2008: A year in review

As I think about the exciting changes coming to our home in 2009, I can't help but to reflect on what a great year 2008 was at the Borich home. Call it nostalgia or call it hormones, I want to share my favorite things about our children from this past year. Let's call it the alternative to a Christmas letter!

Mykah Brookelynn is 8 years old. My mom's greatest wish as I was growing up was that someday, I would have a daughter just like me. Her wish came true... In spite of this, Mykah at 8 is my favorite Mykah so far. She is really discovering who she is and the kind of person she wants to be. She has such a big heart and all those around her are blessed with love that freely flows from it.

Mykah loves music-all kinds. There aren't 2 minutes throughout the day when she isn't singing, humming or trying to play one of her musical instruments (guitar, keyboard, recorder-someday, we'll get lessons so it isn't just noise!) She starts 3rd grade Chorus in 2 days and is so excited! Inspired by, or because of her love for music, she knows the lyrics to every commercial on TV. This isn't because she watches TV all the time, but because she picks up music & lyrics very quickly. She can also sing the theme songs to all our favorite TV shows and does, every time they're on! Keep in mind that every song comes with self-choreographed actions-see karaoke video on Christmas post... Her musical imagination goes even further. There are many times we've caught her playing Bodie, our wiener dog, like a guitar. The poor dog just lays there, belly up like a baby, and lets her strum his side and sing her little heart out like a rock star!

Mykah loves to cook, especially with Joe. Her favorite rule is the chef has to taste everything before it's served. She & Joe are such a cute picture in the kitchen, adding this & that until she decides whatever they're cooking is perfect. Thanks to a very easy recipe (Thanks, MB!), Mykah recently made her first batch of cookies from start to finish, entirely on her own. She was so proud of herself, she could've burst!

Mykah is a fantastic student. Her teachers love her because she is so eager to learn. She loves to read. Her favorite books right now are anything fantasy-inspired, mainly stories about mermaids, dragons, etc.

She loves all animals, from her huge Littlest Pet Shop collection to the real ones, like Bodie and dolphins. She loves to watch Animal Planet and gets very distraught over commercials about abused animals or animals in danger, like polar bears. We may have to watch her later to make sure she doesn't start bringing home strays. She doesn't even seem to mind the snake under our hot tub! I see ASPCA in her future...

Mykah is "Daddy's girl." She will do anything as long as it's with Joe. She'll pick him over me when it comes to helping her with homework, cooking, playing games, you name it. She also goes to work with him on days she doesn't have school. She does crafts for the other coaches while Joe is in meetings and then glows from all their attention. Joe makes her feel so special and his patience is endless.

Max Joe is 2 years old in every sense. He is currently testing every inch of our patience as he figures out who he is and how he can express that. In spite of the "Terrible 2s", here are my favorite things about Max. BTW, Mykah at 3 was far more trying than she was at 2, so I don't anticipate the next year being much better for Max, unless there's some magical Borich gene that hasn't kicked in yet!

Max refers to himself using 3rd person, and it's "Maxie", not Max. He thinks many things are "boo-tiful"- Christmas or other lights, snow, cows... He gets us to stop & appreciate ordinary things that he considers extraordinary.

He asks questions that he wants us to ask back. His favorite is, "Whatsa matto, Maxie?" when he gets hurt or is sad and he'll ask us until we ask the question back.

Maxie inherited my Grandpa Clem's circle hair- It's hard to describe, but you know where the top of your head turns into the back of your head? The hair in that spot grows clockwise on Max, creating a circle. This is why we keep his hair very short!

Max says, "God bess (not a type-O) you" after anyone sneezes. Awwww, such good manners- he also says it after anyone burps, including himself, then giggles hysterically and says, "Maxie silly!"

He's very active & already obsessed with football. He runs in place, arms pumping, yelling "Go, go, go" before he runs a couple of steps & slides, yelling "Suchdown" (also not a type-O) or he runs into something with his shoulder, usually the big screen, causing Joe a small heart attack. He loves all other sports, too, and we've had to buy him toys as he discovers a new sport. When we took him to a hockey game, that was his obsession and we had to get him hockey gear. When he discovered Mykah's golf clubs, he had to get some of his own (Thanks, Nana & Papa) and the list goes on. During this process, we discovered that Max swings hockey sticks, baseball bats & golf clubs left-handed, even though he's right-handed! He doesn't throw as a leftie, but his QB coach dad will change that if he can!

Max is a true "Mama's boy." He can be like my little shadow sometimes, which can be very interesting right now, as I can't see anything below my monstrous belly! I've been asked when I'm going to cut the apron strings, but I'm in no hurry. He'll do it on his own someday and I'll only have this post and my memories to remember when his world centered around Mama.

There's my 2008 recap. Mom & B, dry your eyes... you're coming soon (right?!) and you can experience all this for yourself. The rest of you reading this- you're always welcome, too. We love sharing and creating memories...