Greetings and salutations! Welcome to the 2005 edition of the Bicoy Beacon. I’m sure you’ve all been waiting patiently by your mailboxes with baited breathe, anxiously counting down the days until you receive our annual missive.
Then again, perhaps like my brother, you’ve just confused us with the latest Victoria’s Secret catalog (people often confuse me with Heidi Klum when I’m wearing, well, let’s not get into that).
This holiday season marks the start of our second year living in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada (our Mayor enacted an ordinance requiring that you use the word “fabulous” when writing the name of our fair city – unless, of course, you’re writing graffiti, in which case your hand will be cut off – which is real tough if you’re a fourth grader because then you can’t hold more than one glass of gin when stranded on a desert island – but I digress…).
It seems that in the last few years we have moved quite a bit – and this year was no different – although thankfully this move was simply to the other side of town. We bought ourselves a house in the Centennial Hills part of Las Vegas – which is yet another of the brand new neighborhoods that seem to spring up overnight.
Visiting San Diego – Malia & Nalani (sitting in strollers)
Kekoa, Bretty, Cari, Alyssa & David
What’s really changing, however, are the kids. They are growing up so darn quickly. To the left is a recent picture of a Christmas Tree wall-hanging that we first made about a decade ago...
Each year the kids pick out a new shape and glue on an ornament to reflect their height. The hearts at the top reflect Cari’s and my height – and it’s disturbing to see how Alyssa’s most recent purple ornament has now surpassed Cari and will soon go beyond me too! In case you’re curious, white is for David, orange for Bretty, blue for Kekoa, pink for Nalani, and lavender is for Malia. We made it when there was only one child in our house – who knew it would ever get that crowded! Must be because I’m so darn irresistible (my lovely wife is reading this over my shoulder and just smacked me upside my head!).
The Sexy Queen and Jedi Bret
Well, here are just a few of the highlights of our past year. We hope yours was as much fun as ours! And if you don’t already call the Las Vegas Valley home, please be sure to drop us a note if you’re in town. Since we’ve moved to Vegas, we’ve become far more popular!
Mele Kalikimaka…
Bret & Cari Bicoy
Alyssa, as you can see from the picture below, has gone from our little girl to being a young woman. In just two short months, she’ll be 15 years old! Needless to say, we have recently installed window bars and locks outside her room. Slimy boys lurk all around, after all.
Alyssa just before her freshman homecoming
(wearing makeup, which is immoral, if you ask me!)
She’s a freshman (or “first-year” as my friend from Wellesley College used to say) at a magnet school for exceptional students who are interested in technology. Alyssa certainly has become quite savvy with computers, and I have no idea how that happened! Seriously, it’s not as if we sat down and taught her, and until this year, she’s never taken any courses in writing in html, for instance. Yet somehow she just seems to know how to do this stuff! She has her own website and is building one for the TV show Dawson's Creek.
And if that weren’t enough to demonstrate how grown up she’s getting, this past summer Alyssa flew to visit her grandparents in Green Bay all by herself. She was really grateful that she was there during the summer, though, as during her visit the temperature averaged a much warmer 42 degrees.
If you ever talk with Alyssa, all we ask is that you not tell her what we were doing when we were her age!
David has grown into quite a little man. The picture below is from earlier this year when he still was wishing for his two front teeth. Well, they’ve since arrived and so has his personality! From his quiet shell has emerged a pretty funny guy who loves stories which make people laugh. And unlike his father, people are laughing with him, not at him.
David wishing for his two front teeth
David is also the artist in our family. He is constantly drawing and even saves his allowance to buy sketch books and better quality colored pencils. This young man can spend hours just sitting on the couch, working on one of his drawings.
He is now in the third grade and they tell us he is reading at a 6th grade level. David is currently mastering multiplication – something Cari and I mastered many years ago (albeit in a different way).
Now David would be disappointed if we didn’t point out what an exceptional swimmer he has become. Basically, we think David is part dolphin because since we’ve moved into our new home, he has lived in the pool. If only we put in some fish and gave him a three-pronged spear… hmmm.
