Happy New Year!
Hey all .. I know, I know ... many posts short and many photos missing. Sigh ... it's been crazy.
We arrived back home after a three day journey from Texas. Our reservations didn't work out on night two and we ended up at the Red Roof Inn. Besides the ... umm ... 'working woman' with flashing stilettos and an ... umm ... interesting outfit selection (I mean ... what really goes with flashing, glow in the dark 4 inch heels??), it was completely fine. We hit a blizzard on day three and were very glad to finally see our driveway in Illinois.
We arrived to a home sans-Christmas and the pressure was on. Nathan, whom I'm sure bribed his management to send him out of country so as to miss decorating our house, was in the Philippines. Mom and I tackled Snow Village, my little Christmas house collection that decorates the top of our kitchen cabinets, and then put all the deocorations on the tree and the remaining household adornments - all in three days - a record. We then did a cookie-day marathon baking dozens of cookies and specialty breads to give to our neighbors and friends (seriously, our therapists actually planned their six month visit on a certain date to ensure that our baking would be done and they would get their platters of goodies).
Mom left, exhausted I'm sure, for Texas on Monday. Nathan came back in time to see our daughter have her first round of stomach flu. The wierd part about Mia is that, even when she's vomiting, she's still a pretty girl. I'm sure this will be both a blessing and a curse for us! She recovered quickly in time to see Sasha and I come down with the flu at exactly the same time - 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It was a rough 18 hours and then, the worse, Nathan came down with it (really, are there any worse patients than guys??). Ugh. At 24 hours and with a shower, I felt almost human again but couldn't stand up for more than 15 minutes. I must admit that I get an upper respiratory challenge multiple times a year that I thought was bad but it has nothing on the stomach flu. It was BAD!
Mom and Dad were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday mid' day before Christmas. We had our final delivery of Iowa stuff from Nathan's parents' place on Monday. Mom and Dad called to let us know that they would be arriving on Monday evening to avoid the blizzard that was destined to hit Illinois on Tuesday. Unfortunately, our schedule was more on the JIT (just in time) schedule as opposed to the being 'way ahead' schedule so we flew into overdrive to assemble the newly arrived furniture and overhaul the guest room. We assimilated the new pieces in record time and my folks enjoyed a comfy, new guest room - fresh sheets and all.
Mom and I spent the day before Christmas baking fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee cakes. During our illness, although they didn't know this, our neighbors came over and shoveled all our entire driveway and walks. I was so sick I actually teared up when I saw them. Can you imagine a neighbor being so kind that they would totally shovel and blow you out of a huge snowfall just because they are that nice?? Nathan and Mia took the goodies over to their house on Christmas Eve and thanked them profusely for their kindness. There's just nothing like having great neighbors.
Our Christmas was great. All the signs of illness had finally left the building and spirits were high. Mia got a doll that looks just like. Mom found a company that has local artists paint the face of your child. Check it out: www.mytwinn.com. Sasha acquired more Geotrax (like our house needs more toys!), Nathan got another GPSr (does he really need two??? no, really, he took TWO out caching with him last week), I got a ring that has a star sapphire that my father brought home when he was in the Navy when I was a baby surrounded by diamonds and sapphires from Nathan and the munchkins and a new breadmaker which does horizontal loaves (thanks Mom and Dad!), Blake got the biggest rawhide bone I've ever seen which has almost leveled different parts of our house, Mom got a new GPS (the kind that gives you directions not the kind for caching .. maybe another time :) and a new phone system (the kind that stays charged for more than two minutes) and Dad got a digital picture frame with plenty of munchkin photos and a new wedding ring to replace the one that he lost twenty+ years ago in Trinidad (truly the most touching part of Christmas ... to say he was shocked would be an understatement). Beyond the gifts, we truly felt blessed to be able to spend another holiday together. The last couple of years have been tough and have really underscored the importance of cherishing each moment of our lives.
