Christmas (December) Recap 2

And the rest of the Christmas holiday continued Christmas afternoon when Grandpa Neal, Teresa and Robert came mid-day on Christmas. More food, more presents, more great family.

We had a wonderful big dinner and lots of good chats.

Here a handsome photo of Grandpa and Lea.


Grandpa and Lea big smiles all around!

Dan and Grandpa. Handsome boys.

Teresa and Lea


Grandpa and Lea opening presents. Here Lea is getting a very useful blue windbreaker/fleece coat. Teresa got Lea Tinkerbell pjs and Santa brought bubblebath. Many thanks for all the great gifts all around.

Dan's can of Whoop Ass Chili from Arizona I believe. Grandpa Dan must have done some Christmas shopping with Aunt Kaitlin while he was in AZ with her. We all got treats from the Copper State. (We did make the chili and it was good.)

We got Lea Raindrop, Teresa's new Webkins Turtle from Dan and me. Lea named the turtle Raindrop and Teresa loved it. On Webkins your stuffed toy has a house with furniture and food, as well as lots of fun games that Teresa will have a lot of fun with. Lea already as a frog and a panda and loves being on Webkins.

It was a wonderful Christmas day. But there was some things we did to fill time between the big holiday events. There was a lot of good quiet down time at Grandma's. It was nice enough to be out on the porch some. Lea loved going out there to swing. Grampy and Lea on swing. They were having more fun that it appears. I actually love this picture, even though the two are not smiling.

It was nice weather, but very very windy. I had thought we'd sit outside around a nice roaring fire so we brough our fire pit. But with the wind that never happened. However, once I gave Dan the job of gathering fire wood... well we barely saw him for all the time he spent out back trimming a huge downed tree. Grampy helped some. Even Grandpa Dan got out  there and supervised for a while. A rather huge wood pile was the result. There is a lot of tree left to trim and Dan is being sensible and not getting near the big trunk that is leaning against the main tree, but there are plenty of smaller branches. Hopefully over time Dan can trim it down so that it will be less costly to have the big tree cleared. I came up with a log term plan to then turn the broken big left over trunk into a treehouse and play area for Lea... but that's A LONG way off. 
Here are the boys at work.

Dan & Grampy Cutting Wood. Dan used a saws all with a battery pack for a while, but near the end of the long weekend he found an electric one that had him working faster, but taking less breaks since the battery didn't die. 

The other great time waster for the long Christmas break was taking a walk out to the pond and visiting Mary the Donkey.

It started like usual with Lea and Tina feeding Mary by throwing apples and carrots over the fence.
But once I saw that Dan and Grampy were walking in the gate past Mary I decided it was time to take a stroll through Mary's field to visit the pond. I knew Dan had been back there to fish, though he said all he'd caught was tiny catfish. There was a nice mowed path so it was easy to walk. Even Grandma and her bum knee made it out there one day. Margarte came out regularly with Grampy, Lea and me. Lea enjoyed a game of throw sticks in the pond. This would have been a super game if it hadn't been for the fact that she made mommy find the sticks and threw them in faster than mommy could find them.

All this traipsing through the field I think had Mary a bit on edge. But thanks to Margarete the donkey whisperer we ended up with a very friendly Donkey. Mary has always been skittish. She'd check us out, but not get near us. Margarete however talked German to her and was patient and quite. She made a friend. The day we all sat out by the pond Mary was licking Margarete's hair and snuffling in her pocket. 

This paved the path for Teresa to make friends with Mary. At first Teresa was afraid of Mary, but when I explained that Mary was probably skittish because she'd been treated badly before Mom's neighbors bought her. When Teresa heard that she wanted nothing more to make friends. Teresa never got to the point where Mary was nuzzling her, but Mary did eat out of her hand and let her pet her. Mary followed Teresa around as we walked out tot he pond.