Bretty, Alyssa, David, and Kekoa’s body – all underwater
Bret Jr., or Bretty as we call him, is also becoming a good swimmer, but for completely different reasons than his older brother. David is a born athlete, and it comes easy for him. Bretty swims well simply because he refuses to not swim well. This boy makes up his mind to become proficient at something and either does it enough times until he is, or he figures out his own path toward reaching the desired goal.
For instance, Cari brought home a few diving rings – which are just plastic circles with weights on them so they sink to the bottom. Bretty couldn’t grab them because he can’t swim to the bottom no matter how much he tries. Instead, he figured out that you can jump in from the side of the pool and your momentum will carry you to the bottom. Amazingly, this little boy is usually the first one to return to the surface with the rings! He is one very determined young man.
Kekoa & Bretty – either singing or sticking their tongues out
(both of which occur with great regularity), much to Nalani’s enjoyment
Bretty is also one of those kids for whom school just comes easily. He started first grade this year and is doing extremely well. Bretty is as comfortable in front of a school book as he is before a mixed plate of meat juhn, kal-bi and rice – and as a Bicoy, that’s really saying something!
Kekoa started kindergarten this year and is having a grand old time! He loves being one of the big kids who have somewhere to go each day while his little sisters stay behind with mommy at home. Kekoa’s teachers absolutely adore him because he is filled with energy but is such a good boy that he can easily sit quietly when he’s supposed to (just like his daddy, right?).
Nalani and a distracted Kekoa
He has always been our most independent child – being perfectly content to do his own thing at his own pace. That characteristic continues as Kekoa might wander away if something catches his eye while the other children are playing together in another room. What is surprising to see, however, is how creative he is becoming. Kekoa loves telling stories and makes up some of the wildest tales you’ll ever hear. It’s almost as if he’s destined to follow his father and grandfathers into politics.
His creativity makes Kekoa an ideal friend for Nalani, as the two of them can spend hours playing together. Of course, Nalani being Nalani, poor Kekoa can never play long enough to keep that little girl happy!
Nalani is as girly a girl as a girl can possibly be. She turned three years old over the summer and her favorite thing is to play “house” with Kekoa, but playing house is not enough. Nalani has to put on her high heel shoes, her Snow White outfit, and anything else pink that she can pull out of her dresser. Even at dinner time she has to have the pink Tupperware cup. No one can ever argue that “nature” doesn’t play as critical a role as “nurture” because although we have three daughters, it is Nalani who is every bit the stereotypical girl.
Nalani & Malia (again, sitting in strollers!)
David, Kekoa, Cari, Bretty & Alyssa at Disneyland
Nalani is sweet, loving, and cares about the feelings of everyone around her even at a very young age.
The best part of this for us is that Nalani is a wonderful big sister to Malia. Nalani is so giving and caring that she’s always looking out to make sure her little sister is included. Unfortunately for Nalani, even at such a young age, Malia sometimes demonstrates why her last name is “Bicoy.”
Malia is an absolutely wonderful little girl who also just happens to be the most stubborn child I have ever met. Were someone to take a toy away from Nalani, she gets upset and cries. Do the same thing to Malia and she’ll pick up another toy and try to smack you upside the head. Seriously, this little girl has a mind of her own!
Our littlest "angel" - Malia
Although she just turned 2, Malia constantly talks with everyone – well, maybe talking isn’t the right word – it’s more like she tells you what she wants you to do.
But then again she can be so loving and helpful. Malia will often come up to you for no apparent reason and give you a kiss (which I’m sure will worry me far more if this continues into her teenage years).
Nalani, Bretty, Alyssa, Malia, David & Kekoa
Welcome to the madness that is our home!
Ah, such is a life with six children. Crazy, loud, chaotic, strange, joyful, maddening, and wonderful. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Mele Kalikimaka, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, or just Have a Nice Day.
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