Happy Zephyr is one year old. We had an awesome party for him the day after me and the (little) boys got back to CR from a VERY extended Christmas trip in SD. Pinatas with kids under 4.... danger danger! He is running now (yes, skipped the walking as expected) and trying out for the bull riding by sitting on his rocking chair backward and bucking until he feels really nuts and then lets go with the biggest, craziest smile you have ever seen. This kid is nothing but FUN! I love that Happy and Otis have such very different personalities. It was a challenge at first until I finally LET GO and realized that its more fun if mom just BACKS OFF and lets them. Humbling this whole parenting thing.... like 200% more of my daily dose of self critique than probably healthy. It is very nice to be home and back into a rythm. Where is Joe though? He is on a well deserved surf trip in California (geez, weren't we just there- oh yeah, but he was in CR then!)- I just wish I could appear in his world after the kids were asleep and the surf camp let him go! I miss the days of long drawn out chats that Joe and I so famously had. We did have a babysitter a few nights ago. That turned out to be a super fun night- but I drank WAY too much rum, didn't eat and didn't drink water. Yeah, it was a few days later that I came to. Unfortunate that I have lost my memory with age- ugh. Next babysitter night I had to promise Joe that I would stick to a few beverages (without enough sugar to give me sores on my tounge) and eat. At least then he would be able to understand what I was mumbling between sips and bites. I am going to go check out a pre-K school tomorrow with Otis. We had no intention of him going to school, let alone pre-school; that is until we realized he cannot communicate with children. He gets really freaked out around kids. He prefers playing with the mommies at playgroup. I think he is going to be STOKED when he makes his first friend that wants to play the same game OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN more than any patient woman that he pegs in the surf camp! Not to mention little Happiness getting some time to do his own thing too. Now's the time for little men to be little men! (and no, I won't cry.... much....) I'll keep you posted.