Go West, Young Woman

Colorado

For the first time in about 13 years, I went out to visit family in Colorado. Not only were we visiting Stef, having moved out there about 6 months ago, but also my Aunt Debra and Uncle Tab, Kaitlin and Justin. I haven't seen Kaitlyn since she was about 5 and I think Justin was maybe eleven. Ironically, it was Jess, Stef and Aunt Vickie that I went out with the last time as well and since then we have carried on the saying, "bada bing, bada boom". It was just a cute little phrase that Kaitlin said one time while we were out there and it's just stuck with us every since. Kaitlin has no idea what we are referring to at this point, yet we still find it hysterically funny every time we say it.

Everything looked the same to me. Their house, the mountains, the town. Though, I'm sure to them it's very different. It's still difficult for me to digest the fact that Kaitlin and Justin are in their teens and early twenties. It was so great to catch up with everyone. I can see in Justin where I was in my later years of college. And, I know that he will find his way. He just needs to hang in there. Looking back at that time in my life, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life anymore. I had basically done an about-face on my direction in life, thinking originally that I wanted to be an attorney or judge on international environmental issues. It was as if someone just turned off the treadmill on me. But, I found my way, and he will too.

I can see that has taken her first steps at settling in to a new town, with new friends, and new horizons. I'm so proud of what she has accomplished. Just turn the heat on and stop freezing yourself. (Not that I have room to talk when I keep our house at 69.) And it was nice to just have some girl chats and hear some well-needed advice to know that you aren't the only one with your demons.

I'm so glad that I made that trip. I just reaffirmed for me how much I love my family and how much I enjoy our closeness. I hope that never changes.

Until next time girls, bada bing bada boom!

Back to Christmas Basics

As I said before, I wanted nothing more than to just savor the whole idea of Christmas this year. With Gavin sick all month and my Dad recently discovering that he has melanoma, it only underscored how important it was to enjoy the time with my family and just appreciate what we have together. I think my Christmas wish was granted.

This was our second year of testing out the whole breakfast at my house with my parents, then off to Tommy's parents for linner (lunch/dinner) and then lastly my Dad's side of the family for dessert and games. In theory, it seems that this should work out. It's roughly 3 hours for everyone, though everyone is never satisfied with the schedule. Oh, well, you can't please everyone. And, this seems to work out the best for us right now. This was the kind of tediousness that I vowed not to have interrupt my "perfect" Christmas. I guess you could say that this is also a New Year's resolution for now. Not to worry so much about what others want or how to please everyone, to just do what makes Crissy happy. It's a hard one, I know, but a good one.

Leading up to Christmas couldn't have been more exciting in our household. Baeleigh was very much into the whole Santa thing. As a matter of fact, Tommy even found a Santa radar website that tracked Santa on Christmas Eve. It had broadcasts of Santa in whatever particular city he was in. Pretty cute. She loved it. We even showed her where Santa was before she went to bed that night. Nova Scotia - very close. She was so excited. As a team player Tommy of course felt obligated to eat the nearly pound of fudge and milk left for Santa, including the one that was accidentally dropped into the glass of milk. Tough job.

Baeleigh, You're Toto

For about a month leading up to her daycare's annual play, Baeleigh had been teased that she was Toto, the dog. (This year the play was Wizard of Oz.) We've had to explain to her that being Toto was actually cool and that her friends were probably just jealous that she had that part. I mean she was actually in the whole play, not just one scene after all.

The play turned out to be adorable. Baeleigh came running down the aisle barking to start off the play. In true Baeleigh-style though, it was sprinkled with well-timed interjections of "I can't see", "Stop hitting me with your axe" and just generally readjusting her hugely over-sized costume. Baeleigh never fails to be the life of the party.

Where did the month go?

Ok, so I got a little wound up in all the festivities and Gavin being sick. He came down with RSV and bronchiolitis in early December and quite honestly I'm not sure where the month went.

