I love it. It is an easy way of giving the home...
Dec. 31: I feel like this vacation just keeps going on and on
and on. It’s lovely! We flew back home to Wisconsin on Friday
afternoon in the midst of a big snow storm. Fortunately (surprisingly,
really) our flight wasn’t delayed in the slightest. Uncle Joe picked
us up at the airport, which was good, because Andrew really wasn’t too
keen on the idea of leaving Texas. His refrain most of the flight home
was "Let’s go back!" Knowing that Uncle Joe was going to be at the
other end provided enough of an incentive to keep him OK with the idea
of leaving. I don’t think he could have had a better time during our
trip. Being at Granny and Grandad’s house is everything a little boy
could want.
Our awesome neighbor, Jenni, snowplowed our driveway for us as the snow
fell thick and heavy, and we enjoyed getting back to our home. The
kitties, who had been cold and lonely for a week, were a little psycho,
but at this point, they have had their kitty love-tanks filled, and
they are feeling back-to-normal.
On Saturday, Bryan took Andrew duty most of the day while I jumped into
Maretta’s wedding planning. We enjoyed a cake testing at La Brioche,
went to a couple alterations places to find someone who could help us
bustle her gown, and spent the afternoon at a bridal shower hosted by
Maretta’s maid-of-honor, Laurie. It was a fun-filled day! Maretta,
Kyle, and Kyle’s mom, Marilyn also came over yesterday, and we spent a
couple hours going over lots of wedding details together. The
conversation continues at 1:30 today. We have lots to pack into the
short time that we’re both home!
Last night we had my whole family over for a Christmas-time
get-together. Becky volunteered her mom to make us a lasagna, and it
got rave reviews from all who tasted it. It’s crazy that just
immediate family makes for a party of 12 people! Andrew got to open a
few presents, and he was in 7th heaven, playing with all of his aunts
and uncles. This morning he woke up and said to me with a wistful
voice, "Uncle Kyle played with me."
Andrew was a stellar flyer, and he’s been in a really good mood since
we got home. Bryan and I have both been unsuccessful in putting him
down for naps, but when Uncle Joe or Aunt Maretta go in to do a
"closing," he goes to sleep just fine. What gives?? I think we just
need someone else to live with us to put Andrew down for naps.
Hope you enjoy a happy New Year’s Eve!
Photos from the last week are in the gallery.
Archive for ◊ 2007 ◊
Dec. 31: Hmmm. As I type, Andrew is watching The Dance of the Hours on Fantasia.
At the part where the hippo emerges from the fountain, Andrew turned to
me with a big smile and said, "It’s a mommy, mommy hippo!" "Just like
YOU!"
Maybe he just likes the hippo a lot. Or maybe my girth is very reminiscent of a ballet-dancing hippo…
more…
Dec. 27: Ahhh, December in Texas. It’s a nice day out today.
Temperature in the mid-sixties, a little breeze, the air smells green
and sweet. I can smell the breeze because I have the windows open.
Unlike my husband and son, who have been outdoors a lot this week, I
have surprised myself by only venturing out a couple times. "How
rediculous!" I think. Why would I, who love a beautiful day, plant
myself on a sofa for days at a time. Who knows, but I have certainly
enjoying "slugging it." I’ve knitting a bunch, ripped out everything I
knitted because I forgot to reduce a few stitches for the armholes of
Andrew’s sweater, and tried with only mild success to get my newly
upgraded website gallery working fully.
It’s been a very relaxing and quite restorative vacation, despite my
lack of motivation to enjoy the out-of-doors. We head back home
tomorrow morning, and I’m then looking forward to four days of vacation
at home before returning to work on Jan. 2. Maretta has a wedding
shower on Saturday, and I’m looking forward to getting together with my
family for a "Christmas" get-together on Dec. 30. The fun just keeps
on coming!
more…
Dec. 27: Bryan and I got to go out on a date last night while
Bryan’s parents stayed home with Andrew. A good time was had by all!
Bryan and I ate out at a good restaurant and had fun splitting several
dishes. We somewhat accidentally also ended up ordering $18 worth of
bottled water. Oops!
Afterwards, we went to a book store, and I stumbled upon a really neat book called The Baby Name Wizard.
We’ve barely talked about names at all, and we ended up using our night
out as a kick-start to the baby name discussion. After reading through
the book, we each picked out 20-30 names we liked. Then we’ve spent
some time this morning combining lists and grouping our favorites.
We’ve now weaned it down to a list of seven possible names, and I think
we’re going to let it simmer for a while. Bryan asked Andrew to say
each of the names, and they sounded so sweet in his little voice. My guess is that we won’t settle on a name until we meet the little one face to face.
more…
Dec. 25: Christmas Day greetings to all my friends and family who may be
checking up on the website! We’ve enjoyed a really nice morning
together so far. Ben and Mark have spent the early afternoon playing
with their toy helicopters and cars. Melanie is working on some wooden
puzzles. Bryan’s trying out some new music on new headphones, and I
just finished setting up a web camera I got for Bryan’s parent’s so we
can try doing video calls over the internet.
LuAnn put Andrew down for his nap, and he is now peacefully sleeping.
My family is home in Wisconsin at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Sounded
like they had a full house, with all my dad’s siblings and my cousin
Abe and his family in attendance. Grandma is at the nursing home/rehab
center, so I’m sure it’s a different feeling Christmas in Monroe
without any grandparents in at home.
