The Christmas When

2010 was the Christmas when Opa and Oma came to stay.  Oma treated the girls to pedicures, lunch and shopping.  Opa got up early to repair and wax all our antique leather books. (How many houseguests do that?!)  They spent lots of time loving their grandkids and no one wanted them to leave.

It was the Christmas when, for the first time EVER, our kids got to celebrate the big day with both sets of grandparents.  

How lucky am I?  My parents are healthy, happy and still in love with each other.  My in-laws are healthy, happy and still in love with each other.  Both sets of parents get along without a single bit of drama.  They all dote on their grandchildren AND make Brad and me feel like capable, successful adults.  I realize that we represent a very small subset of the population in this respect, but I am thankful.  It made for a merry Christmas.

2010 was the Christmas when Nana brought her world-famous Swedish tea ring for breakfast and helped us start a new Christmas dinner tradition. (And this recipe was perfect for an apres-bain repast.)

This was the Christmas when Santa's elves brought a hot tub just in time for some Yuletide soaking.  Mrs. Claus especially appreciated the hydrotherapy.

2010 was the Christmas when we brought our traditional Christmas Eve hot-dog roasting party out west.  Instead of old pals standing by the fireplace, we got to know some new friends as we sat around the backyard fire pit.  We discovered that the Christmas spirit isn't subject to temperature change.

This was the Christmas when everyone's favorite gift rolled into the backyard...

...and took away more than it left behind!

Come for a dip in 2011!

 Happy New Year and thanks to everyone who made our Christmas so merry.

Holiday Hacienda

Yay!  My laptop is alive!  The camera is a little blurry, but it would be asking too much for everything to function perfectly at once, right?  Anyway, here is a little peek into our desert Christmas.

Last month I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get into the Christmas Spirit without snow or cozy sweaters.  But it's amazing how 72 degree sunshine can put you in the ho-ho-holiday mood.  I love running all my errands without a bulky coat.  I love shooing the kids outside while I play Mrs. Claus indoors.

I love my Christmas cards!  Just looking at my photogenic friends and family puts me in the holliest, jolliest mood ever.  You know what I think when I look at this wall?  I think, If I died tomorrow, these are the people who would care.  Is that weird?  I find it vaguely comforting.  

Unpacking the Santas and little forest of Christmas trees, I felt like I was reuniting with old friends.  They help make our new house feel a little more like home.

The train is circling the living room tree, but I'm finding my little engineers aren't quite as captivated with the chugga-chugging this year.  Sad.

And the Tooth Fairy finally made a stop at Luke's pillow!  All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth.  And a Bakugan.  And a plasma car.  And Rock Band.  And a puppy...

No, I'm Not Dead. But My Laptop Might Be.

Everyone close your eyes right now and say a little Christmas prayer for the Gabtop 3000.  She is in the fight of her life, trying to survive a bout with a deadly online virus.  Terminal illness is never convenient.  But in the month of December, it can be particularly painful.  And since Brad's big old bulky desktop isn't really a fan of snuggling by the Christmas tree, my online shopping (not to mention my cyber social life) is suffering.  Big Time.

But here is what I have been doing in my screen-free time:

Moving to a new place is like going to a new high school.  You find yourself trying new things.  Hanging out with a different crowd. Taking new classes, inventing a new persona. Insecure teens might get talked into drugs or alcohol.  Insecure 40 year olds might get talked into running a 24 hour overnight relay.

Yes, I am running the Ragnar Del Sol in less than three months.  No, I have never done anything remotely like this in my entire life.  Yes, I am racing with 11 other Mormon moms.  (We have approximately 55 kids between the 12 of us and are seriously considering the team name "Sister Wives.")  Yes, I am training every day.  No, I have not experienced any notable weight-loss.  But, yes, it is surprisingly fun and addictive.

The kids are running too.  I guess 24/7 sunshine just makes everybody want to lace up the sneakers.  The PE teacher sponsors a twice-weekly running club after school, so that's where we can all be found Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.  Some of us are fast, some of us are slow.  Some of us whine and some of us glow. Needless to say, the backseat of the minivan is not the place you want to be on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon.  Post-run showers are mandatory.

So this is the part where I ask any runners out there for advice on shoes or training or good music for the iPod.  In the past, my eyes would completely glaze over when I encountered any running posts...so I promise not to get zealous.

 And, if the sick laptop ever makes a miraculous holiday recovery, I will post photos of our Christmas Casa!

Drumsticks and Sunshine

Our Black Friday this year was actually quite golden.  No mall, no movie theater, no boots, no gloves, no shoveling.  Just a big blue sky, sixty degree temperatures and a lovely family hike up Goldmine Mountain.  Not sure it burned off the butter fest known as Thanksgiving Twenty-Ten, but it was a start.

