Christmas 2008

For the first time in quite a few years, all my siblings were together this year, with our significant others, and our parents, and--naturally--little Munchkin.

Brad, Munchkin and I headed for Mimi and Papa's house in Livonia early on Christmas Eve. A lovely church service included the blessing of Ethan's music, and a beautiful message given by our very own Mimi. The whole gang gathered at the house after church for a rousing (among other things) game of Celebrity and a multitude of merriment.

Our Christmas Day was lazy, relaxing, entertaining, and yummy. I am including ALL the photos this time, which I almost never do, because I think it truly gives a flavor of our gift-opening fun, and the overwhelming sense of love and joy in the room. The adults participated in a (Not-So)Secret-Santa this year, and it was fun to buy for each other, and to see what everyone chose to gift. Of particular amusement were the gifts exchanged between Ethan and Mimi, who had drawn each other's names: matching iPods. Surprise! Our favorite gift for Munchkin was a Bumbo seat from Mimi and Papa. He LOVES sitting in it to observe the world. He also got a this great onesie from Auntie Abigail and Uncle Andy.

One highlight of our trip was having Papa babysit the little one while Brad and I went on a date to see "Australia." Actually, Mimi, Naomi and her friend were there, too, but we had taken separate cars and sat separately at the theatre--aren't we funny. We also did a little Target shopping, saw "Benjamin Button" in two shifts, drank lots of coffee, stayed in PJs VERY late, laughed and giggled, talked and talked and talked and talked.

It was a very Merry Christmas, indeed!

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100226

Compassion (Beware of TMI)

com⋅pas⋅sion [kuhm-pash-uhn]
–noun
1. A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
2. What your (very) good friend has for you when your baby deposits two meals worth of vomit ALL OVER her daughter's crib, requiring new sheets, outfits, bathing, etc...and then does it again in the car seat 10 minutes later.

December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!!!


("Oh Joy! Designs" ohjoydesigns.blogspot.com)

Christmas Memories

Okay, I'll admit it: I stole this post idea from a friend.

But my head is filled with Christmas memories of the past, and I just want to get them down on paper--well, you know what I mean.

1. Photo of Santa
My mom and a friend took a photo that appears to be Santa's bag of goodies disappearing behind the Christmas tree. It was COMPLETELY convincing.

(SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!!! DON'T LET YOUR KIDS READ IT.)
2. Is Santa Real?
Mom used to have a coffee table whose top extended past the legs on both ends. I asked her if Santa were to sit on the end of the table, would he break it. She responded with, "That depends. Do you think Santa is a real person?" Huh.

3. Bikes
One year, my sister and I came downstairs to discover a HUGE pile of gifts. I was exclaiming "Oh my gosh!!!" over and over, and so was she, but she was excited about the pile. It took her several moments to realize that there were two brand new bikes in the middle of the living room.

4. Waiting
A family tradition is always to wait at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning until Mom and Papa turned on the tree lights and did some last minute gift rearranging. Then, all the kids came down at the same time. We still adhere to this tradition, sort of, only now it's more important that we don't start until the coffee is made. ;o)

5. "Rad Dad"
Ah yes. The year of the Rad Dad. Even though my parents were no longer married, Mom used to invite Dad to come to the house on Christmas Day to exchange gifts with us kids. One year, he brought a big box full of...well, just cool stuff. A giant bubble wand, a test tube kit, magic tricks--mostly things you find in those really neat science stores. It was great fun.

6. "It's a Cardigan"
There is an infamous moment of Papa opening this gift, and in his sleepy state, it came out sounding a little tipsy. I'm pretty sure we have it on video somewhere.

7. Theatre
One year, we went to Oklahoma to celebrate with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Joe. My parents gave me my first professional theatre tickets, to "Les Mis." And so it began.

I'm sure there are dozens more, but this is what springs to the immediate mind. Can't wait to add a few more memories this year!

Hanukkah 2008

One of the things I love about December is that I get to celebrate two holidays.

