room), and he is still interested in maps, space, science, and cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants. Riley was a real trooper in June by going with dad and Grandpa Crossman, waking up at 3:30 a.m. to see the launch of SpaceShipOne down in Mojave.

Kevin is still with Robert Half and is an Intranet Product Manager. Between running a Survivor pool and being active in the Palm handheld user community, Kevin found time to launch a new website devoted to the Frat Pack of comedy actors (Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, etc.). In October, Kevin was interviewed by independent filmmakers doing a documentary on lip balm addiction. Kevin is still an active movie watcher (and won the Oscar pool with Aunt Jill again this year) and music listener. Following last year's bootleg compilation of Hawaii Five-O theme cover versions, the big music project this year was a compilation chronicling "the Creative Genius of William Shatner." This was a big hit in the "weird and strange" music community.

Julie completed another year teaching Second Grade here in Fremont. Julie is very active using, promoting, and selling for Stampin' Up! and made a pilgrimage to the main convention in Orlando. She even got to visit Disney World's Magic Kingdom (but, boy is it hot in Florida!). Julie tried some new things this year, including joining a Bunco group. She is also doing a great job shuttling the kids to various activities including working with Riley in the Tiger Cub Scouts. This year, Julie's obsession was with Italian charm bracelets, including a coveted Target charm (Julie's favorite store) we found in Oregon but was lost when the clerk dropped it under the kiosk. Maybe next time we're in Oregon, eh?

We wish you and yours a happy holiday season including whichever holiday is your preference. We hope you all have a great 2005!

See all the photos mentioned here, plus bonus images!