Christmas 2009

Sleeping in until 8:00am on Christmas Morning? Yes, that's right, not a creature was stirring, not even a 4-year-old until the morning was waxed old. It's funny that every morning for two weeks the kids have been rising between 5:50 and 6:30 and on the most exciting day of the year, they forgot. This year we have what qualifies for us as a giant Christmas tree. We have been using a 5.5 ft. decorator tree that you might see in a small grouping. Our new tree is taller, wider and brighter, but I admit I love that little tree. I am not sentimental about a whole lot, but there are some good memories of that spindly tree that always made it seem homey and Christmasy in our apartments. We set up our big tree in the family room and basked in all 1500 lights. The kids would rather have had colored lights, so I bought some for the old apartment tree and we set it up in our small living room (the piano room without the piano). The kids decorated the whole thing with all their favorite ornaments and all their projects concocted this year in school. When we were all admiring the decor, Ben looked at the tree and said that it seemed bigger before and then wondered if we were poor back then. Yeah, we were pretty poor.... but really what is wrong with the tree? I love that little thing, it will take a long time for me to give it up.

When the kids woke up, they ran to the big tree and found that Santa had not come. They were all worried. Finally we remembered the small tree. Santa was so used to putting the presents there that he put them there again. It was fun to start out with a laugh. Everyone got something to love, my favorite was my new cookbook.... watch out kiddies mommy's going to get experimental with dinner.

We visited Jeff's family and jumped every time the phone rang, wondering if his little brother had gotten engaged yet. That guy... this is three years in a row of waiting for him to call on Christmas. We really enjoyed seeing our cousins and talking to Jeff's parents.

In Christmases past, we spent the day driving from one grandma to the next and then on to the greats, but this year was a lot quieter. What kid doesn't just want to stay home and play with their new toys? Ours really appreciated the down time. My parents came for dinner and were in no rush to go home. We enjoyed them so much. Grandpa was a great sport to play marbles, build legos and engage in dart tag with the kids.

GrammySitting

Last week marked my first turn "grammysitting." My sweet grammy is suffering from Parkinson's and her three amazing kids and husband consented to letting the grand-daughters in on the action of helping care for her. My first round seemed more like the old social visits, just a little slower and quieter. Some would rather not have to see the decline of someone they love, but having loved and lost my paternal grandmother less than six months ago, I feel different. I am relishing all the time I can have with my grammy because it might not be long before she doesn't want me to read to her or rub her hands or try to make her laugh with all my antics, all of which I can still do for her. On top of all that bonding, I got to sit with my grandfather after she went to bed and hear firsthand the stories I love about him. I love that he still loves grammy and remembers her strength even when she is weak. I don't know if I could conquer her brand of adversity with so much grace, but I appreciate the legacy already.

My WillPower is Shattering

After much resistance, I finally crumbled and gave in. Not to the lure of all the Halloween candy, but something more additive-- facebook. It really took the idea of Debi moving to Sao Paulo with only 45 minutes of cell phone time. I mean really, I am so long-winded, she could only afford to leave a message on our voicemail. So facebook it is. I hope J doesn't think I love him any less because I wouldn't make the switch for his sake, but really there is something weird about he and I chatting online across the room.... I am sure that there is some sort of therapy for that-- so I would rather skip it.

I am sure that I will enjoy seeing every documentable thought, idea and moment that my friends will come up with, but I guess for now I prefer the soapbox mentality of this forum.

IV--pics coming soon

Installment Four... now you know why people lined up to buy the latest chapter of a Dickens novel, the suspense was killing them!

And on with the vacation.

Day Three: San Diego Zoo

What to say about the zoo... First there is the deal. Bramwells all have season tickets and therefore free entrance passes to go with it. We paid for Caitlyn to get in and a little more for the premium rides and that is it. I guess the Bramwells must really like us. Second, there is the buckets, arial buckets because the SD Zoo is soooo big that little legs need a little easier way to get there. Third, thei,elephants of many varieties in different enclosures. We spent at least an hour on elephants alone. Jeff's curiosity paid off because we got the full private discussion of elephant foot therapy from a couple zoo keepers that were starting an elephantine pedicure process. Just one minute later the whole zoo seemed to get the vibe that zookeepers were interacting with us and that they were invited. Lucky for us, just as the throng mobbed the area we were safely snacking in the distance.

