Holiday Whirlwind

Here I am playing catch-up again. My blog may be doomed thanks to Facebook posts that keep my family somewhat updated and my increasing habit of personal journal writing (not a bad thing). Still, I think there is value to the sort of family journal that this blog has become. So I will keep trying...

November highlights:

• Voted! I was excited to cast my vote for a woman. I was not excited when the devil himself won the election. How long will it take for him to get impeached?
• Got flu shots. Oliver cried, Bruce had a panic attack, I squealed, and Phoebe didn't even notice when she was stuck by the needle. She basked in her toughness for a few weeks.
• Went to a zillion school events. Having three kids at three schools makes for lots of weeknight events. The middle school had a "health and wellness night" where we did a scavenger hunt and some other activities and won Boston Celtics tickets in a raffle; Bruce and I went to the game and had fun, but it was late for a weeknight and we were surrounded by stupid drunk people. Oliver's class had a potluck and sang a few songs as part of a presentation. 
• Attended the Harvard-Yale football game. It's a big rivalry here and tickets are hard and expensive to come by, but one of Scott's coworkers gave him tickets so we felt obligated to use them. Harvard and Yale aren't actually that good at football, so it was like watching high school football in a bigger stadium and with freezing naked college kids across the bleachers.
• Thanksgiving! We started the day off with a win and course record at the Wild Turkey Trot, then came home and cooked all day. We had the missionaries over along with an elderly man from church and a neighbor of ours who moved here from India a few months ago and had never experienced Thanksgiving.  
• Black Friday at the Zoo! We spent the day avoiding traditional retail and instead went to the Franklin Park Zoo during the day and Zoo Lights at Stone Zoo at night. 

First big snow at the neighborhood park!

Learning gun safety before going shooting with Uncle Chris.

Sledding and tubing in Ohio with family!

December highlights:

•  Selling fudge with the Boy Scouts. Bruce's scout troop made, packaged, and sold fudge as a fundraiser for scout camp. We sold fudge in the train stations and to friends and family and it occupied way too much time.
• Bruce's piano recital. He has been Skyping with his piano teacher for a few months and we had a recital with the other 10 or so Skype students. It isn't quite the same sitting in your living room watching the tiny screen for a recital, but it is sure convenient. Getting a teacher to our house has been a pain in the past: parking is hard to find and traffic is always awful, so if a teacher agrees to come it's going to cost an arm and a leg. Bruce also had a recital with his jazz band and they were very impressive!
• My church calling took over my life. As humanitarian service coordinator, there was lots to do this Christmas. I organized a toy drive through the Salvation Army, put together a wish list and fundraiser for a family in the community whose house burned down, and organized another blood drive (which I also donated at). 
• Had a birthday. With the business of everything else going on, I barely noticed turning 35. Scott did get me a cake and I got a few gifts. I'm pretty sure I got a few gray hairs from this month too.
• Phoebe graduated from her taekwondo class. She got her double black stripe belt and moved up to the youth class. It's much more intense and they add sparring too. So far, she is loving it.
• OHIO! We looked forward to this all month and were so excited to finally get in the car and go. It's a long drive, but the kids were good on the way there. We attended the family Christmas Eve bash, visited with friends, saw all nine of my siblings and their families, went shooting, did some shopping, sneaked a date in with Scott, did lots of trail running, had a bonfire, went sledding, did lots of eating, and had a wonderful Christmas morning too. The kids each other really meaningful gifts this year; I was so impressed by them. For instance, Phoebe bought Oliver a Star Wars 5-minute stories book and she got Bruce some comic books. We made it back to Boston for the new year, but the kids are already asking when we will be going to Ohio again.

Merry Christmas!

Oliver got sick a week before Christmas. Really sick. Sicker than any of our kids have ever been. His breathing got bad, he started coughing, and he spiked a fever that lasted for days. At one point, his fever reached 103.5 degrees under the arm, he was breathing really fast, and he sounded like Darth Vader. We considered taking him to the hospital, but living with a doctor has its advantages. It was still rough though: we didn't sleep much and had to force lots of medicine into him. 

