My Carefree Weekend

Jill, Stefanie and I got away for our annual, "Get me the h*** out of my house" weekend. We usually do this pre-Christmas so we can call it a productive Christmas shopping trip but this year we waited a month for Ms. Ruby to be weened. This was the first time in four years that we have had our weekend baby free. Every other year one of us has been nursing. We had such a great time window shopping, drinking Starbucks, eating Miso Salmon, antiquing, giggling all hours of the night, and we even went to the movies! (Jill will have more on that!) Of course this was all possible because our husbands know the value of having refreshed wives and made every effort to assure us that they could do our job fine for a few days. Matt even took on the task of watching Mike and Stefs three little girls for the day on Saturday. He seemed completely confident in taking on the task and even told me he had a craft planned. I did forget to ask him what the craft was..... hum....... perhaps he had the pre-schoolers make semi automatic weapons out of toothpicks? Or maybe homemade napalm? I'll have to ask. Here's a little clip of his adventure. 

PS, Jill and Stef, I didn't want to call you guys with this news but Tobin has been puking all morning. I think all our kids have been together sometime or another this weekend so...... heads up. 

Bone Loss..... The Good Kind

Parents, 

I need your help. What's the going rate for a first tooth?

Warmly,

The Tooth Fairy

PCOS

I just realized that my title could refer to Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome but really I've just self-diagnosed myself with Post Christmas is Over Syndrome. It's a brand new syndrome yet to be in the DSM V.  Truth is I am sad the holiday is over. We hosted all the parties this season and I loved that my new house was bustling with all the people I love. The flow worked great, just as I had imagined it as I was scouring over house plans.  It's just so sad when it's over. The guilt free cookies, fudge, and whipped cream on everything. The threats to children to shape up or Santa won't come. The sparkly decorations and smell of a pine tree in my living room. And the snow! We had a white Christmas. First I can ever remember. It really put an authentic spin to the whole thing. And oh how I love a good  Christmas party. Matt and I even went to the city's police party where is was awarded police officer of the year! (He made me promise not to tell anyone cause he's humble and shy like that. So I am just going to WRITE it here for a few people to read. See I didn't say a word.) 

Here is Christmas 2008 review in pictures: 

The tree I just took down.

The stocking that are now in the attic. Oh and see that big clock I got for Christmas. It's so perfect. How does Santa know these things?

But my all time favorite gift was this!

 Angela and I exchanged ornaments this year and I may have mentioned that I really wanted a house to represent our new one this year. So Darrin made me this replica! Amazingly thoughtful. 

All Mike and Pam's grandkid in matching PJ's.

Don't you hate it when you get the perfect Christmas card photo AFTER you send them all out?

My grandparent loving watching Phoebe force feeding her baby doll.

Sweet brothers.

Cousin Mariko looking really happy for Phoebe's present.

Not only does he know the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field, he does a mean Fire Marshal Bill face. (5000 bounce points to anyone else who know these odds.)

Daddy and Phoebe. Seems like she doesn't like the itchy whiskers. Join the club.

It was so wonderful seeing the twins really get into the spirt of Christmas. 

See Jabe's cute long locks? I just cut them off before his nap. Looking at this picture, I totally regret it. 

And now let the long, cold, wet winter resume. May spring be here fast. 

Right of Passage

Every household/culture has one. A symbol of coming of age. For some it's a Bar Mitzvah others a Quinceanera  or maybe it's the first swig of beer. From the moment the radiologist said, "it's a boy"  Matt had one thing on his mind. Hunting? Shooting? Baseball? All good hypotheses but all would be wrong.  Matt has been waiting (not so patiently) for Tobin to be ready to watch Star Wars. Star Wars has played a major theme in Matt's life. Falling in love with them as a boy and memorizing every word, line, hatch number has made him the freak-show of every party. After being pronounced husband and wife we even walked down the aisle to the Star Wars theme song. To reveal the sex of our first child we had our friends and family solve a puzzle that read, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." And this year under the Christmas tree lights, Tobin woke up to his own set of original Star Wars trilogy DVDs with a note from Santa that he had proved to be a brave boy and would be able to watch these legends that his Dad had been preparing him for.  So nap time at our house has been reserved for Tobin and Dad time on the couch, with amazing snacks and eye popping thrills. I don't know who is happier? Tobin, Matt or me cause I've had Hans Solo in my living room for three days?