Christmas Magic

It was a sweet Christmas.

I still have reservations about the whole Santa issue, and I will always strive to downplay it as best I can, but I was reminded about the sweetness of Ella’s anticipating his arrival: the cookies and milk, the letter she carefully wrote him, the trying to stay awake to hear him come, the noises she heard outside that she was pretty certain were Santa’s reindeer. And of course her sheer delight when she walked down the stairs and saw the missing cookies and milk, return letter from Santa and gifts under the tree.

It really was a magical day for her. (Aren't the girls' matching Christmas gingerbread jammies so cute?)

The highlight for Ella was “Felicity”, her new American Girl doll who now accompanies Ella wherever she goes. Samantha's big Santa gift was her new slide. Learning to walk more than 2 steps on her own is priority #1. Climbing the slide by herself is priority #2.

In addition, we now own more baby dolls, doll clothes, Barbie stuff, walky talkies, books, clothes and talking toys than ever before.

Santa was very good to me this year. While I was adorned with all of my favorite things, the best gift of all was in an envelope in my stocking. It was neatly labeled, "Mother Medallion Level Member-- Congratulations, You've Arrived!" Santa apparently read my earlier blog post lamenting the fact that us moms have to do without any job perks. And what was inside? A Marriott Rewards certificate for a free night's stay! But where shall I go? And whom shall I take? Oh, the choices! Thank you, Santa.

Brian, the kids and I squeezed in a visit to our friends, the Kebbies who we try to visit with every Christmas. Adama had been cooking for two days straight and tried to stuff us full of food. We enjoy our tradition of being with them and now that we live a little bit further from them, this was the first time since we moved that we've seen them. It’s hard to believe how quickly their kids are growing up. We’ve known them for over 5 years, when Adama and the kids arrived from Gambia to join Brima here. Their kids, Tity, Joe and Fatimatah are kind, entertaining, smart kids. We're so glad they're our friends.

Brian assisting Joe with his new transformer toy:

We spent the remainder of Christmas at my parents' home. My sister, Jen and her family, and my brother, Drew and his fiancé (yes, we were informed that morning that they will be getting married! We are delighted that Chloe will be joining the family and we are of course looking forward to traveling to Hawaii for their wedding in 2010.) had flown in on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely afternoon with everyone, exchanged gifts and took naps. Conveniently, my sister has girls who are very close in age to Ella and Samantha, which makes playing with Christmas toys much more fun.

Ella and Lauren posing in front of the tree prior to gift unwrapping:

Feasting on my Mom's fabulous Christmas cooking. Her Christmas morning orange rolls did not disappoint. Heaven forbid I ever have to make those myself one year--I don't think I could do them justice.

Samantha and Sarah--nine months apart in age, which is a big difference now, but will become less significant as they get older.

And for those of you who know my Mom, you'll know that she is a woman who does not sit still. She does not know the meaning of relaxation or putting her feet up. When she's not being principal of her high school, she is engaged in something productive. So if you know my Mom, it wouldn't surprise you that there were 4 handmade quilts under the tree (3 queen-size and 1 King), and she and my Grandma made 6 DARLING dresses for Ella and her 5 cousins who are the same age (I will post pictures once I can get them off my camera...they are lovely). She really outdid herself this year.

Family, friends, traditions and good food are my criteria for a fabulous Christmas, so I guess you could say it was a success! The day after Christmas always seems like such a let-down after all the excitement is over. But with my sister's family here through New Year's, and cousins to play with, we're still celebrating and getting lots of fun outings in. A full report shall follow!

A Drill

Yesterday when we awoke, we discovered that our water was yellow. Perplexed, I called my neighbor, Molly to see if hers was yellow, too. “Yeah”, she says, “I just did a load of laundry and the water was brown. If you turn on the TV you’ll see there was a major water main break on River Road (in Bethesda).” Oh right, the TV. It rarely serves as my source for news these days. We soon found that all of the major local news stations were showing River Road was living up to its name. 150,000 gallons of water were pouring out of a major water pipe every minute. About a dozen cars had been driving along the road when the break happened; the tremendous flood flushed them back down the road crashing into each other. Helicopters came and rescued the stranded, uninjured passengers.