On Christmas Eve, we went for a little hike. It hit a record 70 degrees, so we had to take advantage of the nice weather. We hiked and played around a pond in the Fells while Scott went for a trail run.

Christmas morning was wonderful. The kids got up right at 6 a.m. and got right down to business. Oliver got a basketball hoop and a scooter.

He has been stealing other kids' scooters at the playground for months, so now he has his own. He already flies around on it. Phoebe got a skateboard and is quickly learning to glide.

Bruce got a Raspberry Pi computer for Christmas. He set it up and is learning to program it. He has big plans.

After presents were opened and things were cleaned up a bit, we had our neighbors and a friend over for brunch. The weather was quite lovely so we headed to the park for some play time.

Some of our neighbors were out of town so we did some cat-sitting. Phoebe loved petting the cats, feeding them treats, and generally feeling responsible. She wanted nothing to do with the litter box, of course, so I still don't think we are ready for a pet.

We are happy to borrow other people's pets though. Scott took Bruce and Phoebe to see the new Star Wars movie that afternoon, so Oliver and I hung out at the park and played with one of our favorite neighborhood dogs. His name is Boston and he is the most well-behaved playful dog. Oliver and Boston played fetch for an hour. 

Christmas 2014

 We went to Ohio for Christmas this year. The weather was great and there was hardly any traffic on the day we drove, so the trip there was relatively quick. The kids were eager to get to "Grandma's House" to play on the four-wheelers, run through the backyard, play with the collection of Legos that has been building for 40+ years, hang out with cousins, eat cookies, etc.

 We got to meet two new nephews - Jacob, this little guy pictured above, and August - both born in the past six months.

 Uncle Ben was nice enough to ride with Phoebe, who has a thing for the throttle.

 Scott was happy to grow a Christmas Beard. It got scarier for a few days after this photo, and then the miracle happened: he shaved.

 Christmas morning was wonderful as always. The kids loved tearing all the wrapping paper off of everything and loved playing with their new stuff even more.

 Phoebe got this giant stuffed giraffe, which was tricky to hide in our place for a few weeks and then haul to Ohio and back. Somehow it was still a surprise on Christmas morning. She tells me that "Giraffe" (pronounced jur-RAF-fee) is the sister she never had and insists that she eat at the table with us, sleep in her bed with her, and so on.

 My parents have a lot of wooded property and we did a lot of wandering through it. We got very muddy, but had a lot of fun hiking around with Grandpa.

Catching up with the Raymonds

It's been too long, so I won't even try to document our comings and goings chronologically. But here's what we've been up to since I last posted...

• Christmas in Ohio! We drove to the motherland, got lots of face-time with family, and scored some loot. I got Scott some nice headphones. Bruce got plenty of Legos. Phoebe got lots of firefighter stuff. Oliver got a few toys. Scott got me some awesome mom jeans (high waist, mile-high fly, a bit short on the leg...); they may not look so awesome on the outside, but they are lined with flannel, so I am totally wearing them all winter. 
• The Drive Home. Scott had to fly back to Boston to work after Christmas, but I stayed with the kids for a few more days of fun (and Cousin Camp at an indoor water park!). I started the drive on New Year's Eve; it snowed for a few hours and I got lost in the boonies of Pennsylvania, but we eventually made it to Anika's house! We stayed there for the night, got a New Year's Day run in the morning, and then drove the rest of the way to Boston in nice weather.

