2009 in Review

To recap 2009, change was the main theme. This has been a year devoted to looking at our habits and how the Cochrane Family spends their time. In the beginning of this year Jena went to the inauguration of Obama and was filled with the sense of possibility that anyone can achieve anything despite race, religion or creed. On a micro level, our family addressed our dental hygiene issues, took a hard look at our finances & time management. We have refinanced our home, watched a friend die a noble death, questioned the idea of God, and changed churches to the Unitarian Universalist Church. Each of us has had a memorable year and has much to be greatful for: Scott is in his 9th year with Verizon Wireless. He became a Cub Scout Leader & participated in the Sea Gull Century bike ride as well as headed up Alex’s Destination Imagination Team for Crofton Woods Elementary School. Jena completed the 2009 Columbia Iron Girl Triathlon & became a Hospice Volunteer. Alex entered 3rd grade & is playing the Cello. Zefram graduated from preschool at Community United Methodist Child Developement Center and has started kindergarten at Crofton Woods where he is learning to read and behave. And, Athena is more charismatic then ever. We like to joke that this is her world and we just live in it. She truly is the Goddess.

2009 Christmas Notes

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. Our family had one of the best Christmases ever, but truly the best part of Christmas was spending time with those we love and stopping to realize how special these moments are. The Christmas season took over our house despite most of us being sick. Here are some of the highlights. Alex and Jena started off by going on a mother and son date to see the legendary Rocketts from Radio City Music Hall. They came to DC for the first time ever. Then on Christmas Eve the festivities kicked into high gear with the celebration of “La Vigilia” which is the Feast of the 13 fishes. There is one fish for each apostle and one for Christ. La Vigilia is an Italian family tradition. This meal is a labor of love that starts weeks before but is the highlight of the year. And if Christmas Eve was not spectacular enough there was the sheer delight and wonderment of our children on Christmas morning. Our 5 year old son Zefram did the sweetest thing by wrapping household items to give to everyone. Zefram even wrote each person’s name on the gifts, which is testament to the great education that he is receiving at Crofton Woods Elementary School in Maryland. What makes Zefram’s gifts so special is that no one told him that he had to give gifts. He did this on his own. There was nothing spectacular about Zefram’s gift but you couldn’t help but cry when you unwrapped a piece of ordinary cardboard because you know that he also wrapped all of his love in the package. Alex on the on the other hand has been running a wrapping paper business at School. He has been making his own wrapping paper, and also used his own product on all the family gifts. Again what was amazing is that he bought presents for everyone (out of his own money) without being prompted—He even bought several presents for his brother Zefram and that is a Christmas miracle if there ever was one. Each moment of Christmas brought so many special moments. Scott also got in on the action by creating a scavenger hunt for Jena that produced several wonderful gifts along the way. It was so much fun to run from room to room with the kids following along with glee. Then the world stopped, or so it seemed for an 8 year old boy. There was the Nintendo DS that Alex got from Santa Claus. He has wanted the DS for over 3 years. Alex acted as if he had just won the lottery and from his standards he did. It was truly incredible to witness his joy. Last but not least, Athena was the late comer to Christmas morning. She is only 2 years old so she is not affected by anticipation and decided to sleep in. Nevertheless, she enjoyed opening her presents when she got up. Her favorite part of Christmas was carrying around a teddy bear that is a foot bigger than she is. She carried the teddy bear everywhere while dressed in a pink ballerina costume with matching heals. (Yes folks she is a girl!) The Christmas magic does not come from what we get but by the unexpected events that warm our heart; and we had so many of these moments this year--Especially the anonymous gifts that showed up on our doorstep addressed to the entire family from Santa Clause. Christmas is a such a magical time of year that brings out the concept of peace on earth and good will toward men. For the adults, and hopefully for the kids, these are memories that we will keep forever. So in the words of Tiny Tim from a Christmas Carol, “God bless us, every one!"