People throughout the county were impacted by the break. County schools closed 2 hours early and people on the opposite side of the county reported decreased water pressure at home.

Our immediate concern at home was if and when our water would be suitable for drinking and would we lose water while the repairs on the water main break were done. Being practicing Mormons, we hear a lot about preparedness. Preparedness for personal catastrophe (loss or decrease in income) and widespread catastrophe (natural disaster, economic downturn, end of the world, etc.) are both stressed often. And given national and world events over just the past five years alone, I believe strongly that it is sound, inspired advice. Our church devotes a lot of resources to aiding its members in being prepared, which I am grateful for.

Wouldn’t this be such a great story if I reported that Brian and I smiled and put our feet up yesterday morning because our large water supply was safely nestled in our basement? That would have been great. But alas our water supply consisted of 4 gallon jugs in our basement that I think may be approximately 8 years old. I’m guessing the water tastes more like plastic than water by now. We used to have a somewhat more extensive water supply, but I used it up in anticipation of us moving, because the movers wouldn’t move it and I wasn’t going to move it. So slightly concerned about the prospect of not having drinking water over perhaps the next week, we went into action. And we learned a few things amid the scurry, particularly about human behavior.

Many people will be superficially helpful, but aren’t really because their number one priority is taking care of themselves. At approximately 9:30am Brian (having taken the day off) headed for the nearest grocery store to stock up on water. He found utter chaos with people loading up their grocery carts with as much bottled water as they could fit. By the time he got there all of the gallon jugs were gone, but he was able to get a handful of liter and half liter bottles. Waiting in line, he happened to strike up a conversation with a woman who had a grocery cart chock full of gallon jugs. She told him that she was pretty sure she saw store clerks unload more gallon jugs elsewhere in the store and that he should go look. By the time Brian got there, all the jugs were gone and so Brian returned to his place in line and mentioned to the woman that they were already gone. “Well, I tried to help you” she replied. That was as far as she was willing to go to help. Her jugs were her jugs.

Unless you have a heart of stone, your own supply is actually a communal supply. As I was helping Brian unload the van of the 30 gallons he picked up, several neighbors were out discussing the break. Some said they had been to the grocery store and it was cleaned out. Seeing us unload our water, some said “we may come by to borrow some if it looks like we won’t have water for awhile.” I asked the sweet, elderly lady across the street if she had enough drinking water on hand. “Oh yes, I have a bottle in the fridge”, which would clearly not be enough to sustain her for a substantial period of time. Our church leaders have often said that our personal supplies will be used to aid others. In other words, amid a great catastrophe, those prepared Mormons won’t be dining well while their neighbor starves. Today’s event was merely a blip on the disaster scale, and already I could see how true that was.

There’s nothing like a disaster to knock some sense into you. After enduring the mobs at the nearby store, at 10:45am Brian called me and said he couldn’t get much there--he was heading out of ground zero to search for more water. Fortunately, he only had to get as far as Silver Spring to find stocked shelves of water. So he loaded up. We now have a somewhat respectable supply in our basement.

We probably would have gotten around to improving our water supply eventually. And two days before Christmas is not the day we would have chosen to do it. But today’s events helped to light a fire under us. And I’m glad. I’ll sleep a little better tonight.

Ingredients for Christmas

Between having Brian gone the last week, preparing for Christmas and coming down with the stomach flu, there hasn’t been much chance to update the blog. Although I had a slow start getting into the Christmas spirit, we are in full swing and anticipating the arrival of my sister Jen and her family and my brother Drew next week.

Here is a glimpse of some of the usual Bowcut preparations:

THE TREE.
We drove to an orchard north of us to cut ours down. Selecting the perfect tree is no easy feat.

Brian and Samantha on the lookout: (I had to laugh as I saw Sam’s little head move along the trees.)