• Firehouse Saturday! It has been on my bucket list for awhile to take Phoebe to the Boston Fire Museum. It's one of those dinky museums that has limited hours and is run by volunteers (retired firefighters in this case). Bruce loved playing with a switchboard, Phoebe got to pull a fire alarm, and Oliver slept through the entire thing. We also went to Firehouse Subs for the first time for some grilled cheese sandwiches and firefighter hats. 
• The Plague entered our house. When we got back from Ohio, Oliver started throwing up. Then Phoebe. Then Bruce. Scott wins the medal for cleaning up most of the barf. While Phoebe had surprisingly good aim in the bucket, Bruce missed in epic fashion. He had the bucket next to him in bed because he wasn't feeling well when he went to bed, but he woke up and leaned over the side of his loft bed, and let loose the contents of his stomach all over the Lego-covered rug/ walls/ ladder to his bed/everywhere. He is really out of it at nighttime. 
• Creepy sleep-walking Bruce. Speaking of being out of it, Bruce occasionally has sleep-walking episodes. He will walk out of his room, turn on lights, say really weird things, act really strange, and then not remember any of it in the morning. I grabbed the camera for his most recent episode. I thought he'd be embarrassed by it, but he thought it was hilarious when he saw it the next morning and said I should post it on the blog. So here it is: he is scared of his bathrobe, wonders why we have it or his bed or something, and says he hates the bathrobe but wants to get inside it...

• Hosted a Blood Drive. I organize and coordinate blood drives at church every few months. It's kindof a pain to get people to sign up, but it is always worth the hassle. Whenever I hear the I-don't-like-needles excuse, I shrug. I know what that's like, but you're really going to let that stop you from helping someone out?! 
• Marathon training! Yep, it has begun. I am excited, but also nervous. I was counting on Oliver breastfeeding a bit less by this point, but he still wants me every third hour or so. Just give him a bottle, you say? Nope, he won't accept imitation: he wants the real deal. That might make long runs tricky - maybe I need a pit stop with a jug of Gatorade and a hungry baby. Someone suggested I get La Leche League to sponsor me and have a designated breastfeeding stop on the marathon course. Classy.
• Bruce started piano lessons again. He had an awesome teacher awhile ago, then a not-quite-as-awesome teacher that moved so slowly he was getting bored, then no teacher because I didn't want to trek around town to lessons with a new baby. Throughout it all, Bruce has been great at practicing on his own and has really improved his skills. When he met his new teacher, he played a few songs for her. At one point he started beat-boxing while playing and his teacher said, "Is that beat-boxing?! Genius!"
• Skiing! Winter is upon us, so we took advantage of the snow and headed to a tiny ski resort. I hung out with Oliver in the lodge, Scott taught Phoebe to ski, and Bruce flew down the bunny hills about a million times. He is fluent with the T-bar.

• Oliver is growing up and looking more and more like a little boy. He loves watching himself in the mirror, watching Bruce and Phoebe anytime, eating (especially when others are eating), and playing peek-a-boo and other little games.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Christmas is coming

 The kids are so excited for Christmas. The day after Thanksgiving, we pulled out the Christmas decorations and put them up. We have been baking holiday cookies at least twice a week and delivering them to a few locals.

 We often bake in small batches for two reasons: 1) if we mess up, we lose a smaller amount of ingredients, and 2) the fun is in the baking so we can bake more often.

 Phoebe may resist cleaning her room and picking up her stuffed animals throughout the house, but she will always help bake cookies.

 This little man has been eating more and more solid food and sleeping for longer stretches too. Last week I warned my neighbors and hunkered down for some sleep training. After two rough nights, I'm happy to report he is sleeping for seven hours straight - not quite through the night, but I feel sooooo much better. This is good because I just signed up for the Boston Marathon! I got a waived entry (so no qualifying time needed to enter) from my track club, so in a few weeks I'll start training for the marathon. I'm not going to impress anyone with my time this year; I think I'll be happy just to finish this time around.The 2014 race is going to be amazing though. I am really looking forward to it.

 Oliver is finally rolling over a bit. He is seven months old now, so it's about time!

 Phoebe provides plenty of entertainment.

 Not only is it the holidays, but there are all kinds of end-of-the-year things going on. Phoebe finished up a ballet class and had a little recital. She enjoyed dancing around in front of mirrors, but when I gave her the choice between ballet or T-ball for next year, she chose T-ball.

 A friend of ours gave Oliver a Santa suit that he wore to the ballet recital and a few Christmas parties. He has the big belly, but is working on the beard.