Having taught music for seven years, and prepared holiday programs for seven years, and as the education world became increasingly "tolerant" (read: "politically correct"), I needed to do my research on Hanukkah. I learned about the Maccabees, menorah-lighting procedures (actually, it's called a Hanukkiah--a menorah is something different), latke recipes, dreidel games, the "O Chanukah" song, dancing the hora, etc. But all of that research is pretty dry unless one actually celebrates the holiday with family and friends. Fortunately for me, I am now part of a family that does!

For Munchkin's first Hanukkah celebration, we had two different dinners: one with Grand-Dede and Granny (Harvey and Joyce), and one with Grandma and Grandad (Esther and Rick).

We had a wonderful time on both evenings, and enjoyed keeping true to two slightly different sets of traditions. Highlights from Hanukkah Part I include the following:
- watching Grand-Dede grate potatoes until his arms were going to fall off
- visiting with friends Doug and Laura
- listening to the story of Hanukkah
- Bradley re-living his childhood memories of his dad singing the Hanukkah song and then running around the room with Bradley in his arms (a tradition that Bradley passed on to Munchkin this evening!)
- fun gift exchange including Wii gadgets, fancy headphones and musical toys for us; cameras, gift cards and electric salt and pepper shakers for them

Highlights from Hanukkah Part II:
- yummy brisket and Hannah grating potatoes until her triceps were sore (and still are)
- lighting the candles
- admiring Grandma's card collection
- surprising Esther and Rick with a new TV (see pics)
- opening LOTS of musical gifts for The Munch and a season of theatre tickets for Bradley and Hannah
- watching Melanie, the cat, play in the TV box

Most importantly, both of our Hanukkah celebrations were spent enjoying each other, our family. The love and warmth that surrounded us will keep us for another year.

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100215

The Hard Way

I stole something from a store, once.

I think I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, and I went with my Mom to a craft store, similar to Michael's or Joanne's. While there, I was handling these little fuzzy pompoms. I have no idea what possessed me to stick some up my sleeve and walk out the door, but I did. When Mom (who paid for her items!) and I headed out across the parking lot to the car, she looked behind me to see a little trail of fuzzy pompoms following me on the ground. Upon questioning, I told her that I had put them up my sleeve to "see how they felt" (a lie), and forgot they were there. She let it go...for a while. A few hours after we got home, she questioned me again. (This is where I'm missing some details. I can't remember if she discovered me with more pompoms, or if she just had a feeling...) This time I admitted that I had stolen the pompoms, and, essentially, for no good reason. She marched me back to the store to apologize to the woman at the cash register for having stolen from the store. The woman was FAR too nice to me, and I specifically remember her saying, "Oh, that's okay, we all make mistakes." And while it is true that we all make mistakes, it was NOT okay, and I knew it. That experience has since prevented me from stealing.

(Also, there was a little incident with a person in my life involving stealing from a drug store and getting caught by the security camera, but it's not my place to tell that one.)

Two days ago I lost a glove in Best Buy. Losing a glove is so very frustrating to me because I hate waste--and one glove that doesn't match is a waste. So Munchkin and I stopped at Target yesterday with the hope of getting another pair of gloves identical to the $10 pair I had purchased from there in the first place. I scoured the winter accessories aisles and almost gave up when something on the ground drew my attention. Aha, the gloves! There was one pair of black, fleece, Thinsulate-lined gloves on the floor...separated from each other...with no tags. Literally, it looked as though the gloves had simply fallen out of someone's pockets. I was SO tempted to simply pick up one of the gloves, the left one, and ditch the store completely.

Two things stopped me: I distinctly remember the feeling l had as a child when I had to apologize to Craft Store Lady, and it wasn't a good one. I felt like garbage about myself, and I remember thinking "if only" I hadn't stolen that day, "if only" I had just put the darn pompoms back, I wouldn't have ruined my entire life. Dramatic, I know, but I was eight. Of course, the other thing stopping me was my son's innocent face in his stroller. Even though he wouldn't have been aware of my bad behavior, I don't think that future me would ever have the nerve to march HIM back to Craft Store Lady to apologize for stealing if I wasn't able to learn from my mistakes. So I paid another $10 for the gloves with no tags.

