in the common hours

Goodbye 2007

Thanks to those still checking in here, despite how quiet it's been, and to those who wrote saying, "post already."

We had a lovely Christmas at home. The night before, while Brian and I shared that spousal tradition of wrapping together well into the night, we opened a package that was supposed to be this:

And instead we found this:

I freaked out at first. We hadn't purchased very much this year. Remember that Less is More post on toys? (I hope to list the final top toys this week!). But I didn't want Aidan to be disappointed, and wrongly assume Santa hadn't known what a great boy he had been all year.

So I wrapped the unwanted preschool toy anyway, and even if it didn't have the impact the planets would have, both guys loved it. And the store has refunded the now-unavailable planet system and told us to keep the play hospital set. 

Idea for next year: Someone told me they give three gifts, in honor of the wise men's three gifts to the Christ child. I also read about the idea of giving "something you want, something you need, something handmade, and something to read"--- we came pretty close to that without even intending to.

Santa brought both boys their wish of light sabers, as well as enamel mugs for their cocoa/tea (these seriously got the GREATEST reaction from both boys!), and they each received a book to add to our basket of winter/Christmas themed books.

  Aidan's book

and Sean's

We received an impromptu visit this weekend from Mary Alice. Both boys were so sad to see her go this morning. Sean is still expecting her back any time now. Her visit led us to set up the bunk beds that were really the boys' big gift this Christmas. Sean did so well transitioning from his crib to the futon, but the move to Aidan's room has proved to be a little too exciting. We shall see. I found a red comforter for Sean during our crazy-full day in GJ on Friday. Still need to redo much of Aidan's room to make it both of theirs now. 

I love lists, and for years MA, Angie and I have exchanged "Best of" lists at the end of the year. My siblings and I started doing this as well. Movies, books, music, as well as best memories of the year, and goals for the new year. I'm going to need some time though to get any kind of perspective on 2007.

Is this how it feels to get older? To constantly want time to slow down? I remember desperately wanting it to speed up when I was 15. Now everything seems to go by so quickly...

Even this pregnancy is going by too quickly. I am not a big fan of pregnancy, in general. Just a big fan of the end result.  Some women revel in being pregnant, feeling their best. I have a couple good months between being sick daily and then getting uncomfortable at the end. Pregnancy at 38 definitely feels different than it did at 32. And still, I want time to slow down a bit, let me get ready, and let me revel, if not in the physical changes of pregnancy, at least in my participation---this last time---in the miracle of creating life.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

Christmas Eve

After many fun-filled, but overfilled days, I am thrilled to have nowhere we have to go for the next 48 hours. Alleluia!

Yesterday was our little nativity play at St. Francis.

Ben and his sister Sarah played Mary and Joseph, and their real little brother had the star role of Jesus. Aidan was one of the three wise men. Sean decided to opt out at the last minute.   We asked two high school girls to read Luke 2 as the kids took their places, with a little singing of We Three Kings and The Little Drummer Boy. The production had quite a "Charlie Brown" feel to it, as Annabelle put it, which was part of the charm. Definitely a big hit among the grandmothers, who make up 90% of our parish.

Three Kings

and

Two Sweet

Angels

Not to worry, Sean enjoyed plenty of attention. There is a sweet woman named Bobbie, who must be nearly 80, and who always brings something for the boys to every service. Here's Sean enjoying his Bobbie-treat:

Finally, before I sign out for the next few days, I wanted to share a few links I meant to post here, based on questions I received or to be a resource for me next winter.

In case you've forgotten how to fold paper for six-sided snowflakes, go here.

Instructions on making very simple salt-dough ornaments are here.

I'm not a big fan of gingerbread houses. Love the look, hate the stale frosting and candy sitting around, tempting little boys daily. Here's a virtual one, and a felt one that I love. Hope we can make our own version of it next year...something I could see the boys adding to each year.

Finally, for the real die-hard Aidan fans out there, here is a little (well, maybe a little long at 2 minutes) video of Aidan singing Frosty the Snowman as only he and Jimmy Durante could.

You'll need to turn off the Coldplay song in the background by clicking on the toolbar under Playlist in the right column, and please ignore the chaotic state of my office. Aidan's missing tooth adds a little lisp;-)

Winter Snapshots

                The last snowfall, school party, the snowman and tree Aidan made, oatmeal bars, Sean, our tree.

Yesterday the boys met their buddies at Dave's Corner Market to sing carols to the regulars gathering there for coffee. They were all sitting on a bench outside, singing their hearts out to "Here Comes Santa Claus", when a guy pulled up in an old pick-up. He had suspenders, an impressive white beard, and an equally impressive belly. The boys turned silent, and then screamed, "Santa Claus!"  He walked up to them, saying, "I'm always watching, ya know, and I'm so impressed with how good y'all are." Then he gave them all a candy cane. The other moms and I just looked at each other---we couldn't have planned anything more perfect:-) Serendipity and a moment of kindness on his part to stop.