If you look closely, you'll see Brian's “WILL YOU STOP TAKING PICTURES AND START LOOKING FOR A TREE?” look:

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

One of the unexpected things that has emerged in my spouse over our 8 years of marriage, is Brian’s passion for hanging lights. And I’m glad. I enjoy them, but have never wanted to exert the effort or time it takes in hanging them. And it suits Brian’s competitive and perfectionist sides well. While Brian had to work hard to “keep up” in our prior neighborhood, we have found we don’t have a whole lot of competition in our new one. Although not comical at the time, Brian worked for a couple of hours to hang the strand going along the top of our house—it was bitterly cold and involved the use of the extension ladder. He climbed down, plugged them in and this was the result (even though he had tested them before).

Even the neighbors felt bad for him. However, he persisted and our house looks great—the neighbors keep commenting how we’ve raised the bar for festiveness in the neighborhood. Brian is already talking about how he can expand next year’s display.

CHOCOLATES.

This has become a family art, which is taken with a great deal of seriousness. Seriously. It generally involves 1-2 weekends of sheer dedication, women in the family often fly in for the occasion, and we work tirelessly to produce about 30 pounds of chocolates. It also requires the use of “The Machine” which tempers the chocolate and keeps it at perfect dipping temperature so that your chocolates don’t turn white. (We’ve tried to do it without the machine in the past, and it is almost impossible.) And although it doesn't do much good for our hips (or anyone else's), I love that this tradition now transcends four generations. Assuming I inherit "the machine" I plan to do this with my daughters and their daugthers.

This year, was a little interesting. My sister-in-law Janene flew in from Atlanta to join me, my Mom and Grandma for a chocolate making weekend. However, the morning we were to begin dipping, it was apparent my Grandma needed to go to the hospital for her breathing. So while my Mom and Grandma spent the day at the hospital, Janene and I did most of the dipping (my Mom hit some at the end). And believe me. It was stressful. Not only did we have a lot to do, but we knew my mother, our biggest critic, would inspect each one. Each chocolate must be evenly coated, and no skirts (extra chocolate that collects along the base).

We succeeded, and my Grandma who is the original chocolate maker, said that our chocolates “look professional”. Flavors this year included: pecan turtles, double-dipped mints, dipped toffee, fudge, caramels and nuts, and chocolate creams. I think they look beautiful. My mother, on the other hand, is conjuring up ways to make them look more uniform next year.

BAKING.

With all those chocolates, you’d think we’d have no need for baking. I still have more to do, but Ella (and friends) and I spent the week chipping away at it. I only wish I had a bigger freezer.

WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY.
The girls and I ventured over to the Christmas dinner/party on our own. Although it was very nicely done, it didn't prove to be terribly kid-friendly, except for Santa at the end. This was by far the highlight of the day for Ella, while Samantha had a violent reaction to him. Still, every kid needs a screaming picture with Santa in their childhood photo library, right?

FRIENDS.

Living in DC often brings friends to town for the holidays. Tuesday, I had an Obie day where my best-friend from college, Sara came by for a visit with her son, Mason. (He is darling and truly a Filipino version of her husband, Grant.) Sara, originally from Baltimore, is currently living in South Bend, Indiana where her husband is completing law school. She coaches high school lacrosse and watches after Mason. I keep hoping they'll move back to Maryland after school, but having married a mid-western guy, I'm afraid his roots will keep them there.

And then that evening Pam, who actually doesn't live out of town, but whom I see so rarely, came by to hang out. She brought me yummy treats and handmade earrings. I spared her from having a picture taken.

With all there is to do before Christmas, it's a wonder we have any energy left for the day itself.

Medallion Madness

Brian is a Delta Medallion Member. I’ve heard a lot about this the past couple of months. And I’ve rolled my eyes a lot over the past couple of months. Due to Brian’s frequent travel on Delta (mostly business trips to Idaho), they have upgraded him to Medallion status. This status brings several perks: priority boarding and seating, unlimited complimentary upgrades (with a personal phone call informing you that you have been upgraded). I’m also guessing complimentary foot rubs and Super Size Diet Cokes are involved.

