Favorite Christmas picture 2006

Gabriel update

We went to Gabriel's 4 month checkup today. He is 26-1/2" long and weighs 20 pounds! My arms and back knew he was getting pretty heavy. We've had alot of firsts this week. He started really paying attention to Jav and I eating, and has been trying to grab bowls and plates off the table. He has figured out the button on the musical turtle in his crib will make it light up and change songs if he kicks it. He has started laughing ( a real belly laugh, not just a giggle) when we tickle him, although it's still a rare occurance. He also turned over from front to back for the first time today, while I was out of the room, of course. And the biggest deal is that he started cereal today. So many changes coming so fast. I'm just so so so glad I'm not working and get to see it all.

Recycling rant

I am getting really irritated with the people in my neighborhood. I don't see many recycle bins on the curb when I walk the dogs, just the trash bins. I guess it does take a little extra effort to take the labels off of cans and rinse out bottles and cans, but there's no exuse on the newspaper. I really don't think there's an exuse for not doing any of it, actually. I think I went a couple of weeks where I only recycled the really easy stuff when we brought Gabriel home. But since he's the reason I try to recycle, I gradually worked back up to what I was doing before. Our bin is almost full every week, which I am pretty proud of.

This was the first Christmas where I felt really wasteful for buying wrapping paper. You can't put it in the recycle bin. The bags are reusable, but expensive. I would really like to do something more creative and less throw-awayish next year. The same for gifts. It's amazing how hard it can be to try to get away from the advertising-driven BUY BUY BUY attitude. I know Santa can't really skimp on the kids' gifts, but I hope to have the time to really give thoughtful and environmentally-friendly gifts to the adults next year. We're headed in that direction - we decided to exchange names in our family, with every adult just purchasing and receiving one present. Except that my parents surprised both Jav and I and my brother and his wife with gift cards to purchase trees for our yards, and a promise from my Dad to help us plant them, which I thought was just the BEST gift. I read in one of my Yoga magazine articles about a woman who was only giving gifts in three catagories: 1)charitable gifts in her family members' honor, 2) seeds, bulbs and plants, or 3) family-oriented gifts like board games. I like this idea, and really want to expand on it next Christmas.

Winter, in Texas?

What a lovely couple of days we've had. It turns out the weather was pretty nasty all weekend, but we didn't actually receive the ICY/ARCTIC BLAST that we were warned about until last night. We've been taking care of Gabriel, eating and sleeping, and that's about it. Our metabolisms have been reduced to that of a three-toed sloth. Hibernation can be a good thing!

I made garlic soup Saturday night, which to me is the absolute best thing you can eat on a cold night. You can really feel first your insides then your outsides warming up. Yesterday I made chili in the "slow cooker". When did crockpots become "slow cookers"? And why did the makers of "slow cookers" think that this would be a more glamorous name? Anyway, my food intake has been about twice the normal rate, but I've been moving slower so who knows how many pounds that translates into. But I really don't care. Everybody needs slow-moving weekends like this every once in awhile. It's just sad that it has to ice over to make us slow down and realize it.

Payback

I always make slight fun of all the people who go to the grocery store to stock up on food when we have ice/sleet/snow predicted in North Texas. I mean, even if we actually get one of those things, how likely is it that a) it will stick, and b) it will continue for more than one day. There are always people who have baskets full of food like they are early settlers preparing for the long winter ahead.

We had planned a trip to Fredericksburg tomorrow, just a one-nighter. Our first trip with Gabriel, and I've been packing all day. When the weather prediction all of sudden got worse, we decided to cancel our trip. Thinking we'd be gone this weekend, I didn't do any grocery shopping. I have NO food in the house. No soup, no meat, no fruit. Just peanut butter and bread, and about seven different kinds of cheese. I guess that will have to last us until someone comes to dig us out.

Vacation dreams part 2 (the realistic list)

These are trips that I can actually see taking in my lifetime.

1) Poetry festival. I would love to go to one of these on the East coast during Fall. Poetry, beautiful weather and leaves changing, crisp cool air during the days and cold enough for a fire at night. True perfection.

2) Hiking retreat, with hot showers and gourmet dinners. I do not have the stuff it takes to be a true camper. I don't like feeling grubby for days at a time, and I have a tendency to hate sleeping on the ground. I don't know that I'd even like RV life - I think I'd have a feeling of being a sardine locked inside my tin can at night. So this would be the way to go for me, because I love to hike. The more hills and tough spots the better. But I want to clean up and get a nice meal and a warm bed afterwards.

