Happy Holidays from the Crossmans

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the Crossmans. We had a busy but joyous and eventful year and hope the same is true for you, too.

In March, we celebrated Riley’s first birthday by taking a trip to Disneyland. Riley was a bit under the weather, but did perk up when he met Mickey. It was nice to come back to Disneyland, as we missed it the year previous. Later in the year, we left Riley with Grandma Bonnie for the weekend so we could visit Universal Studios and Los Angeles.

Seeds were planted and we were blessed with a new member of the family: a new Lime iMac computer! We have enjoyed having a fast computer again, and everyone has gotten involved. Julie reads her email every day and Riley enjoys playing with a virtual doggie on the computer. Kevin continued to work on his "Ultimate Mai Tai" website, going so far as to make rare Trader Vic’s Mai Tais at a Hawaiian Luau party we threw at the end of the summer. Julie did a great job of decorating our "Lanai" with an exotic theme.

Speaking of Hawaii, we had a great time in Waikiki when we all flew there in October. We stayed right in the middle of all the hotels, shopping, beaches, and Japanese tourists! Riley, however, did not like the beach. We put him down in the sand and he would cry. The lapping waves of the ocean were no better. But, eventually, he got smart; every time we approached the beach he would say "bye, bye sand", "bye bye, beach", "bye bye, water", as if to encourage us to leave. We enjoyed wonderful views from Diamond Head and from the remote areas of the island, in addition to historical sites and many Mai Tais. Kevin even got to see exotica legend Arthur Lyman play his vibes for a rapt audience.

In January, Kevin started a transition out of SRI’s library and into SRI’s Web Producer role. He now manages SRI’s intranet and some areas of their public website. Kevin again stepped into the Presidency of SRI’s Toastmasters club for part of the year, and ended the year becoming involved with the Silicon Valley WebGuild as the new Director of Communications (i.e. Secretary). Notable Lip Balm Anonymous media mention this year: The New York Times.

Julie taught first grade again this year, as well as performing as a mentor teacher. However, she really loved her time off with Riley for the summer. Julie has been involved with a local Mothers group who does activities with and without the kids. She continues to be interested in crafts and scrapbooking.

Riley continues to amaze us. He loves his trucks, trains, and diggers, including his beloved "Digger Movie" video. Riley has an expansive vocabulary and knows his ABCs and 123s, but mostly he does things which just crack us up. Riley has started an art class with Julie, though he doesn’t like the feel of dirty hands. Most of the time, he is a very good boy and we feel very blessed and thankful.

We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. And we hope your New Year is memorable for all the good reasons.