Brian left today for a week in Salt Lake and Idaho. I can handle a week of single parenting—I have my routine, I love less dinner hassle—a week is very do-able, and it’s that magic space of time, where by the end, the void feels so huge that we are ecstatic to have him home.

Last night Brian casually mentioned that he received a phone call from Delta yesterday informing him that he has been upgraded to First Class on the way to and from Salt Lake. “So let me get this straight”, I said, “you get to fly without children, reading a book, with unlimited Diet Coke (can you tell that Diet Coke is involved in my idea of luxury), having time to yourself, while I am wrestling small children at home? And now you get to fly First Class?” I was insensed. “WHERE ARE MY PERKS?”

Okay, I know, I know. I have them, too. And as Brian responded, “in our childrens’ universe, you are numero uno.” True. I’m the primary caretaker and the mom—it’s only natural. And yes, I wouldn’t trade that, but I wouldn’t mind some tangible, worldly perks thrown in there, too. I was also quickly reminded that often he is actually doing work on those flights. Valid point. But still… my job doesn’t include any travel perks or swanky hotel stays, no per diem, no Christmas party, no “take the rest of the day off!” days, no bonuses. I mean, I’d settle for a “great job” or a “well done” once in awhile.

Both of our jobs are hard. I know that. Brian is profoundly grateful that I am so dedicated to mine, and I am of course equally grateful he is so committed to his. But the defining difference between them is what stay-at-home moms have been screaming for decades…or perhaps centuries—there is no outside praise or compensation for our 24-hour labor (not to mention the labor that got the kids here in the first place). I can’t really envision a way that that could ever change, nor do I think I want it to. It would somehow violate the sacredness of shaping these little souls.

However, it doesn’t eliminate my right to complain about Medallion-dom...in good fun of course.

So I’m thinking I may need to create a Mother Medallion Level. Just like Medallion status is earned based on mileage accrual, the Mother Medallion Level also functions on an accrual basis. You know, like an extra girls’ night out after you’ve reached 50 tantrums in public or an expensive dinner out after you’ve reached cooked 100 of your own (3.65 fancy dinners per year seems reasonable to me.)

Hmmm…I think I’ve hit upon something. Perhaps I’ll use this next week in Brian’s absence to draft the details and then leave it on his pillow.

Meet Rhonda and Gary.

These are my in-laws and they have super powers. It’s true. They fly in for a week bearing gifts and babysitting children, and magically transforming our house while they’re at it . How many houseguests have you had in your life who leave your house better than when they came? I’m not talking about cleaning up after themselves, or lending you a hand to do the dishes (though, they do that too). Our house has genuinely benefitted from their stay.

Here is a sample:

A new kitchen floor installed (and there has been much rejoicing)!

A new sink installed in the girls’ bathroom. I am getting my paint brushes ready to complete the kitchen and bathroom transformation.

A new wreath thingy to add to my holiday décor. The previous owners of our house left this mysterious, moose and tree wire wreath thing. Very random, but I was intrigued. I asked Rhonda for some ideas and POOF before I know it, it’s done. How DOES she do that?

And the icing on the cake—3 new window treatments in Ella’s room (couldn't fit the third one in the picture). And they are DARLING. (Oh yeah, the duvet on Ella's bed--it's a Rhonda creation from a visit about two years ago.)For some reason Ella’s room is the first absolute completed room in the house (painted, window treatments, etc). We certainly aren't helping her "world revolves around me" complex.

We are truly grateful, and fortunate to have such talented, giving parents. Don’t you wish you had a Rhonda and Gary, too?

Confession

Dear College Park Book Club Members:

Remember about a year ago, we held a meeting about a little book called “Twilight”?

And do you remember how unkind I, and several other women were about the book?

I may have contributed to discussion threads such as:

-Poor Bella-stuck in an abusive relationship; the repeated injury and abuse kept her coming back for more.

-What messages about adolescent romance does this send to our daughters?