Teresa and Robert walking to see Mary the Donkey

And after almost a week of a wonderful Christmas it was time to come home. But not for long for Mommy. We came home Sunday night and Tuesday morning Mommy took off to Chicago for New Years with Sherry. It was a very fun, but very very very very cold time. I was there from Tuesday to Friday. Sherry had to work a party at the Drake hotel so we got to stay there... wow was it fancy! Doormen and everything.
I found a $2 Tueday bar the day I got there, then had a $18 martini at the hotel bar. I had dinner with Sherry's co-workers at Cheesecake Factory (after an hour 15 min wait!). Wednesday was New Year's Eve. Sherry had to work so I went shopping at H&M (I'd heard it was the IKEA for clothes, but not as exciting as I imagined.  I got a bracelet and earrings for that night.) Then we were supposed to all meet at Gino's East but Sherry got hung up working so I met Sherry's co-worker Amy and we had lunch together. While I was getting a table alone I saw Vince Vaughn coming out of Gino's. Authentic Deep Dish Pizza was good. We got enough so we had left overs at 4am on New Year's Eve. Then Sherry had to work the party in the hotel so I walked (a cold, dark lonely) walk to Navy Pier to wander around the tourist places and watch fireworks. I got a little grumpy because I was tired and cold, but some stranger said to me, "Hey, no ooh and ahhs out of you? Come on." It was said with a smile and it totally snapped me out of my grmup. I enjoyed the fireworks and then went to a franchised Billy Goat Tavern... the original "Cheezbooger Cheezbooger. No Coke. Pepsi." from SNL is in downtown Chicago, but they franchised to the touristy area. Then back to the Drake. Sherry was still working so I went to warm up, take a bath and lay down. I couldn't sleep so at 11:30 I went down to check on Sherry and mill about in the fancy lobby with the folks dropping $200 at 11:50 for a party that was over at 1am. We managed to find people to talk to until 4 am. Then we got up at 8am to get to Wrigley Field for the REAL purpose of the trip... The Winter Classic Hockey game at Wrigley Field between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings won, but it wasn't about win or lose for Sherry and I (it was counted as a regular season game for the Wings & Hawks, though). It was about the love of hockey and thousands of people standing out in 22 degree weather to watch some good old fashioned hockey. It was SOOO awesome. 



Then after the game we traveled by bus to Ann Sathers a Swedish diner. Then after a long cold wait for the bus back, we cabbed it back to Wrigley, shopped for shirts and headed back by train. We were SOOO tired, and had planned to go lay down for a bit and then go back out. I think Sherry and I both knew we weren't super likely to go back out, so I proposed stopping at a bar that we'd both took note of by the L stop. So we stopped in. They had High Life! It was great. We ended up talking to two Wings fans that had been at the game. Despite planning on making it an early night, we were still there until like 10. Perhaps an early night in most books, but considering how tired we were it was like 4 am again. But we had a great time. Long conversations about everything!


So back to the hotel, much needed sleep and then our last day. Friday we took the bus down Michigan Avenue to Millenium Park, oogled ourselves in the "bean" and had lunch by the skating rink. Then a nice run through the Art Institute Museum and ready for home. We picked up or bags and I headed to the airport while Sherry who had a few more hours in Chiccago than I did spent the evening with friends who live there. An unadventurous trip home and the perfect cure for mild homesickness. I missed my monkey and my monkey daddy! Back to production week short handed and crazy sick with some kind of bronchitis and before I knew it it was February!

December (Christmas) Recap 1

So on this the last day of January i am finally getting Christmas pictures up. Usually I hate to see Christmas go, but this year it seemed like it would not end. Perhaps it was the Christmas music continually played at the airport days and days after new year. Then the whirlwind of being gone for two weeks and coming back with an awful cold and into a solo production week. But none of that diminished and awesome Christmas season. 

We started the Christmas season by decorating our tree on Thanksgiving weekend. The next weekend we headed out to Grandma's place to decorate Grandma's house. 
Lea decorating Grandma's tree.

Lea and Grandma decorating the tree. What a sweet pair.


The next weekend Mommy, Daddy and Lea headed out to the Fair Park Christmas Festival of Lights. There were several animated twinkle light decorations. But the best part (as well as the loudest) was a tent set up by Home Depot that had free wood projects. We selected a tool box (that we now keep crayons in). We put it together there among the hammering and kiddo noise. Lea learned the hardest lesson of carpetry — don't let your thumb meet the hammer. But we got a free tool box!

Lea and Daddy working on the tool box.



What we didn't know at the time was there was also a rap concert as part of a Kwanzaa Festival and a Girl Scout Jamboree. The Girl Scouts didn't cause us any problem, however there was trouble at the rap concert. There was a shooting at the concert and a fight outside the parking lots. The roads were shut down as the police searched for the shooter. Whoever got shot survived. We just knew that the traffic was terrible and no one in the parking lot was moving. No one was getting out, so we hauled our cookies back across the park to eat at the Old Mill Inn. Not as quaint as it sounds, but it was edible and we were starved. That is where a police officer chatting it up with the staff shared her brief version of the shooting. "Oh, yes there was a shooting, BUT you've nothing to worry about." GREAT. So we got the heck out of there.
Lea and Mommy at the Christmas Shooting after Mommy walked the length of Fair Park three times. Note tool box in Mommy's hand.

We then took the long way back and toured lights along Swiss avenue, but it turns out the best decorated house was just blocks from our own.
The best light show in town on Larry St., just blocks from our home.