As we look back on 2008, we see a year of mixed blessings. We consider 2008 one of our most challenging years. There is a huge hole in our hearts from the passing of Ice Iowa. Tears streamed down our faces on Christmas Eve as we remembered Nathan's parents who weren't there to celebrate with us. Unlike the passing of Nathan's Mom which was tragic, sudden and quick, the passing of Nathan's Dad was unexpected, slow and difficult. I don't think we'll ever stop missing Happenin' Jan and Ice Iowa. They were such extraordinary people who we will always have in our hearts and we will always miss deeply. We have had great joy with the addition of Mia who is quite the character as well as a complete beauty (people actually stop to fondle her feet in public places and tell us how gorgeous she is ... kind of creepy and strange, huh?). We also have struggled with the integration of a new sister and Sasha's search for his new place in our family as a big brother and eldest child.
As we look towards 2009, we have hope in our hearts. We hope that things will finally settle out to our new version of 'normal'. We're hoping that more time allows Sasha to be the funny, warm, loving boy that we knew prior to Mia. We see glimpses of that boy so we know he still exists. We're looking forward to the time when he resurfaces for good and hope that this happens prior to his graduation from college :)
We're hoping that 2009 becomes our year of fitness. After staying home with Mia for six months and foregoing the gym, we're excited about getting back to a focus on health. We had stayed home trying to strengthen Mia's attachment. At this point, we feel that she still needs some work but that we need some time to be our best. Others, I know, are super people and manage to 'cocoon' for years, work out, eat right and do it all ... we're not those people. Fortunately, we have a great gym across the street from us but it will mean that Mia is in the care of others while we work out. I feel it's a blessing as having some time to do something good for myself and get a little break will be a great gift at this point. We're focusing on eating better too and have a new yogurt maker and dehydrator on the way. Anyone who knows us, knows how we love a new kitchen gadget! Yippee!
We love and value all our friends and family and want to wish all of y'all the most joyous of New Years. May 2009 bring you great health, prosperity and happiness.
Happy New Years Y'all!
(yes, yes .. pictures will be forthcoming ... :)
We arrived back home after a three day journey from Texas. Our reservations didn't work out on night two and we ended up at the Red Roof Inn. Besides the ... umm ... 'working woman' with flashing stilettos and an ... umm ... interesting outfit selection (I mean ... what really goes with flashing, glow in the dark 4 inch heels??), it was completely fine. We hit a blizzard on day three and were very glad to finally see our driveway in Illinois.
We arrived to a home sans-Christmas and the pressure was on. Nathan, whom I'm sure bribed his management to send him out of country so as to miss decorating our house, was in the Philippines. Mom and I tackled Snow Village, my little Christmas house collection that decorates the top of our kitchen cabinets, and then put all the deocorations on the tree and the remaining household adornments - all in three days - a record. We then did a cookie-day marathon baking dozens of cookies and specialty breads to give to our neighbors and friends (seriously, our therapists actually planned their six month visit on a certain date to ensure that our baking would be done and they would get their platters of goodies).
Mom left, exhausted I'm sure, for Texas on Monday. Nathan came back in time to see our daughter have her first round of stomach flu. The wierd part about Mia is that, even when she's vomiting, she's still a pretty girl. I'm sure this will be both a blessing and a curse for us! She recovered quickly in time to see Sasha and I come down with the flu at exactly the same time - 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It was a rough 18 hours and then, the worse, Nathan came down with it (really, are there any worse patients than guys??). Ugh. At 24 hours and with a shower, I felt almost human again but couldn't stand up for more than 15 minutes. I must admit that I get an upper respiratory challenge multiple times a year that I thought was bad but it has nothing on the stomach flu. It was BAD!
Mom and Dad were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday mid' day before Christmas. We had our final delivery of Iowa stuff from Nathan's parents' place on Monday. Mom and Dad called to let us know that they would be arriving on Monday evening to avoid the blizzard that was destined to hit Illinois on Tuesday. Unfortunately, our schedule was more on the JIT (just in time) schedule as opposed to the being 'way ahead' schedule so we flew into overdrive to assemble the newly arrived furniture and overhaul the guest room. We assimilated the new pieces in record time and my folks enjoyed a comfy, new guest room - fresh sheets and all.
Mom and I spent the day before Christmas baking fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee cakes. During our illness, although they didn't know this, our neighbors came over and shoveled all our entire driveway and walks. I was so sick I actually teared up when I saw them. Can you imagine a neighbor being so kind that they would totally shovel and blow you out of a huge snowfall just because they are that nice?? Nathan and Mia took the goodies over to their house on Christmas Eve and thanked them profusely for their kindness. There's just nothing like having great neighbors.