-Stephenie Meyer is no J.K. Rowling.

-And really, could you squeeze any more romantic mush into a book?

However, the past year has given me time to reflect on the story a little. I do think it's creative, granted it's no classic piece of literature. So...yes, I did read subsequent books in the series. And yes, I do think Edward is hot. And I just saw the movie and may need to go again (how can such a low-budget, poorly-made movie be SO GOOD???). And I just downloaded the soundtrack on my iPod.

Please do not think less of me.

I Am Thankful For...

Meeting my 10K Turkey Chase goal! I officially qualified to run in the National Marathon (or perhaps half marathon) in March. It was a great run despite the 2 mile hill that went up past NIH.

Laura and Jackie who ran with me. They qualified, too...so I'll have great training partners.

The fabulous Thanksgiving meal I indulged in to refuel. Between my mother-in-law, Rhonda, good friend, Jenn and myself, we cooked up a mean meal.

The amazing pies that I ate way too much of last night, am eating right now, and that still reside in my refrigerator. (Jenn, don't be surprised if a partially eaten pumpkin pie reappears at your house.)

The kids who entertained themselves together for at least 5 hours straight.

Settlers of Catan. I suspect the Kirwans introduced us to the game simply so they would have people to crush on a regular basis. And although I have yet to achieve victory against them, I still enjoy the ritual.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, the faux brick floor that was removed from my kitchen today, only to discover another faux brick kitchen floor underneath it!

Faux brick kitchen floor #1

Faux brick kitchen floor #2

To the past owners of our home, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? How could that have EVER been an acceptable choice of flooring? But that's okay, because the beige flooring you see next to faux brick kitchen floor #2 will soon adorn our kitchen. It will be there until we can afford to totally gut the whole thing. A whole heap of gratitude goes to Gary, my father-in-law for heading this mammoth project.

Happy Thanksgiving--I hope your holiday weekend has been just as wonderful.

November Wrap-up

It astounds me that November is almost over. That we will be officially kicking off the holiday season this week. So although not a particularly fascinating post, I make up for it with lots of pictures. Here are some November occurrences that I wish to document:

We have a boat load of leaves here in Maryland. I love autumn right up to the point where all the leaves fall and I have to clean them up. And in the spring time I gaze up at the massive trees in our area and think about how all of those fresh little leaf buds will be my nemesis in about 6 months. We have yet to truly tackle the backyard. We just close the gate and hope it will all disappear.

But raking leaves does usually lead to some cute pictures.

Samantha has hit some developmental milestones this month. She has improved her skills of getting her slimey little paws into everything.

She is obsessed with putting things on her head.

(If you find yourself enamored of my faux brick kitchen floor and lace kitchen curtains, don't worry you're not alone. They are the new thing. You see, we Bowcuts are trend setters. We're sometimes met with raised eyebrows when we introduce such radical new styles, but others come around. You'll see.)

And Samantha is perfecting the art of talking on the phone--I assisted her in getting the phone in kitchen. When she picked up the phone and put it to her ear, she said "Da Da". I thought that was rather darling--she knows her Dad is often on the other end of the phone during the day.

And she actually took her first steps last week! (Walking pictures will follow in a future post.) Crawling is by far the preferred mode of travel, but I'm slightly relieved that her legs do work properly and I won't be carrying my child on my hip indefinitely.

We also had a fun package arrive in the mail--this beautiful bouquet of exotic flowers! Brian's parents recently spent 3 weeks in Hawaii and ordered this gorgeous bouquet of proteas which will be gracing my Thanksgiving table. I've never seen anything like them.

Also gracing my Thanksgiving table will be Brian's parents! They arrived on Saturday and we get them for the whole week!

And finally, Ella's first violin recital. I surprised her with a new dress and the combination of getting to play on a stage in a new dress was a dream come true.

She had both sets of her grandparents in attendance.

She performed with the other students in her level and also did a solo. I was unsuccessful in downloading the video (I'll try again later), but take my word for it, she was a star.