From there we went to polar bears, who were nestled in their private den, but we lingered to take advantage of the shade. By the time we made it to the hippos I was tired. No one else seemed to be dragging, so I kept hiking up one flight of stairs after another until finally I wished I could settle in for a nap like the gorillas. While we watched them sleep, it occurred to me that the dramamine was still mellowing me out from the day before. This my friends is why I will deeply consider being sick instead of lathargic next time. It took nearly an entire frozen lemonade to perk up my energy... I see now why it is a great idea to have a season pass to this zoo--no kid, not even Bindy, the jungle girl, could really see the whole thing in one day-- unless you made use of the bus tours. Our kids saw all their priority animals and we went home for a nap and a swim.

Day Four

All our three generations of Bramwells live in a suburb of SD. We spent the morning exploring their hometown, visiting their childhood neighborhoods, seeing the tree Kyle hit with the Jeep, and casing the scene of their Prom pictures. Their town has a lot of great history and a great old train that goes around the park. We rode the train, which Jordan and the other kids loved. I guess a slow old train is more their speed. By this day, it was REALLY hot! Apparently we towed a heat wave in town with us.

Day Five

Sunday... ahhh. I will admit, I worried about Primary for a minute, but I got to bounce Baby Bramwell all through Relief Society and I enjoyed every second of it! We got to meet some of Kyle and Juli's friends and their bishop. Our vacation was seeming to wind down with just one more day of fun and then a long drive. Little did we know that the Bramwells had other plans. Dick and Jennifer played our kids against us and held an unianimous vote that we should stay a few extra days. We gave in... because we weren't ready to leave yet either. (That is where you gasp and wonder how many installments this can possibly take).

That night we paid a visit to Juli's parents. They were very gracious. Traditionally, they would send a cheesecake to Kyle and Juli for their birthdays from the Cheesecake Factory. Since they both worked during the day, my apartment number was always on the delivery. I usually held said cheesecake ransom until such time as they decided to share it with us. While we were in California, we decided to return the favor and brought a cheesecake to celebrate Jeff's birthday with them. They were awesome. They had gotten us a Julian apple pie to take home (a big must do in SD area) and some authentic Slovac kolache (pastry with nuts rolled inside). That was really generous. We got to see Juli's mom's art studio and some of her paintings. Noah was totally unnerved by the skull she uses to get faces right, but Benjamin ate it all up. Jeff was mesmorized by Juli's dad. He is a physicist and an amateur astronomer, so you can imagine the awesome conversation that they had in the backyard amongst various giant binoculars and telescopes. One by one the rest of us managed to wander off until Jeff and Joe were the only ones outside discussing the heavens. Around 10:30, we persuaded them that the kids should be in bed and that our next trip Jeff could bring a sleeping bag and camp out in the yard.

Summer Vacation Three

Day Two... Jeff's Birthday

After a whirlwind day at Legoland, who could ask for anything more. We joked about a new family car. This was about all we could afford...

Then again a Volvo made entirely of Legos might not be a whole lot less than the real thing.

If you didn't notice so far, our trip has a theme color: Orange. While we couldn't wear orange

every day, the kids all had orange hats so we could easily keep track of them.

Back to the birthday, when we got home, the Bramwell's garage was decorated with toilet paper, a sure sign of love, with a trail leading into the house. This is the first thing we saw.

Yes, Kyle completely mummified in TP. Jennifer & Juli had decorated with giant candies, balloons, and a decadent chocolate cake. We had a great day... Happy Birthday Jeff!

Summer Vacation part 2

Yes, there will be photos and more details-- more than you want, but we don't want to forget how much fun we had together somewhere around October.

ARRIVAL

After safely navigating our way, we made it to a warm welcome from our Bramwells and some new ones too. I couldn't believe how much we had missed them. We took a quick tour that ended with the swimming pool. Caitlyn started with a simple toe dip and recklessly got in over-her-head in a matter of a minute. We slipped some swimming muscles on her and she was content to swim in her clothes. Benjamin was more sly. He went slowly deeper and deeper until his mother sighed and said he too could finish soaking his clothes. Noah demanded proper swimming attire and a life jacket before happily splashing with the rest of them. Our kids had no idea you could actually swim at night.