Our Christmas was great. All the signs of illness had finally left the building and spirits were high. Mia got a doll that looks just like. Mom found a company that has local artists paint the face of your child. Check it out: www.mytwinn.com. Sasha acquired more Geotrax (like our house needs more toys!), Nathan got another GPSr (does he really need two??? no, really, he took TWO out caching with him last week), I got a ring that has a star sapphire that my father brought home when he was in the Navy when I was a baby surrounded by diamonds and sapphires from Nathan and the munchkins and a new breadmaker which does horizontal loaves (thanks Mom and Dad!), Blake got the biggest rawhide bone I've ever seen which has almost leveled different parts of our house, Mom got a new GPS (the kind that gives you directions not the kind for caching .. maybe another time :) and a new phone system (the kind that stays charged for more than two minutes) and Dad got a digital picture frame with plenty of munchkin photos and a new wedding ring to replace the one that he lost twenty+ years ago in Trinidad (truly the most touching part of Christmas ... to say he was shocked would be an understatement). Beyond the gifts, we truly felt blessed to be able to spend another holiday together. The last couple of years have been tough and have really underscored the importance of cherishing each moment of our lives.
As we look back on 2008, we see a year of mixed blessings. We consider 2008 one of our most challenging years. There is a huge hole in our hearts from the passing of Ice Iowa. Tears streamed down our faces on Christmas Eve as we remembered Nathan's parents who weren't there to celebrate with us. Unlike the passing of Nathan's Mom which was tragic, sudden and quick, the passing of Nathan's Dad was unexpected, slow and difficult. I don't think we'll ever stop missing Happenin' Jan and Ice Iowa. They were such extraordinary people who we will always have in our hearts and we will always miss deeply. We have had great joy with the addition of Mia who is quite the character as well as a complete beauty (people actually stop to fondle her feet in public places and tell us how gorgeous she is ... kind of creepy and strange, huh?). We also have struggled with the integration of a new sister and Sasha's search for his new place in our family as a big brother and eldest child.
As we look towards 2009, we have hope in our hearts. We hope that things will finally settle out to our new version of 'normal'. We're hoping that more time allows Sasha to be the funny, warm, loving boy that we knew prior to Mia. We see glimpses of that boy so we know he still exists. We're looking forward to the time when he resurfaces for good and hope that this happens prior to his graduation from college :)
We're hoping that 2009 becomes our year of fitness. After staying home with Mia for six months and foregoing the gym, we're excited about getting back to a focus on health. We had stayed home trying to strengthen Mia's attachment. At this point, we feel that she still needs some work but that we need some time to be our best. Others, I know, are super people and manage to 'cocoon' for years, work out, eat right and do it all ... we're not those people. Fortunately, we have a great gym across the street from us but it will mean that Mia is in the care of others while we work out. I feel it's a blessing as having some time to do something good for myself and get a little break will be a great gift at this point. We're focusing on eating better too and have a new yogurt maker and dehydrator on the way. Anyone who knows us, knows how we love a new kitchen gadget! Yippee!
We love and value all our friends and family and want to wish all of y'all the most joyous of New Years. May 2009 bring you great health, prosperity and happiness.
Happy New Years Y'all!
(yes, yes .. pictures will be forthcoming ... :)
Labels: 2009 Happy New Year
posted by Tamara at 7:02 PM
3 Comments:
What, you mean you aren't cocooning, visiting relatives, eating vegan, exercising 6 hours a day, cleaning the mini blinds daily, the tops of the ceiling fan blades, learning 2 new languages, getting an hour massage, mani and pedi weekly and making handmade thank you cards for all of your Christmas gifts from homemade paper from trees you planted yourself? Sheesh! LOLOLOL!!!
Happy New Year! I have been looking for a post from you.
We just got back from meeting our new grandson. Still working on the new mom and dad to approve being called baba:)
Looking forward to seeing new pics of the Sasha and Mia!
Please say hello to your mom for me!
D
did you get a zojirushi??
:)
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