Having some family in our hometown made Thanksgiving so easy! Grandparents, cousins and friends came just for the afternoon.  No one had to cross a time zone or brave a blizzard or get the airport pat-down.

The food was all homemade and delicious.  And nothing makes a house feel more like home than hosting family and friends.  Much to be thankful for!

Yeehaw

Our new hometown is one part Southern California and one part Laramie, Wyoming.

Last night, we hitched up our britches, pulled on our boots and headed to our first-ever rodeo.

Cute cowgirls,

hotdoggies and chili,

country music, pony rides and chicken chasing.   

Giddyup!

The Weather, Harry Potter and Other Things I Know You're Dying to Hear About

Ahhh.  November in Arizona is complete heaven.  The sun shines every day.  Temperatures hover around 75 during the day, then cool off enough for cozy jammies at night.  My kids are constantly outside.  I go for a jog in the sunshine every morning.  THIS is why we live here.

The twins are settling nicely into first grade.  However, Luke has decided he wants nothing to do with his brother.  Last week, he was "Hero of the Week" and did not want to include a single picture of Sam on his poster.  I guess this makes sense developmentally.  He wants to be his own person...define himself.  But it makes me a little sad.

They have also decided they want to play separate sports.  Sam-soccer.  Luke-tennis.  But I am torturing them both with piano lessons!  They started this week.

Last week, Brad and I took a trip to Orlando.  We did the parks WITHOUT the kids.  Pure fun.  Harry Potter at Universal Studios was the highlight.  (Crowded but worth the wait!) We really are kids at heart.  Thanks, Babe for planning.  Thanks to Nana and Aunt Geesh for babysitting.

Em chose to choreograph a roller-blade number for the Activity Girls' Talent Night at church.  She performed beautifully, especially considering the fact that the day before she had five (!) teeth pulled.  Two of the teeth removed had crowns.  Nice.  I love paying to have all that expensive work taken out.  By the time this kid is 18, she will have a million dollar smile.  Literally.

Jake has become a sixth grade party animal.  The doorbell rings non-stop with friends asking to play.  He bikes to the park everyday with his buddies, has all kinds of birthday party invites and a great scout troop.  For the first time in his life, Jake has an age-appropriate social life and I am so happy for him.

Life is good.

November Cleanse and List Day

November 1 was official Cleanse and List Day around here. I feel so much better. Some serious pumpkin-pitching, one manic trip to the carwash, a fast-acting Fiber One bar for breakfast and I am a whole new woman.

I also got my new yellow legal pad (mini-size) ready for the annual Christmas list.

Now I know there is certainly some higher-tech way I should be organizing my Christmas plans. I know there probably is some foolproof holiday app right at my fingertips. But, quite frankly, I enjoy keeping the holiday a pen-and-paper kind of operation, okay?

Besides, my kids will definitely find the list if it's hidden on the iPhone. But if it is out in plain sight, on the kitchen counter, on the same kind of paper that I use for the Saturday chore lists, they will avoid it like a green vegetable.

I have saved my Christmas legal pads for years all wrapped up in rubber bands. I think it's fun to go back and read what I gave everybody in 2008 (Phillies' World Series sweatshirts) and what the kids wanted when they were really little. (2010 will be the first Christmas in years with no Thomas trains under the tree. Sniff.)

At the back of my little trusty legal pads, I also write a post-holiday review and helpful hints to remember next year. Order more cards! Send packages before Thanksgiving! Neighbor cookie party= big hit! Reading notes from my former festive self actually energizes me and gets me right back in the holiday spirit.

Last year I wrote: Keep It Simple! No Homemade Anything!

Now, I am NOT trying to rush the Christmas season. I honestly became nauseous last week in Hobby Lobby's pine and tinsel aisle. (Seriously, how can anyone stomach Silver Bells and cinnamon pine cones when it is 89 degrees?)

However turning 40 has led me down a path of increased self-awareness and I DO know myself pretty well after all these years. I know that I am an early bird....I get my best day's work done before noon, I get my best holiday cheer on before Thanksgiving. The longer I leave tasks undone, even fun yuletide tasks, the less likely I am to ever get them finished.

So today, I struck while the iron (and desert sun) were hot. I ordered a few gifts online. I planned a few holiday surprises. I threw out the Jack-o-lanterns. I walked off a couple Hershey miniatures. It felt good.

Holiday madness? Bring it on. My legal pad and I are ready.

For now anyway.

Boo to You

What happened to my cute little scarecrows, clowns and kitty cats? Yikes.

The kids are sugared up, the pumpkins are carved up and my house is seriously messed up.

No time to write tonight. But here is one of my all-time favorite Halloween posts, for old time's sake.

Happy Halloween to everyone. Here's hoping your kids share their Snickers and that the pumpkin guts come out of your new carpet.

Love, The Gab-lin