Day ONE: Meet the Ocean

Our first day in California we headed to Mission Beach. We toted all the kids and enough snacks to stay a couple days at least. We did all the usual beach things: bury an impressionable kid, chase kids with nasty seaweed, dig for those little crab-like guys that go in and out in the surf, swallow seawater. I felt like a pasty plump pastry in my beach wear until I realized that I had NOTHING to worry about. Its good to get some real perspective in life. There were a lot of large bodies and very little fabric to go around roasting on that sand... hmm, as I put on another dose of 50+ sunscreen. I will try lily-white and modest on for size.

Our Favorite Bionicle Toas

Day TWO: Legoland

Cue angelic harmonies. Need I elaborate? Well just a little. This is a lego fiends' dream. The kids drove their in their own Lego cars, rode a Lego dragon coaster, and shot lasers at all of Indiana Jones' foes. Caitlyn got girl legos for her birthday, which came with a lego horse. Consequently, all she wanted to do at Legoland was ride one of those Lego horses. She was brave until two seconds after saddling up. As the horses gently rocked along a track various lego knights challenged the riders to joust. Talking Lego knights were not IN the brochure and Caitlyn was terrified. She sobbed the whole way. Meanwhile Noah was getting sick on the dragon roller coaster and Benjamin was feeling like he was going to meet his death on the same ride.

Highlights: Buying Legos in bulk.... lowlight $32/pound. STEEP! I guess I have never actually weighed a Lego set before, but wow spendy.

Jeff and I were prepared for a day of wild rides with our fearless children (we both took dramamine). When our kids and the rides didn't require fearlessness, the real benefit came in. Long after other parents were grappling with their kids and losing patience, Jeff and I were so calm that we were happy to wait in lines, or not or wait or whatever our kids wanted to do. Dramamine secured us in the happy family group of Legoland officionatos. Did we get more souveniers? Don't worry they also sell every lego set, accessory and kitsche available and we made our way home with a lot of it. The fruits of our rock-picking labors finally came to bear. If anyone needs a Lego brick cupcake pan, I might have one...

Legoland exclusive:Granny Smith Apple Fries with Cinnamon Vanilla dipping Creme. Good, but not as good as good old french fries.

I guess not all princesses live in Disneyland after all. Caitlyn, a princess officianto, spotted this one 200 yards away. After permission from the parentals, she ran to meet the princess and bring her to "my mommy to get a picture of me with you."

Toward the middle of June we received a funny bit of mail from our Bramwells. Inside was two tri-fold brochures advertising vacation spots.... Backstory-- we made them similar ads for all the random day hikes and adventures we went on with them while they lived here. The first ad was for Park City. Inside "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!" Well that describes us just fine. We are generally content to vacation vicariously, hearing the tales and seeing the footage of others. Our kids think that a hotel in Park City is the best vacation on the earth, until... cue second brochure. It featured an unlimited stay in the Bramwell Hotel and various Southern California attractions.

When our boys saw Legoland featured, well there was no turning back. There is simply nothing that gets Noah's heart a flutter like Legos. Caitlyn picked out Disneyland because she's on to the fact that all the "princesses actually really live there mom." It wasn't too hard to turn her attention to whales and dolphins and SeaWorld went into the agenda instead of Disneyland.

Don't be too shocked when we didn't politely say no thank you as our past behaviors would indicate. I guess we got a little excited too. Before you know it we have shocked Kyle and Julie by calling to plan dates. Once the kids got wind of the plans we had to enforce a new family rule: No talking about the vacation except at lunch or dinner. I am positive that Noah dreamed Legoland because I haven't seen him so quiet-- he had nothing to say that didn't relate to the vacation.

Here are a few stats on the drive:

3 kids, 2 adults, one 5 person sedan

10 1/2 hours

3 Stops

692 miles

26.6 gallons of unleaded gas

1 GPS named Molly who navigated, but reminded us "to remain on the current road" a little too often.

ZERO whining, complaining, fighting or even asking when we'd be there.

WHO are these children? They fight just driving 15 minutes. I guess they know us too well. Can't act up and risk getting Legoland stricken from the record.

one mom, raised on the grid system, driving in the spaghetti mess of the California highway system; white-knuckled.

one dad who turned right back into a California driver, managing with the greatest of ease.