Then on a Monday we braved the wilds of North Park Mall with Wilder and Family. Unfortunately Santa was out with the Reindeer Flu on Monday, so back we trudged on Tuesday. The kiddos didn't seem to mind, Lea and Wilder loved seeing each other. Wilder was quite the gentleman leading his lady around the mall, showing her the sights.
Wilder and Lea walking around the mall


We did finally get to see Santa. It was actually quick and painless when we mentioned we'd been there the day he was sick. The secret is to go get a number in the morning and then you get to pop into line when you return. Robert Bunch was kind enough to tag along and took the best Santa photos we've ever had!

Lea asked Santa for a doll house (encouraged highly by mommy) and a Lightening McQueen book.
Lea and Santa




And finally it was Christmas week. Lea's Great-Grandpa came on Monday before Christmas with Margarete and Tina. We had such a wonderful visit. It was so very nice having them here. 

Here is a nice picture of Tina and Lea.

Grampy and Lea


Grampy and Lea playing train.The house was filled with toys even before we opened gifts! Lea and Grampy had a good time with the alphabet train.

They also played with the work bench. All of the pieces come off with nuts and bolts. Lea showed Grampy how to take everything off and put them back... over and over and over again.

Note Lea's big present. Tina kept teasing Lea that the big present was for T-I-N-A and Lea would say "No, its L-E-A" Very cute.

And finally it was time to open presents. Tina, Margarete and Lea opening presents. Here Lea got a purple poodle purse from Tina.

Grampy opening Sock Roses from me. Yes... tube socks folded and put on stems to look like roses. Packaged in a long stem rose box.

Grandma holds a Gay Dolphin bag. We carried one of Grandma's Christmas present from Myrtle Beach in her van without her knowing it. Inside the bag are wine glasses with flamingos painted on them. But I just loved giving a bag from the Gay Dolphin gift store (see our Myrtyle Beach post).

Tina and Margarete

Lea opening baby doll from Tina. Lea also got a doll stroller and bottle from mommy.  So she was playing mommy all weekend.

  

And finally it was time to open the big present. Lea opening doll house

Lea Playing with doll house. Mommy and daddy worked pretty hard on the doll house. And Lea LOVES it. There will be a post soley about Mommy's proud doll house work, but that is for another day.
We wrote Santa a note and he wrote a very sweet note back. We left cookies (Lea told Santa when she saw him at NorthPark that she would leave him cookies.) We left our special handmade socks at our house and there weren't enough old family stockings to go around so Dan put up his own sock, something we've done in years before, but usually they are fresh clean socks. This year Lea pulled the sock off Daddy's foot and wanted to put it up. So we did. Here the stocking are hung with care, awaiting Santa.

In the morning Daddy and Grandma were the first ones  up with Lea. They were kind enough to let the family sleep in for a bit to wait to open Santa presents. Here is a picture of Daddy and Lea playing High Ho Cherry O, which Lea got from Grandma on Christmas Eve.

Finally it was time to open Santa prestents. Santa did pretty darn great! Santa brought mommy a lap top battery! Sounds pretty silly but I was so touched that he thought of it so that I could have my laptop on the plane to Chicago (we'll get to that part). Before my laptop was only good for about 40 minutes. Now its good for 4 hours! I watched videos and worked on my trip. It was super!
Lea opening Santa presents. Santa brought Lea a kitty family for the doll house. Mommy just put these silly little peg head people in the doll house. I figured they'd get tossed once we saw Santa's wonderful Kitty family, but the peg head people live happily along side the kitty family. But the Kitty Family, officially the Buttercup Family consist of Mommy, Daddy, Brother, Sister and two babies. They also came with two dogs. So yes, the Kitty family has pet dogs.

Lea also got her lightening McQueen book, a book and CD actualy, plus 5 other books on CD with books.

Some videos from Christmas.

And the rest will have to wait for another post... alas they will not all get posted in January.

My Name is Lea

Well there is much to post from Christmas, but if I wait for that I'll never post anything new.

Here's the exciting new news! Lea can write her name. Spurred by a very complicated application process to a Montessori program through the DISD Dan has been teaching Lea to write her name. This is what I received when I got home from lunch today!


This is an attempt to recreate circles in every color, a drawing I made famous by putting on a CD label of Lea's favorite music. We lost Grandma's copy and ever since she's been telling me she'd draw it again to put on a CD. She doesn't understand I would just print out the computer file. Very sweet. But her name! She wrote her name! I wrote the date. We haven't worked on numbers yet. Although she does know if she writes the "L" wrong that sometimes it looks like a 7.

Then I got a person. This is a face with eyes, mount, arms and legs... She doesn't have the body part down, but yesterday on aqua doodle I got a face with eyebrows!

Lea tried to write her name here, but got messed up and kept putting letters in differen places. It actually kind of looks like "Alien" and ... well the picture does look a little alien-like.

Here is the Aquadoodle person. Look eyebrows! And eyes with dots in them. Still no body.