The funny thing is, if I hadn't gotten caught stealing from the craft store, I probably would have done it again. Strange how some people just have to learn the hard way.

Re-Married

I haven't worn my wedding rings in six months.
One of the sad side-effects of my pregnancy was that my knuckles swelled (well, a lot of things swelled, but the knuckles are the only parts relevant to this post). So I finally bit the bullet and had them re-sized.

They say a woman will look at her engagement ring more than one million times in her life. Well, I'll tell ya, I probably logged a couple hundred on the day I picked them up from the jeweler, and I felt like I had just gotten married again. I promptly called my husband and thanked him for picking out such a gorgeous setting. Funny how such a material thing can lift one's mood!

In honor of that mood, here's a little anecdote:
It was pouring rain on the day in March when B and I closed on our house. We were completely unprepared for just how long the process would take, but had taken the entire day off work. After we signed our last signature we immediately drove to our new neighborhood. We were starving, so we picked up a pizza from Papa Romeo's, took it to our sparkling new house, and ate it on the dining room floor.

Three and a half years later, we are blessed with a great dog, a beautiful baby...and we no longer eat on the floor--much.


(Now, how to "re-size" my shoes...)

Carols at the Spinnet

In my quest to actually enjoy the holiday season, rather than be constantly overwhelmed by it, Munchkin and I sat down at the piano to sing some carols.

No more than 2.5 minutes into our attempt at holiday cheer, he pooped himself so badly that I had to cut his onesie off his body to avoid getting poop in his mouth.

Bah humbug.



(Thanks for the idea, Auntie G. Not sure I would have thought to perform that ER procedure on my own...)

Stand Up and Be Counted

I'm about to be high-maintenance.

I use this very fancy program called Google Analytics. With it, I can tell which blog posts get the most traffic, where that traffic comes from, etc. But it doesn't tell me (for obvious reasons) who is reading, and I seem to have the same 3 or 4 people who post comments--which is totally fine, BUT my curiosity is getting the better of me. Also, it is always helpful to the author to know his or her audience when composing.

So I'd like to conduct a little two-question survey because, really, what else have you got to do on a Sunday afternoon in December (haha). You can participate by either posting a comment below (feel free to stay anonymous) or emailing me. You can only email, however, if you already have my address. I don't want to post it here, sorry.

QUESTION ONE:
How often would you estimate that you read this blog (choose the best answer--just like school):
a) I read every post.
b) I read many posts, usually NOT on the day they are originally posted.
c) I read very few posts.
d) This is my first time on this blog.


QUESTION TWO:
Choose from the following statements:
a) I am a relative of Hannah or Brad.
b) I am a friend/aquaintance of Hannah or Brad.
c) None of the above.

Thanks for playing! I'll post the "results," if you're interested.
H

Fasten Your Seatbelts!

Last week we took Munchkin on his first airplane!

The ride itself was fairly uneventful, and the surrounding passengers remarked at how great he was on both flights. The vacation itself was quite jam-packed.

Among our activities were the following:
- an evening with Munchkin's Great-Grandparents (Hannah's Grandparents) and Great-Aunt Pat
- an evening with the Osadchuk relatives (Grammie Val's family)
- a few hours at the pool and golf course
- a dinner at the country club for pasta night and Brad's birthday
- a trip to In and Out Burger (Yum!)
- facials and shopping for the girls
- golf for the golfers

We enjoyed the company and the weather, and can't wait to visit again, soon!


Visit the link for pictures: http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100192


(Sorry for the lack of "color" in the posts lately. November and December have sucked out all my creativity. :o) )

Joy to the World

Please observe, as my baby shows you how to be joyous.
In two different locations, no less.

3 months

Dear Munchkin,
You lucked out! No doctor appointment this month, and no shots. Hurray!

