mickey says “hello”
It has been exactly a year since I last posted to the blog. In all the years I’ve been doing this, I don’t think there has ever been a gap this large between posts. Looks like the blog has been relegated the way of the holiday letter and will only appear once or twice a year to give the big update of the previous months/years’ goings-on. With the prevalence of microblogging and social media powerhouses like Facebook, the family blog just doesn’t hold the same value it once did. It is so much easier to send a quick update to Twitter or Facebook, post a set of photos to Flickr, or unveil your latest video masterpiece on YouTube.
I, too, have fallen victim to the ease of the short form in deference to the longer, detailed format of the blog. Who knows? You may find that preferential anyway. When unleashed, I can tend to be a little more gusty than long-winded. To get the most recent of updates on the Lennard family, please seek me out on one or all of the social media sites. You are guaranteed to get much more frequent updates whether you want them or not. Follow @WordlessBob on Twitter or friend me on Facebook.
I’m not updating the photo galleries here locally any longer. You can find all the latest photo sets by adding Mute Robert as a contact on Flickr. By just looking me up, you’ll be able to see my public galleries. To see all the family photos – particularly ones with lots of photos of the kids – please take the time to add me as a contact so I can properly set up the security. I know it is a bit of a hassle to setup an account if you don’t have one, but I figure that it is a good precaution rather than making lots of pictures of the kids publicly available. I’d rather ere on the side of being overly cautious.
And, for the final source of possible postings, please look for muterobert on YouTube. If you have a Google account, it works with YouTube as well. Once again, please establish a connection here, too. I may want to use it for some privacy settings in the future. Enough of the boring
“connect to me” talk.
2011 has been a great year for the family. Work has gone well for both Becky and I. Things are always busy, and we never run out of things to do. We are both fortunate enough to enjoy our jobs though. So things are good on that front. Plus, we just returned from a Disney World vacation. It was fantastic; everything looks good after that nice break from the real world.
Ben, Rachel, and I have all been taking Taekwondo over the last year and have really enjoyed it. The kids have much better form and flexibility than I do, but it has definitely been more needed by me. It has been a real energy boost for me this year.
Rachel finished her first formal dance recital this summer as well. She has become quite the little dancer and goes on about it. She talked about it so much, her brother decided he wanted to try it this year. He started this summer. So far he really seems to like it as well. He is the prince at the ball, too. They have so few boys enroll for class, the teachers treat them royally – pun intended.
Ben is your typical 4 year old boy. Into everything, constantly wanting to wrestle, run, jump, or climb. Bumps and bruises are part of his daily wardrobe. Recently, he has decided to start trying
“science experiments” by mixing the bath products in the sink. I’m sure he’ll be dissembling electronics as soon as he is dextrous enough for a screwdriver. Time to start locking up anything we don’t want damaged.
Rachel had a successful kindergarten year and is looking forward to starting 1st grade next week. She has really picked up reading and trying to read anything she can get her hands on. It is amazing to watch how quickly her reading improves at this early stage. I hope her enjoyment of school is a great this year as it was last.
The big family event of the year had to be the aforementioned Disney vacation. We surprised the kids with a trip to the “happiest place on earth” last week. It was by far the biggest family undertaking yet. Even with the alternating heavy rains and breathtaking hot and humid days, we had an unbelievably good time. The kids were a perfect age for their initial exposure. They were big enough to be able to handle the unavoidable mileage from exploring all the parks. Ben and Rachel kept those little legs pumping and did a great job of lasting all day. Even better, they were young enough to be completely captured by the magic. It was heart-warming and unforgettable to get to witness the pure joy. The folks at Disney really are masters of their art.
It is back to work and the real world tomorrow. It has been a wonderful break, and I’m feeling energized again. We’ve got a busy fall with friends and family this year, so it should be a nice close to the year as well. We’ve been blessed this year and are so thankful to be so fortuitous as to have had a good year in a time when so many families didn’t. Here’s to hoping things are looking up for everyone very soon!