Lots of fun planned for today, but right now I should be getting a shepherd and a wise man dressed. Just wanted to share this recipe for Gingerbread Boys & Girls.

My friend Kris passed it to me a couple years ago. A great dipping-in-tea cookie if you leave them plain. Lots of fun for the kids to decorate. We just fill little baggies with frosting and cut a small corner for the kids to pipe the frosting themselves.

Gingerbread Boys and Girls

1 ½ cups dark molasses

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup cold water

1/3 cup shortening

7 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix molasses through shortening.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and chill two hours. I also divide the dough into two equal parts at this point and make half that day and freeze the remaining portion for another day.

Heat oven to 350. Roll dough ¼ inch thick on floured surface and use desired cookie cutters.  Bake until no indentation remains (approximately 10 to 12 minutes).

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 to 2 tsp milk (I usually experiment here. You can always add more milk, so add slowly)

Stir ingredients together and top on cooled cookies.

Enjoy!

Gratitude

Ask and you shall receive.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped put together a goodie bag of warm mittens, hats, and gloves for children in the Republic of Georgia. Brian kindly boxed up all the backpacks and ziploc bags for me and they will make their way back to Georgia with Kathy in the new year.

People were so creative in their "extra goodies"---one bag contained superhero underoos.  Man, are those going to be a hit!  If things are at all similar to our adventure in the 90s (and sadly, things don't change much in the villages), even those ziploc bags will be treasured, and rewashed and reused for a long time. Someone sent us a box of them while we were in Russia, and we used those bags for two years. Now I feel guilty every time I throw one away.

Even though they are all in their 20's now (oy!), in my head, these are the kids who are about to receive these goodies. I so wish I had been able to coordinate something like this while I was in Selikhino.

I also wanted to say thanks for all the sweet feedback about my post on Aidan. I considered taking it down the next day, because I struggle with whether I'm violating his privacy in any way by writing publicly here. And then I think, this is my chance...because there's no way he's going to let me get away with it when he's 10. But I so appreciated the kind emails---definitely the most I've received on any one post. Aidan's had a tough week, and I'm especially grateful for friends who remind me that these are the days we'll laugh about in time to come.

 

Six Days

Clementines (or Cuties as we call them) are a sure sign of Christmas to me.  Growing up our stockings always had an orange or tangerine filling the toe.

It doesn't seem possible that there are only six more days. In trading "to do" lists with Angie this week (which is much more fun than actually tackling the list), we talked about the discrepancy between what we want to do and what we want to have done. I wish I had keen insights I could record here that would help me be more selective next year. But I may be too sleep deprived to think that clearly...

I want to remember:

-the best things happen spontaneously, and often need to be kid-initiated. I was in full baking mode yesterday, for Brian's coworkers and a friend's party, when Aidan came to the kitchen table with scissors and two white pieces of paper, asking to make snowflakes. Somehow it wouldn't have been the same if that had been the note in today's advent stocking and I had made it happen.

As much as I love having our advent calendar hold ideas and activities rather than more candy or "stuff", I want to make it simpler next year. A gum drop would be just as exciting to find on some mornings.

-Every few years I go a bit overboard on the baking. Our kitchen currently holds containers of rum balls (yes, I'm channeling 1977 this year), seven-layer bars (there would be riots if my mom didn't make these every year), oatmeal bars, pretzel turtles (easy one the kids can do themselves), gingerbread cookies, and peppermint chocolate wafers (thanks for the recipe, Stephanie!).

I gave away little Chinese take-out boxes filled with these treats, and some of Laura's peanut brittle, to our local friends yesterday. Hopefully the rest will be gone by tomorrow. Next year I'm thinking the kid-oriented ones are enough. We all have enough sugar this time of year. Gingerbread and decorated sugar cookies next year---that's it.

About 20 minutes before we had to leave for a friend's party last night, I decided to make paper ornaments for the families that would be there. Because it always helps to add a little edge to getting your family out the door, doesn't it? Yes, in case you didn't already know it, Brian is a saint.

Aidan helped make ours a week ago (last night I wasn't in a kid-help mode at all), and they really are the simplest thing---instructions can be found here. Loved putting my patterned paper to use, since I haven't touched it in months.

There are still 2/3 of our Christmas cards to write and address, and while all the packages have been mailed, still lots more wrapping. Aidan's school celebration on Friday, caroling with kid friends on Saturday, a rather-impromptu nativity play for church on Sunday. And then---ready or not, it's Christmas Eve.

But today I just want to breathe, gather our blankets and pillows in the living room and dive into our basket of winter books with the boys.

