Caren And Mike

T’was another November when all through the house,
The computer was whirring, my hand on a mouse,
Time to think of a new poem for the fifth year in a row,
It’s hard to keep updating in rhyme, you know!

But once we get going, out comes the poetry,
With updates on our latest developments as you will see.
The Bianco’s of New Jersey continue to thrive,
So here comes Poem Number Five!

There is one thing for us that could not be stranger,
When did we get old enough to have a teen-ager?!!!
Even though she’s 13, Becky remains friendly and nice,
Her room’s a disaster, but that’s her only vice.

Becky works very hard at everything that she does,
Although she has the math gene, it’s writing she loves.
Last summer, Becky spent six weeks at Wellesley College away,
She took a few courses, but mostly just had fun every day.

This year we had Becky’s Bat Mitzvah service and celebration,
It was lots of fun, even with all the preparation.
We were very proud of how well Becky did,
Especially since she’s a pretty quiet kid.
Just when we were done with the anticipation and wait,
The Temple gave us 10/6/07 as Julia’s Bat Mitzvah date!

Julia is in fourth grade now and is very cute,
She takes chorus and plays viola and flute,
In addition, she enjoys being a Girl Scout,
And playing with her friends, running about.

This year Julia learned how to ride her bike,
She even rode on a ten-mile trek with Mike.
She loves to watch Sponge Bob on TV,
But she also loves to read books, by herself or with me.
Julia is very picky about what she will eat,
I guess that’s why she continues to be quite petite.

As for Mike, he now cycles far and wide,
He even rode a century – that’s a 100 mile ride!
He is into fitness and keeping up with him is tough,
You see he is in such great shape and looks quite buff!
He still loves playing with kids and goofing around,
And he’s a great guy to have around the kitchen, I’ve found.

In June we visited the Land of the Midnight Sun,
We flew right into the heart of Alaska and had great fun.
We were there when there was just about total sunlight,
It is quite strange to go a week without experiencing night!
It was really cool to get that close to nature all free and loose,
Riding our bikes we came face to face with a bull moose!

As for me, I cannot add anything that you have not heard before,
I still love balancing family and work – can I say any more?
I continue to be busy with Scouts, piano, and trying to stay fit.
I’ve even found time to do some yoga, needlepoint and knit.

Well that’s about it for us this year,
It’s hard to keep in touch with everyone, I fear.
So please say hello, we would love to hear from you,
By phone, e-mail or by poem, prose is fine too!

Happy Holidays!
Caren, Mike, Becky and Julia Bianco

T’was a fourth year, when all through the house,
The computer was whirring, my hand on a mouse,
I was trying to compose a poem for the holiday,
So we can tell you that we’re doing OK.

This year in particular, we’ve come to appreciate,
How important it is to communicate,
Say hello, share a laugh and keep in touch,
With the family and friends that we love so much.

Becky has grown a lot, as you can see,
Pretty soon she will be bigger than me.
She loves to play on her computer and read,
And her grades in school are terrific, indeed!

Becky went to sleep-away camp for the month of July,
She sent us emails when she wanted to say Hi,
Just the same, she was pretty homesick, and she said,
“I miss family & friends, but most of all my shower and bed!”

The girls are taking kid’s courses at Montclair State,
So on Saturdays we leave home at a quarter past eight,
Becky likes Historical Murders and Mystery,
But dislikes being the only girl taking Rocketry.
At Montclair, Julia enjoys classes in philosophy and math,
We wonder what will be her career path.

Julia loves to watch TV and read, but what she loves best,
Is play-dates and sleep-overs–getting no rest.
Julia is very huggable and sweet,
She dressed up as a tree to go Trick-or-Treat.

During the summer Mike hardly saw the kids and wife,
Because he was working tons of over-time at MetLife,
But in August we got to spend time together,
As we took a cruise of the Caribbean amid perfect weather.

Mike and I rode 45 miles in the NYC five boro bike tour,
We were in such great shape that our legs never got sore,
So in October, we did a 65-mile ride around NYC,
Blasting through the Lincoln Tunnel & back over the GWB.

As for me, I turned forty this year,
I had a mid-life crisis, I fear,
So I went out and decided to walk for 60 mile,
Raising $8,000 for breast cancer all the while.

The Walk kept me very busy, training,
And during the Walk it was constantly raining,
As you may know, we only got to go for one day,
But collectively we raised nine million dollars, anyway.
We hope soon to be able to cure this dreadful disease,
So that we won’t lose anymore loved ones, please.

We hope that you enjoyed our update poem,
And would love to hear from you soon – via email or phone.

Happy Holidays to All!
Caren, Mike, Becky and Julia

Dedicated to Ines Bianco – 1933-2002
You will be in our hearts always…

T’was a third year in November, when all through the house,
The computer was whirring, my hand on a mouse,
The girls all snug in their beds; with our flag out unfurled,
While Mike and I tried to make sense of the world.

It’s amazing to see what concerned us in the past,
Seems so superficial – certainly nothing to last,
We are reminded of what is important today,
It’s our family and friends, what more can we say!

So, it’s time to bring everyone up to date,
On the things that we have been up to of late,
We’ll summarize briefly, though we have a lot to say,
We would like you to know that we’re doing OK!

Becky goes to middle school and is in sixth grade,
As you can see, she keeps growing bigger, I’m afraid,
On the computer, she loves playing Roller Coaster Tycoon,
We know that the boys will be knocking on the door soon.

For her birthday, Becky adopted a pet – so remember,
A hamster named Munchkin Frisky became a family member.
This new Bianco addition has been somewhat sprite,
Being nocturnal, his wheel is very noisy at night.

Julia in second grade loves to do math,
Perhaps actuarial science will be her career path,
She’s so well behaved in school that we’d like you to know,
Her teacher says she’s an example for others to follow.

Julia loves being a kid and I’m her biggest fan,
For Halloween she was a box of Raisin Bran.
She has unique taste in clothes, character and sass,
When her red curly hair gets wet it goes down to her a–.

Mike turned forty in two thousand and one,
He loves skiing and riding his bicycle for fun,
When he goes out riding, he can go many a mile,
Pulling Julia along on the trailer all the while.

As for me, I continue to be busy most of the time,
Trying to write poetry and perfecting the rhyme,
Playing piano, Girl Scouts and being busy at work,
Having a loving family has been an added perk.

Mike and I went on a romantic weekend last year,
On the last day of the trip, I got hurt, I fear,
I managed to tear a ligament in one of my knees,
I did this while practically standing still on my skis.

We hope that you enjoyed our poem,
Please call us – we’ll probably be at home,
Or email or send us a letter or fax,
We open our mail in spite of Anthrax.

Happy Holidays to All!
Caren, Mike, Becky, Julia
and Munchkin Bianco