We celebrated my birthday this week. Scott and the kids picked out a cake and presents, and we had a little family party. I got new running shoes (my current shoes are way too old), a tiny mouse for my laptop, an awesome winter coat (my coat was so old that the inner liner was deteriorating and flaking away every time I took my coat off), and a skirt and tights. Bruce told me he thought I was so lucky to have a birthday in December because then I could get presents twice that month. When I told him that sometimes people would give a gift and say, "this is for your birthday and Christmas," he was appalled. I think he is okay waiting until May for his birthday.

We Wish You For a Merry Christmas

 That is how Phoebe sings the song anyway: "We wish you for a Merry Christmas..." On Christmas Eve, we went to a brunch with friends. Our kids performed the Nativity; Phoebe was an angel (really) and Bruce was a wide man (of course).

 Once again, you wonder why our Christmas card hasn't reached your mailbox. I'm thinking a New Year's or Valentine's Day card for this year, perhaps something worthy of Awkward Family Photos.

 After our brunch, we went to see the Nutcracker. Phoebe has been very interested in all things ballet/pink/beautiful, and a friend of ours was dancing in it. I was worried she would get bored (it's nearly three hours long), but she sat on my lap and kept a whispering commentary about the mice and the nutcracker and the naughty boys who try to steal the nutcracker. She also moved her arms and tried to dance from my lap. She was into it until the final 20 minutes, when exhaustion finally took over and she fell asleep. Surprisingly, Bruce was interested too; he kept pointing out music that he had heard in music class or on a toy or a ringtone. I thought we had taken a picture before the Nutcracker, but it must have been a mental one; above is my closest shot, Phoebe is eating a cupcake at an eatery by the theater.

After the Nutcracker, we headed to our second party of the day: more friends and more Nativity. This time, Phoebe played Mary and Bruce was a shepherd (that would be him in the upper left corner doing a ninja pose). Phoebe was quite serious for most of the play until the shepherds came along. "That's enough," she said after a bit too much praise from Bruce and company.

 Christmas Day turned out better than expected. One of Scott's coworkers switched shifts at the last minute; Scott will have to work New Year's Day, but got out of an evening Christmas Eve shift. I think we got the better end of that deal. Scott got to sleep at night in his own bed (yea!) and we didn't start present-opening until 7 a.m. I baked blueberry muffins, we ate, then the kids got down to business. Bruce opened a Lego set, took it to his room, and disappeared for an hour. Phoebe opened her dollhouse and played with it for an hour before moving on to the next present.

 We were all very spoiled this year. Scott got me some dishes, I got him an awesome flannel shirt that he has worn night and day ever since (atop scrubs, no less), Bruce got lots of Legos, and Phoebe got all kinds of doll-related stuff.

 We have been dog-sitting Gatsby for the past week. Most of the time, he is like a cat: hangs around the house, sleeps, eats, doesn't do tricks. The kids are good with him and he is very patient with them. He has some food issues; if he was a person, I'd diagnose him with disordered eating and send him to rehab. He always tries to eat whatever is lying on the sidewalk when we walk him. A few days ago I wrestled a stale piece of naan from his mouth. Yesterday he got a bite-sized piece of poo from another dog. Today he chomped something sizable so fast that I didn't see what it was. Tonight he threw up chunks, then started to lick them up and eat them. It was so gross that I couldn't intervene; Scott emerged and cleaned up the mess. He told me that's what he does at the hospital all the time and that I just need to re-access my thinking about what's gross. I have reaccessed and have decided that dogs are gross. I am no longer indecisive about wanting a dog: I definitely do not want a dog.

Scott has been working the night shifts all week (except Christmas Eve by some miracle), so when he comes home in the morning he is ready to sleep for a few hours. If you've been to our condo, you know the walls are thin and the kids are loud, so we can't be in the house when he's trying to sleep. We have been spending the mornings out and about, passing time in spaces like McDonald's and friend's houses. Tonight is his last night shift, and then he resumes normal sleep patterns again. Hallelujah!