December 1st, 2008. It’s amazing, yet true… Another year comes in and passes us by and we barely have to blink… our little children are growing up as fast as we can think… The Gibson’s can only report a happy year!!! Yeah!
Daredevil David!!!!
Now a dashing 6 year old, David is in 1st grade. He is doing well in math and certainly has picked up the love of Arts (from mom) and Science (from dad). During the summer he enjoyed Science Camp where he got to learn about bubbles and volcanoes and things that go boom. He has been fine tuning his art skills by taking sketching field trips with mom… his attention to detail is quite impressive. His favorite thing to draw would be anything with robot features or mechanical… give him some scraps of wood, paper or anything to assemble and he’ll build a new invention within a short amount of time.
He has progressed to riding a 2 wheeler bike and within days of mastering this produced a crash-bang-whollop and a beautiful black eye. Is it a rite of passage for all boys to do this? Thank the bike helmet manufacturers for keeping his head attached. “Zig-Zag-Zippers” are now OFF LIMITS! Besides Chocolate and Ice Cream… David Loves Macaroni and Cheese, and eats enough bananas to befriend any monkey!!!!
Amazing Alexander!!!!
Four is fun! An active Pre-K boy who is rambunctious, athletic and very happy is the only way to describe Alex. He has taken to school very well and is excelling nicely. Our biggest challenge with him is remembering that he is only 4. His sleep apnea and asthma have just about disappeared since he had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and ear surgery in May. He was such a strong little trouper as he had overnight tests, fixing him up to look like a real transformer… He now breathes easy through the night and mom and dad rest peacefully.
He is a very curious boy and enjoys watching “How it’s Made” and his favorite channel is Discovery. For show and tell he took a book with a skeleton of a cat… to show how “cool” the structure was. Of course he loves toys, planes and robots like his brother, and “FOOD”. He’s also showing interest in helping in the kitchen.
This fall he started playing soccer and as part of the “Smashing Pumpkins”, did very well at learning the basics of the game, and if stats were kept (which they are not in the under 5 age group) he would have at least one goal for each game played… and 2 in his last game. Trouble is, he also pushed, tackled and pounced on the ball… This is not Rugby.
Fabulous Fiona!!!!
How else can we describe our two year old daughter? She is, after-all, 2. In the spring we enrolled her in a mommy-and-me ballet class, which she truly enjoyed. Of course, mommy hopping around the dance floor was more comedy…
Her Godmother, Racheal, and I took her to Disneyland for her 2nd birthday, and she became best friends with Snow White. She has become smitten with fairies and butterflies, Fiona is so refreshingly girly. Add a ribbon or bubbles and she’s all smiles. A master of the pout, and taking advantage of being the youngest, the only girl, and well, just darn cute, she attempts to get away with anything… and almost does. Like her brothers, she LOVES almost everything she tries. She loves coloring, painting, and singing. And… she loves her dresses and shoes.
All 3 kids have amazing imaginations and are going to keep us on our toes.
Golly Golly Gibson… We are Finally Under Construction!
John has spent many hours apart from work drafting and planning the rebuild of our garage. After months of waiting, we finally got plans, permits, and approval… and about 6 weeks ago DEMOLITION began. First with the arrival of a mini-backhoe, and a lot of dust… then with a quick trip to the dump and the garage was gone… slab of concrete too. Then we hired a group of contractors to come in and lay the foundation and a brick wall… now John has spent the available daylight hours framing and squaring up the first floor. In a matter of days the new structure is taking shape. This week we took delivery of 2 HUGE beams, weighing approximately 600 lbs each. One will span the garage door. The other is the roof beam for the “top” of the work space. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GARAGE PHOTOS...
Pretty Pictures!
Ever since the release of “Imagination” last year, Suzy’s art and illustration work has picked up at a steady pace. Not that running the 3 kids around to school and activities isn’t enough… she is always sketching or painting a new project and remains active in SCBWI (society of children’s book writers and illustrators). Her artwork has lead to several mural jobs and some additional creative opportunities.
During the summer months she participated in “Art in the Park” programs in Newport Beach and Beverly Hills. Both events were benefits for charity.
Another hobby turned passion for Suzanne is walking. Starting with a lap around the block… then another… or a walk along the beach… the current plan is a marathon a month. Perhaps participating in some 10k or ½ marathons will be in the future.
Our travel plans this year were scaled down so that we could as a family go to England to attend Georgin
a & Alex’s Wedding in October. Suzy and Fiona flew out a week early to spend time with 
Cousin Anna,(See Anna and Fiona at Bockett's farm, Surrey - Fiona won the horse race!) and introduce Fiona to Aunty Rachael in Carnforth. (Rachael and Fi are pictured below...) A ride on a plane, and a train, in rain!!! Yes, we played rhyming games the whole way. Fiona had
the most fun playing with Holly and Ellie (Rachael’s cats). We searched for and found Mr. McGregor’s’ garden when we visited the home of Beatrix Potter, and enjoyed celebrating Rachael’s birthday with her family at a local pub. The girls returned south to London to join the 
rest of the family in time for the wedding festivities. John and the boys flew in, Suzanne’s parents, brother and his fiancée, Caisie, convened on Uncle Vic and Monica’s for celebrations, dinners, lunches and lots of merrymaking. Everyone was so accommodating. Anna lent us her home in Guildford for a week, and the Weavings (a.k.a. the bride and groom) gave up their flat in London as they departed for their honeymoon. That alone was a HUGE savings as we were able to return the rental car and expose the kids to the London Underground. They experienced beautiful weather, rode atop a double-decker bus, and took a boat ride to Greenwich. Standing on the prime meridian was a great experience for the whole Gibson family.
David, Alex and Fiona in London
We returned home in time to relish the joy of Halloween. 2 robots and a butterfly ran around Granny & Grand-dad Brown’s neighborhood collecting more candy than mommy and daddy should have access to in any given year.
We’ll end out the year by working on the garage, with the hopes that the framing will be complete and we can start moving Suzy’s office and art supplies out of the living room… and our temporary garage can disappear for good.
We Thank God for our Health and our Hearts… and with Love wish all our family and friends a wonderful Christmas, Holiday, and Heartfelt New Year. Stay safe, Be Good, and Have Fun!!! And please, don’t forget to SMILE!
Love from us all:
John, Suzanne, David, Alex & Fiona! & Caramel the Cat