Gingerbread

The weekend before Thanksgiving Lea and I ventured into full on holiday baking. I'm not the most patient person when it comes to cookies, but I played it smart and made it a two day process. That was great. We mixed the dough one day, baked the cookies the next day before nap and decorated after nap. An awesome way to do it if you have all the time in the world.
Here is my cute little baker with flour on her cheeks while we were cutting cookie.


Mommy & Lea decorate. I thinned out frosting and put it into squeeze bottles and that worked great. We got a tiny bit messy, but nothing like if we'd tried frosting out of a can or using actual pastry bags.


Of course Lea's idea of decorating was squeezing all the frosting into the middle.
Some of Lea's cookies


and then piling on the jimmies and sprinkles I had for them. She didn't understand that if the sprinkle didn't hit the frosting it fell right off. We had far more sprinkles on the plate and the table than on the actual cookies.
House cookie


Although Dan did benefit from this process. I let Lea put her frosting and sprinkle pile on one cookie and then on the SAME cookie let her do a second layer of frosting and sprinkles. We called that the "Daddy cookie" and he said it was great.

Lea sampling her wor. Lea agreed that the cookies were very good.


Video of our decorating.

Halloween 08

And so on this the eve of Thanksgiving I'm finally making time to post Halloween pics. 

We had a good one. We started early. So early in fact that our pumpkins rotted two weeks before Halloween.

Lea in the market buying $25 worth of pumpkins.

But we had fun. We had Teddy, Trevor, Michael and Rus over to carve pumpkins, but the best guest was Wilder. Wilder had a sleep over at our house. 

Lea + Wilder all smiles

brushing teeth. What a couple of cuties.

Lea and Wilder watching a movie on the floor. Lea wanted to sleep in the living room because I was worried Wilder wouldn't like our "guest bed" (a pack N play with the sides cut out) but he was ready to head for bed before Lea!

I had the bright idea that Lea and Wilder could glue pasta and things on the pumpkins. Well Lea and Wilder just ate the raw pasta, but everyone else made great jack-o-lanterns.
We did actually carve pumpkins.
3 pumpkins

Rus + Pumpkin - with Garlic teeth! That was the most awesome pumpkin. I carved it and Rus finished if off with the garlic teeth.

Wilder/Teddy/Trevor carving


Then next day Lea took the gogglie eyes I had for the little pumpkins and made her own little costume.


Finally it was time for Halloween. Our them was fairies. I was the Tooth Fairy, Lea was Tinkerbell and Dan was the Staten Island Ferry. Brilliant!
The Fairy Family

On Thursday before Halloween we went to a neighborhood carnival at the Rec center down the street. It was really fun. 10 tickets for $1 and only 3 tickets to bounce house. They had a few games like throw the ball through the hole and win some candy... but really it was about the bounce house. There were some little girls who were in awe of my dress. One little girl would run up and tell me her brother lost a tooth. I wanted to say, "Don't you understand, I'm no more the tooth fairy than your brother is Batman." But instead, I basked in the glory of being the bell of the fairy ball. One mom actually asked if she could take her daughter's picture with me. That was pretty cool. 

Then on Friday, Halloween we went out the Richardson to a kids party that we've been lucky enough to be invited to for all the years of Lea's life. We trick or treated with Pam, Andrew, Anna and Molly, as well as a new friend  Faith. The party started out with a pot luck and kids playing. We wandered off to trick or treat. The girls were great this year with just the right excitement and innocence. And they got super candy!

Tinker Bell running off to Trick or Treat

Tinkerbell and Tooth Fairy after Tricks or Treats

Trick or Treating with Anna

Lea, Faith and Anna on the porch checking out their candy.
ToothFairy holding sticks I dragged for half a block in my skirt.

Then at the end of Trick or Treats we ended at the Joel and Cheryl Brown's house (The Brownies as Pam calls them). They had a small haunted house in their garage that there son wanted to escort the smaller girls through.

Lea went through once, but wouldn't go all the way through the second time. It was just a maze of black plastic with a skeleton or two and Cheryl dressed as a witch with puch or "witches brew" that Lea wouldn't drink.

The next night was our grown up party. Lea stayed with Grandma. We had a fine time. Sherry was in town for almost a week and a half and a good time was had by all. I mention this mostly because I crafted Sherry's Medusa dress by draping yards of fabric we bought the day before and it turned out damn well. Sherry had awesome snakes in her hair and cool green makeup. I had nothing to do with that, but still... the whole thing together was pretty cool.
Sherry as Medusa

And while we're on the topic of cool stuff I made for Halloween, here is a close up of the teeth I sculpted from Crayola Model Magic (or marshmallow fluff clay as Dalton calls it). I sat in an epic meeting at work sculpting teeth. I kept saying it was the most productive meeting of the year.