3) Family beach or mountain trip. This is something I've dreamed about ever since my brother had his first child. I think traveling with the entire family is so special, and the kids will remember those trips forever. I remember traveling places with my grandparents and parents, and it though it was just my brother and I, I have such great memories from those trips. My Mom always talks about the summer that their family and their two neighbors families all traveled to Colorado. She is still best friends with those girls to this day. Now we have kids in both families, and I can't wait for this to actually happen.

Vacation dreams part 1

Upon starting our new book club selection (The Best American Travel Writing 2006), I've been thinking about where I want to go one day. This is my "I can dream, can't I?" list. So here are my three absolute dream vacations:

3 months in Western Europe. I have been to Europe twice, once to Holland and once to Scotland. I stayed in one town for 4 days in Holland, and Jav and I honeymooned for a week in Scotland. These two trips have taught me that I am not an Organized Tour kind of a person. I don't see how people think that going to a different country every day for 2 weeks is seeing Europe. I like to sit in the cafes and watch people. I like to visit the local pub and hear the locals complaining about their soccer team. A museum or historical sight is ok every once in a while, but I do not want to fill up my days inside museums. I want to walk alot and have our own car and explore. I want to spend at least a week in each country, with two for Italy, just because it's Italy, and two for Germany, where I want to trace my ancestors.

3 months in Eastern Europe - Same as above, just different countries

Russia. I have this thing for all things Russian. I'm not sure what the word is for that. Ruskifile? When we found out Gabriel's middle name (Valentin) was Russian, we almost named him Dimitri. But I started thinking it sounded like a soap opera name. Anyway, I'd love to take a SAFE trip there. I read about organized crime running rampant and kidnappings of tourists, so I emphasize SAFE. The architecture in St. Petersburg would probably keep me there for the whole trip.

These are the trips I daydream about while I'm walking the dogs. Next post will be some slightly more realistic trips I yearn for.

Getting sentimental over an inanimate object

If there was one thing that made me excited each Christmas growing up, it was the sight of my grandparents Christmas tree every year. We would celebrate with them on Christmas night, and even though I loved the other gatherings, it didn't really feel like Christmas until we would walk into their house and see that tree. We knew what the evening would consist of - lots of singing to the Brothers Four Christmas album, the delicious smell of bacon coming from the kitchen for our traditional German Christmas dinner, me getting to play Santa's elf and pass out presents, and finally going around the room one at a time to open our gifts. We would always all be rolling on the floor with laughter because my grandmother would get the presents confused (she'd get kind of hectic as Christmas got closer and stop putting tags on things), and not realize it until the recipient had opened the gift and had a very confused look on his or her face. There was such a feeling of love and being safe and warm at their house. Those were the most special evenings of our Christmas every year.

After my grandmother died, I decided to take the tree and start using it. It had held up really well for the 30+ years they had been using it. I also took her decorations, which consisted of my grandfathers homemade ornaments, apples, and lots of things Mamaw had received as presents through the years. I put small multicolored lights on it, just like she had. It made me feel like I was 8 years old and back at their house.

Now that I've put up the tree for 4 years, the cats have gotten the better of it. They have jumped on the lower limbs so many times that alot of them had a permanent bend to them, so much so that they wouldn't stay in the little holes on the tree post. I decided to keep the top half of the tree for either the front porch or Gabriel's room next year. But I threw the rest of it away this morning, with tears rolling down my face. I'm going to miss seeing it every year.

Christmas memories

Things I want to remember about this Christmas:
Gabriel's first Christmas morning, even though he didn't really know what was going on
Christmas Eve Mass with all the dressed up beautiful children
Gabriel loving the sound of the jingle bell wreath
Enjoying walking the dogs, especially Stanley (I've been thinking this will be his last Christmas for three years now. He keeps proving me wrong.)
Shopping for a video camera with Jav, and being so tired that all I could do was focus on the big screen TV playing a Transiberian Orchestra concert.
Gabriel staying awake through both of our family Christmases, even though it was way past his bedtime. (That actually goes for me too).
Trying to put up the Christmas lights while passing Gabriel back and forth
Driving around with Gabriel, my Mom and Cade to look at Christmas lights. We knew Cade was
DONE when he asked if he could go home and watch TV.
April forgetting that the kids could hear her as she mumbled, "oh I remember what that is now" while Cade and Macy opened their Christmas gifts from Santa.
Singing every Christmas carol I know to Gabriel softly to help him fall asleep.
Being so thankful to have both Jav's and my parents healthy and young, and watching them with Gabriel.