Cleveland & Christmas

My brothers and I went to Cleveland last week for my dad's heart surgery.  We couldn't help laughing during our family meeting the night before - especially when my father proudly showed us his new iphone app called - wait for it..."the flashlight app."   But overall it was pretty scary - and I wasn't even the one getting opened up.  It was a big relief that the surgery was successful, but then comes the recovery...

After Cleveland we headed to philly for christmas.  This was the first Christmas for which both boys seemed really excited and aware of Santa which makes things so fun.  Charlie was especially excited about Santa bringing him a sled and wrote him a letter which he gave to the crossing guard at school to send.  Yes - the crossing guard...The crossing guard has taken a liking to Charlie and asked him to write Santa a letter which she could send.  Charlie and his cousins also made cookies for Santa as an offering.  This all worked out in his favor as a sled did indeed appear on Christmas morning.  Luckily Charlie didn't seem to notice that the big box packed in the car disappeared on the return trip....The other presents I got weren't as well received - a balance bike for Diego and a keyboard for Charlie were pushed aside in favor of more fun toys like a remote controlled car, a "workbox" and a pig popper.  The boys had so much fun with their cousins and were devastated when it was time for them to leave.  They were also so exhausted that they could barely function. 

cookies for santa

Christmas morning!

how sad! playing with the only snow left

tio charlie gave the kids PJs to match his!!

Diego with his favorite toy - a 10 year old Staples gadget!

My mom’s pop-up store did really well (http://www.curiophiladelphia.com/)  - I’m very proud of her.  It is A LOT of work, but we are hoping she can continue it full time going forward.  Here are the kids eating their first “grinder” sandwich and stinking up the store.  And Charlie and Wallis working the cash register….

Gingerbread Houses

After 3 evenings of gingerbread baking, Charlie and I finally had our gingerbread village ready for his classmates to decorate. I got slightly jealous so decided to make one for me too:). Turns out gingerbread houses take a little more thought than I thought. The first attempt was so sloppy that the roof kept falling off. I decided to actually read the recipe/instructions....The kids seem to have a lot of fun and worked so hard decorating their houses. Charlie's house has turned into a multi-day event as he continues to fill in any remaining space he can find. charlie is very precise, balanced and geometric with his decorations....Diego's house is bit more abstract. His tactic is to skip the house and just pour the decorations onto the ground around the house. Very colorful lawn...

the village

hard at work



getting decorations out



my house

Our christmas tree hunt was slightly less romantic than in years past when we chopped it down.  This year we hunted it down at Fragers and picked one with a white tag indicating 9 ft.  Oh well - maybe next year. 

On Sunday we went to "Ice" at National Harbor which was totally mind-boggling.  They import chinese artists to sculpt two million pounds of ice and then keep the whole thing refridgerated to 9 degrees.   Doesn't seem like a very sustainable idea.  It was totally bizarre and Diego hated it, but Charlie loved it.  Here we are in our parkas...

We've been down about this year at Charlie's class which perpetuates the continual conversation about where best to live.  The teacher's aide never shows up and there are 2 kids with IEPs in his class so the poor teacher is on his own with 20 4/5 year olds.  The school principal, the parents and the PTA are all involved trying to fix the situation, but that hasn't stopped Carlos from having some choice words with the superintendent, her chief of staff, the deputy superintendent, the chief of staff for the mayor and our ANC representative. ahhh carlos.

Diego is so sweet and cozy.  He insists on sleeping with THREE pillows, two blankets and at least one toy.  He literally hugs trucks as he goes to sleep.   Of course they are not just any three pillows - they happen to be the three best in the house.  It might be time for us to buy more pillows because I'm down to one sad pillow which excerbates my uncomfortable sleep these days.  He has also been waking up early some mornings asking to come into our bed and when he does he insists on bring all three pillows and both blankets!

Baby #3 news is officially out.  I finally told my boss which was a big relief.  She is a maniac in my belly which can't mean good things for her future sleep patterns.  Then again it may be all the coffee I still drink...