The Tradition Continues. Left to Right: Brian and his brother Pat, me and my sister Eileen, Aidan and Sean.

Spotlight on Aidan

Photos by Shawna Houllis

Is there anything more stereotypical than a mother who considers her child completely unique, with special gifts for which the world might not be ready?

I try to remind myself often that I am still learning who Aidan is, that he is still learning the same thing, still becoming himself, and will be, probably for as long as I will know him.

But I see myself and so much of my family in him, that I often forget all that.

So when Aidan came home from school yesterday, having lost his first tooth---literally lost it, despite his teacher giving him a tooth-shaped box on a necklace in which to keep it when it came out at lunch...well, I just understood. I spent many years with my "head in the clouds", contently indifferent to reality, and forgetting to pack my lunch. I don't think I was ever as artistic or as confident as Aidan, but my favorite childhood story involves my scribbling on a tiny piece of paper when I was 4 years old, and then reading from it to my father, turning it over and over numerous times as I told him the epic tale I'd just written.

Earlier this week, Aidan put on an impromptu puppet show for Sean and me. He pulled out the doorway theater Gramare gave him, but chose to use stuffed animals over puppets. It was a long saga between Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, but the best part was when an ominous snake appeared and greeted Winnie Pooh and his cousin Blue Bear with the line, "Hello, lunch!"

It took me a while to recognize it from a recent Frog & Toad story. But knowing the lines good enough to steal is a beginning, right?

Aidan is the kid who, while all the other preschoolers were marching up the aisle for their little diplomas, took a wrong turn and went in the opposite direction. Some parents looked over at me, smiling kindly, but with visible relief that he's not their kid. I got similar looks this summer when Aidan was happy to pick dandelions as his teammates ran past him with the soccer ball.

Then there are friends like Mary Alice who took me aside a year or two ago to say, "He told me a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Seriously. He had plot!"

Aidan just sent her a ghost story he wrote at Halloween...because she expressed interest in developing it :-)

My favorite thing about Aidan is his kindness. It comes naturally to him. When I volunteer at his school, it is the thing that every adult---from the playground attendant to the computer teacher--comes up to share with me. He isn't a leader, but he isn't a follower either. There are two boys who follow his every step, but Aidan doesn't even seem to notice---he's too interested in wherever his imagination is taking him, and they seem to enjoy where it leads too.

Last Wednesday his teacher had the students complete little books in which every line began with "I play with my..." and they were to fill in the blank and illustrate it. It's amazing and a bit disheartening to see how early the need to fit in begins. The desire to "do it right" outweighs the desire to do your own thing. I asked a sweet girl named Alex, who had just written "I play with my cat," the name of her cat, only to hear that she didn't really have one, but she saw the girl sitting next to her write that. And then I saw five kids at one table where they had all written "ball" ---maybe because they knew how to spell it.

Then I peek over Aidan's shoulder, where I see him intently copying a word from a book his teacher had read them earlier that week  (Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins), to create this:

Of course the page I loved most was this one:

I'm stealing an idea from Heather Melzer and setting up an online art gallery for Aidan. For the grandparents' viewing pleasure, for Aidan to get a kick out of, and for relief of some guilt because I recycle piles of his work each week.

These days Aidan wants to be a scientist  when he grows up, "who does all kinds of experiments, especially mixing things and experiments that make sour juice." But right now, he just woke up and wants to snuggle. My second favorite thing about my first born.

In just three months...

Three months from today...supposedly.

It doesn't seem possible.

We still haven't chosen a name and you can add your suggestion here.

And in case you've ever wondered, today's New York Times Science section takes on the weighty question of Why Pregnant Women Don't Tip Over. 

Winter Wonderland

Before he went to bed last night, Aidan said he was praying that when he woke up the world would be "dressed in white."  Is that a line from a Christmas carol or TV special?

Either way, he got his wish.

Brian and I watched "Into the Wild" last night, and snow started falling hard toward the end of it.  When it was over, I stepped into the quiet, dark white scene.

(Again, can't help wondering what that photo would have looked like with a real lens...)

Maybe it was having just seen that film, but it was eerie outside. Brian was bummed about having to leave early the next morning, knowing he'd miss Aidan's reaction.

Both boys were thrilled with the view outside this morning, and could barely eat breakfast before charging out there.

I decided to embrace being late for school, especially since I didn't think the 2 or 3 inches would still be here this afternoon.  Sean refused to wear his mittens at first, and then cried when his hands got cold after throwing many a snowball. Aidan ran to greet Carol, his adopted grandmother next door, who was already out shoveling her sidewalk.

Aidan also asked if he could take a carrot to school, with big plans to build his own Frosty during recess. He came home without his gloves or hat (no surprise there), and eager for a cup of hot tea.

Guess who...

has his long-awaited first loose tooth?