We had a breakfast of pulla this morning…a cardamom bread rolled with
almond and raspberry filling and shaped like a wreath. Then for lunch,
we enjoyed chili made by Melanie. Since I burned my tongue by eating
it too soon, I needed Blue Bell ice cream afterwards:)
Ben
and Melanie are still in town until tomorrow night, and we’re still
here until Friday, so there’s a feeling of lazy relaxation. It’s nice
to still be in your jammies at 3 pm on Christmas Day:)
Lots of photos from our morning are in the gallery.
Dec. 24: Andrew is napping for the first time in the past three
days. He really needed it! This morning, he was in pretty rare form,
and I think he threw about 8 tantrums over the course of a few hours.
After sobbing in Mark’s library for a while because I had handed him
the wrong book (a wrong that just could not be righted in his mind), he
suddenly stopped crying, came out, and said, "I was very sad. I’m
sorry. I feel better now." This morning, he woke early and came
around to cuddle with me in bed for about 20 minutes. Then he climbed
over me, and woke Bryan by saying, "Daddy, it’s Christmas Day!!" When
corrected, he wasn’t that phased, and happily shouted, "It’s Christmas
Eve!"
We’ve barely talked at all about Santa or what happens on Christmas. Last night, though, I read him The Night Before Christmas.
He was absolutely enthralled. It didn’t take any more than one reading
of that story for him to grasp the idea that Santa comes down the
chimney and brings presents. My tiny tot’s eyes were definitely all
aglow:)
Today we’re doing lots of food preparation, puzzle assembly, and
napping. For our Christmas eve dinner tonight, we’re looking forward
to pork tenderloin, rolls, other-things-I’m-sure, and pie. Andrew’s
looking forward to leaving cookies out for Santa.
I have finally updoaded some pictures to the gallery too…
Dec. 23: I got my Christmas cards out quite a bit later than normal this year (doing the Babler family cards earlier this month slowed me down! ) I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celeration this year. My 2007 Christmas letter is below…
Dec. 23: We are happily settled in at Bryan’s parent’s house in
Texas. We flew down on Friday, and Andrew did a really great job. It
was his first flight in his own seat, and he was so excited about
seeing Granny Lu and Grandad in TEXAS. It’s neat to see him getting to
a point where he remembers things and can hold onto a thought for a
longer period of time. Here in College Station, the sun in shining,
and the last couple days have seen temperatures in the 60s or even
70s. Lovely.
I’m getting to wear some of the nice summer maternity shirts that
people lent me, and Andrew had had ample opportunities for backyard
play. Yesterday, LuAnn and Melanie and I left Andrew with the guys and
we took the afternoon for some girls time out. Did a little
last-minute shopping and had a fun time being together.
It feels really good to be "on vacation" after the last month of fun (but very
busy) activity. I’m relishing the feeling of switching gears from the
go-go-go of holiday parties and Christmas preparation to a lower-key,
just hanging out kind of lifestyle. We had a family poker night last
night, which is always a lot of fun. Plus with "Christmas Edition
Poker," all players ended the night with a gift card. Fun surprises at
Christmas time:)
It’s hard to believe we still have two days until Christmas. The way
the holiday fell this year means that we get to see Ben and Melanie for
much longer than normal. They drove down from Dallas on Friday night,
and they don’t need to leave until Wednesday, so our time together is
quite extended. It’s a great treat:)
Andrew is enjoying putting puzzles together with his Granny Lu this
morning. He’s so excited to be here:) Hope all your Christmas
preparations are fun!
~Althea
more…
Dec. 20: My friend Julia just had a baby girl on Tuesday this
week. Little Eleanore Faith. She had her (first) baby three and a
half weeks early! Makes me a little nervous, because if I did the same
thing, I’d have this little miss in the second week of January. I
think she should keep cooking until early February:)
I continue to feel mostly symptom-free this pregnancy. My hips are
starting to ache once in a while as they stretch, and this little
peanut is getting bigger and less and less movable. Makes it harder to
bend and twist, and her movements are getting increasingly, er,
notable! We’re looking forward to showing my big belly to Bryan’s
family this weekend.
Oh, and I have a cute story to share. I got home from a weekend trip
to DC late on Sunday. On Monday morning, Andrew climbed in bed with
me, and after cuddling for a moment, he noticed my belly. I think he
was a bit startled by it, and he reached under the covers, put his hand
on my belly, and said, "Baby sister too! I feel her!"
more…
Dec. 20: My friend Julia just had a baby girl on Tuesday this
week. Little Eleanore Faith. She had her (first) baby three and a
half weeks early! Makes me a little nervous, because if I did the same
thing, I’d have this little miss in the second week of January. I
think she should keep cooking until early February:)
I continue to feel mostly symptom-free this pregnancy. My hips are
starting to ache once in a while as they stretch, and this little
peanut is getting bigger and less and less movable. Makes it harder to
bend and twist, and her movements are getting increasingly, er,
notable! We’re looking forward to showing my big belly to Bryan’s
family this weekend.
Oh, and I have a cute story to share. I got home from a weekend trip
to DC late on Sunday. On Monday morning, Andrew climbed in bed with
me, and after cuddling for a moment, he noticed my belly. I think he
was a bit startled by it, and he reached under the covers, put his hand
on my belly, and said, "Baby sister too! I feel her!"
more…
