Once again Coop and I have been drafted to distribute the Smith /Aaker family holiday cheer (the slash rather than dash between the names is intended to indicate that some family members have the last name Smith, while a holdout (you know who) stubbornly holds on to Aaker).
Coop and I had another great year. Our still relatively diminutive bodies are finally catching up with our intellect. We can both run quite quickly, particularly when pursued by someone wishing to remove an object (e.g., a knife, permanent marker) from our custody. While self-determination is important, getting caught is usually fun, particularly if the catcher picks you up by your feet. Being under three, however, we are prone to rookie mistakes. Here’s a typical scenario: one of us is already “caught” (Cooper) – and the other (me) is hiding in a place that nobody would ever think to look (let’s say, behind the hanging clothes in the closet). Mom and Dad come to hunt me down. Inevitably Cooper forgets that he’s my partner at this point and comes looking for me. Because we’ve got the psychic twin connection going on, he knows where I am and leads the Feds right to my hideout, squealing and jumping up and down, “Here he is!” Frustration doesn’t begin to explain what I feel.
While we continue to be best pals, Coop and I also continue to define our differences. I like to eat anything that dad eats (espresso, plain yogurt, sour dried Hawaiian plums, etc.). Coop likes pizza crust and cookies. Sometimes he’ll eat some turkey jerky with me, but it’s rare. I also really dig exploring nooks and crannies throughout the house with a flashlight. Coop’s more about putting all he can fit into his golf bag and shuttling from room to room.
In terms of developments – I would say the biggest one is our maturation. We are wise beyond our years. In support: we have outgrown Baby Einstein videos (featuring that smug mom and her children) and Teletubbies (it’s unclear what we ever saw in them). Currently, we give two thumbs up to Shrek (Donkey rocks), Toy Story (Buzz rocks), and CNN due to the ever-moving ticker (my GOOG is up). Further, we have recently developed hobbies. Turns out that we have a passion for cars. Indeed some of our most enjoyable moments are spent finding keys, bringing them downstairs, and inserting them into any open space found in Dad’s convertible – gaps in the door, cracks around headlights, (creating) small puncture holes in the tires. We are also big on planes, trains, bikes and boats. We think transportation is a big idea.
In terms of concrete highlights of the year: For a month we lived in NYC (mom had sabbatical there, dad worked out of Dolby, NY) in a 2-bedroom apartment. Compactness of domicile meant we couldn’t be ignored – no matter the hour. This trip was followed by some R&R in Maui, where we spent most of the time sprinting naked through the surf or under a hose. We realize there isn’t likely much more time where we can run around naked without it becoming an “issue” so we made the most of it.
But life is not all jet-set cosmopolitan living and watching big folks enjoy sundowners. We work hard too. This fall we matriculated at Stanford. The fact that our program is referred to as Bing Nursery School is an insignificant detail; it’s on the Stanford campus. Our plan: refuse to leave until we finish our graduate degrees. They’re unlikely to kick us out as I captain the debate team and Cooper has a way with the ladies. Further, we excel at our coursework, particularly in Lego Architecture, Fundamentals of Aviation and Sand Structure Engineering and Demolition.
Over the course of the year, Mom and Dad – in support of our apprenticeship with Bob the Builder invited a series of guests to comprise our construction seminar. Art the landscaper put in our fountain (and he was great to say “Hi, Art!” to, but then he unaccountably disappeared). Bert the wire guy put in some outdoor outlets to power the fountain. Despite his name, he was not yellow with a single tuft of hair on his head – a letdown. Steve the stone guy was cool but he built our kick-ass biking course (a.k.a. “terrace”) so quickly we hardly got time to know each other.
In terms of updates on Mom and Dad: Frankly, they’re not developing as quickly. They are constantly taking off for “work.” When asked why they have to go “work,” we are told that you “fix” things at work. Since fixing things is cool, we give it thumbs up too and are in process of interviewing for a “job.” Our applications to work with Art, Bert and Steve have been rejected, but odds look good on getting some work in Papa’s home office, as he often breaks things and has no standards for repair.
We are thankful for much – including parents who love us, Tata who nourishes us in every imaginable sense of the word, and a new young cousin, Elliott, who we are going to mentor and inspire. We particularly enjoy our cousins – Sami (4) who mothers us, Maile (2), our partner in crime, and Oscar (Jojo and Brian’s dog) who serves as a comfortable if furry pillow for Cooper. We also find Papa and Nana to be a delight. Papa is particularly fun as he’s not nearly as oppressively attentive as Nana, Mom or Dad, or really any other sentient being we’ve encountered. Indeed, life can’t get any better.