I had planned to travel with Tommy down to PRI and his 2nd award ceremony in early December but with Gavin still not doing any better (i.e. still wheezing and coughing), I just couldn't leave. And on top of that, I was leaving the kids with my parents, which meant they would to have had to take over the breathing treatments that he needed every 4 hours. It was just too much. So I stayed and Tommy came home early to help nurse our little guy back to health. He's doing much better now. He has to take a steroid breathing treatment every day until his next check-up on January 9. I'm crossing my fingers for a clean bill of health and hopefully a little boy clear of possibly having asthma from this permanently. The doctor says that he could (we had to get our own nebulizer because of it).

In this particular picture he has a dinosaur or rhinosaurus mask on. I guess somehow that's supposed to make it more friendly as I wrestle him to put the mask on. Sure. It could look like a bottle for all he cares, it still isn't covering his face. He also has a fish face mask. Either way he looks like a little fire-breathing dragon with the white puffs of smoke coming out of the air holes. He's been a real trooper with the whole thing. He's still known on occasion to sneakly pull the mask down when Mommy or Daddy isn't looking though.

More pictures to come of holidays, family photos and my trip to Colorado with Jess and Stef.

Whirlwind Holidays

Bael just had her 5th birthday party last Sunday. Somehow I think I managed to pull off about 12 kids bowling happily together, for the most part. I've put up new birthday pictures on here (see left column of pix).

This past month has been a blur, even as we go into the long holiday weekend after Thanksgiving and I was thinking it's no where near over with. It's been Bael's birthday, Thanksgiving, and coming up PRI (Tommy's annual racing conference), Christmas and Colorado, then finally New Years. I don't mean to make the holidays sound like it's a burden or a chore but as I get older I'm beginning to feel that way, and it bums me out. What happened to the excitement? Tommy and I woke up yesterday morning, and I said "It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving to me, does it to you?" No, he answered. It just crept up on us. It just seems to go by faster and faster every year.

This is always a frustrating time of year for me. Tommy's a Bah-humbug and we argue every year on how many decorations he'll have to put up outside and how long he'll have to listen to Christmas music for (I'm one of the few that counts down the days to 97.1FM's month long homage to Christmas music). I'm the total opposite. I love the decorations and the music and just hanging out with friends. I think he'd rather curl up and just sleep through the whole thing (once again where his nickname comes from - think hibernation). But the other reason is because it's what I grew up with. The holidays were and have always been a big thing in our family. And, I want that very much for our kids. The big breakfasts in the morning, running down the stairs to jump in the pile of presents to open, the fire crackling, the hugs hello, catching up with everyone, playing games, the laughter, the lights, the decorations, Santa, everything. Love it. Bael is at that perfect age with Santa where she finally understands the concept and it's just so much fun to see. She asks me constantly if Santa is watching. Now, I just need to figure out how to maintain that in a way that I'm not totally overwhelmed and from a different vantage point.

So, here's best wishes to your families as well as you plow through the holidays and think where did all the fun go. I'm right here with you, wading my way through a new process, new traditions, new memories.

Desperate Measures

When Gavin's had enough of his jumperoo or just wants some attention, he pulls out of his arsenal a cry that is so high pitched and desperate sounding it vibrates through your ears and brain. We refer to it as "the girlie cry". Pick him up and he's totally fine. Magically.

Although this little clip doesn't capture the magnitude of Gavin's desperate little cry, but it was too funny not to post. And will remain in Mommy's black mail vault to produce for said girlfriend or friends in teenage years. Guess who Gavin may have voted for to Tommy's chagrin.

The Princess and the Monster

Last minute we decided that it might be easier to go down to the Church of the Chesapeake to do the "Trick-a-Trunk" event than to go door to door. The very idea of buckling and unbuckling two kids and chauffeuring them around to a bunch of strangers in our neighborhood, let alone the absolute-must stops to family was tiresome just to think about. It turned out to be a lot of fun, especially for Baeleigh, who I barely saw the whole time we were there. She was on hayrides and sliding down the inflated slide, making crafts, having a ball basically. Meanwhile, I tortured my son in his monster costume, a big hit in itself.

You will notice the snake painted on my son's head. Not my idea. That was G. She thought that Tommy would be ticked about it, when in all actuality she had the wrong ticked person. Luckily, my fear of it not washing off wasn't so. So, crisis averted. All in all a great Halloween for all. And, Trick-A-Trunk is the best idea they've thought of yet.