Overnight, it seems, you have morphed from a baby into a little boy...which will sound ridiculous to my friends who have older children, but nevertheless. You continue to make great strides, developmentally, and you're such a joy to be around.

I love that you...

- squeal blissfully at the monkey sounds coming from your playmat.
- continue to eat your hands.
- have official tickle spots.
- hold your head up all by yourself.
- can find yourself in a mirror.
- often continue a sucking motion, even when nothing is in your mouth.
- laugh like a real boy at your Dad's funny sounds (and sometimes mine, too).
- "drown" when wind gets in your face...too funny.
- have a windshield wiper arm when you're nursing.
- have to hold my hand when you're trying to fall asleep.
- watch my hands during "Eensy, Weensy Spider."
- seem to truly love monkeys...on your mat, on your shirt, at the zoo (just like your friend, Huey).
- sleep with your arms up over your head (just like your Dad).
- reward me with huge smiles when I come home from being out.

XOXO,
Mom

Haul Out the Holly

NOW it's time for Christmas. :o)

The Rose Family has finally decorated our first family tree. In fact, I've lived away from home for 11 years, and this is my first tree without my mother. What a strange thought. We had a certain set of "rules" when it came to tree trimming in my childhood home. Yes, they were rules we insisted on ourselves; I guess that'show traditions are formed. Here's generally how it went:

1. Purchase a live tree, usually from the parking lot of a furniture store or the equivalent. You couldn't cut a better one down yourself, anyway, and it's only 5 minutes from home. That way, if it doesn't QUITE fit atop the little Honda Civic, it's only a few miles.

2. Bring down the ornament boxes. Or bring up the ornament boxes, I can't remember. That was actually one of the best parts. See step 3.

3. Papa and Mom set up the tree in the metal stand, water it, arrange the skirt, and string the lights (always white) while the kids examine the boxes of ornaments we hadn't seen since last year--or longer, if some of the less attractive homemade ornaments had "accidentally" not made it onto the tree the previous year.

4. Be sure to have holiday music playing on the CD (or tape) player. Bonus points if you have hot chocolate, too. At least one year, we had live music on the piano.

5. Decorate the tree. Kids concentrate on the bottom, grownups on the top. Don't forget to hang ornaments on the BACK of the tree, too, because there are windows there. And yes, that's the best spot for the gigantic dough ornaments made in art class. Be sure to use a hook and not just the string on the ornament, and hang it far enough away from the end of the branch that it won't slide off.

6. Consider things like color, composition, balance (this sounds like the opening to "Sunday in the Park With George"--look it up). And if you don't get it right, don't worry, someone will rearrange it after you go to bed, anyway.

7. Add the tree topper. This should always be some kind of angel in a cone shape; never a star, and certainly never a lighted topper. Tacky.


So, now that I'm an adult, here's how my tree experience went:
We purchased a fake tree. Oops. But it looks real enough that I can tolerate it, AND it won't be a fire hazard when we leave town in a few days. It's gigantic: 4 whole feet tall. When I came downstairs on Saturday morning, my wonderful hubby had assembled the tree, plugged in the lights (let's hear it for pre-lit trees!), and added a few ornaments, at which point I almost panicked. Was he trying to decorate the tree during the day?! Heavens, no. Trees are decorated at night. As we added our meager collection of ornaments to our tiny tree, I caught myself correcting his placement:
"No, you have to use a hook."
"Why."
"Because that's how we do it."
"Um, okay."

We did enjoy ourselves, and I found myself rehashing the history of each ornament in my head. I think it's pretty neat that our ornaments are new enough that I can remember where each came from. (And, admittedly, I "adjusted" a few ornaments after B left the room.)

And we have no topper, and no skirt. I guess we've left room for improvement!

We have tried to purchase an ornament from each vacation we've taken, but we often forget. Here are a token few, however, that we enjoy:

From Maui


St. Lucia


San Francisco


Australia


Sedona