Stein Annual Christmas Letter

Hey Everybody,

It’s time for our 2008 Stein family year-in-review. The Mayan calendar says the apocalypse won’t happen until 2012, so for the time being, we’re safe from terminators, zombies, or whatever else may graciously end my obligation to write these family newsletters in 3-4 years.

Benj is 3 years old and now attends preschool. Like a budding engineer, he spends lots of time building things. He talks constantly and we’re finally starting to understand him. We’ve learned that frissmas wides = Christmas lights and fock-it mick = chocolate milk. (You get used to it). And when he’s utterly incomprehensible, Lena’s always available to interpret. He’s said some funny things this year. I’ve been writing them down. My favorite quote this year:

DADDY: Do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?
BENJ: I want a brother.
DADDY: What if Mommy has a girl?
BENJ: Then I’ll make a baby boy in my tummy.
DADDY: You’ll make one in your tummy?!
BENJ: Yeah, and two girls in my boobies! (Demonstrates).

So the kid is ambitious—and yes, he’s perhaps a bit too nurturing. But in most respects, he’s just like his old man: he’s kind of lazy, loves chocolate, spaces out for minutes at a time, and lets a female control his life. I have that same problem.

As for Lena, she’s now 5. She’s incredibly bright and has become quite the accomplished reader. The other day at the grocery store, she asked Ira how to spell Kool Aid. Ira spelled it C-O-O-L. Lena gleefully corrected her. We think she’s a little too smart for her own good. Just this week, she faked a serious illness to get out of class. The kid deserves an Oscar. Her teacher was ready to quarantine the whole school! Seriously, we shouldn’t have to deal with these antics until she’s at least an obnoxious teenager. She’s also said some funny things this year. My favorite quote came after a prayer:

LENA: Heavenly Father, please bless the whole world and all the planets and stars . . . except for Mars. Don’t bless Mars. Amen.
MOMMY: Good prayer, Lena. But why don’t you want Him to bless Mars?
LENA: Because we can’t breathe and we die there.

Wow. We didn’t have the heart to explain to her just how inhospitable most of the universe really is—she’d ask God to curse the whole universe! In almost all ways, Lena is just like Ira. She loves to organize things, make lists, and adopt rules (for others to follow). She hates chocolate, loves people, and has an uncanny ability of getting her own way. How precious!

As for Ira, she got herself knocked up. Again. I can’t complain about her freakish fertility because her body has started changing in all sorts of “husband-friendly” ways (she begged me not to say this). Her due date is May 23. For now, she’s keeping a busy schedule. When she’s not juggling work, motherhood, and her church calling as Primary President (a big responsibility), she relaxes by reading books or watching the tube with me. She went sort of crazy this year on that Twilight series. Since everybody we know has heard her go on and on (and on) about it, I’ll spare you another round of punishment. Just so you know, she keeps a family blog at: www.steinfamily-oregon.blogspot.com

As for me, I feel so blessed. Though I’ve lost some more hair and found a few pounds, family, work, and life in general have been better than a man like me deserves. No complaints.
Merry Christmas from Keith, Ira, Elena, and Benjamin