December 10th, 2006

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! This season leaves me nothing short of giddy. I love it, soak it in, spread cheer like peanut butter and can't help but sing carols all day. Aidan recently shushed me during the refrain of "Angels We Have Heard on High" he had heard so much of it. So far, I can only get him to sing Jingle Bells and 12 Days of Christmas with me. And he sings "almost fun" instead of "oh what fun" in Jingle Bells! Need I point out the irony?

Speaking of the irony of the holidays, I am doing pretty well on my commitment to not do one "should" this holiday season. We have been sleeping in, staying in jammies, and saying no. We did however, go to the Holidazzle parade tonight. I loved the group we went with, I could have fun if I were part of a chain gang with them, but it really was something we could have skipped. About 1/3 of the characters scared the bejeesus out of Aidan with their lit-up eyes. Now we know!

Hmmm. Let me see. In the realm of years, this one was an A+. We moved into our lovely home in the NE Minneapolis outcropping of St Anthony Village one year ago! When we moved in, we knew we had a lot to do in the house aesthetically. So far, we have painted every room but the laundry room, added crown moulding in the family room, gutted the first floor bathroom and renovated it, completed expansive gardening and landscaping projects, wallpapered the dining room, and replaced all of the window coverings. Although there is more, I'll move on! We love being home and now we can enjoy ourselves without looking around thinking of what needs to be done.

The boys are flourishing. Aidan is pushing 3 and a half, and Coleman will be 6 months old on New Year's Day. Coleman is just about to sit up and is long and lean, just like Aidan always was. Aidan and he are starting to "play" a bit and Aidan is realizing the fun that having a brother will be. Coleman is the definition of an easy baby, which is not to say it is easy, but he is SO laid back. He smiles thorough the cries! Cole cut two teeth at about 4 months--the two bottom ones in the middle. Today he started to buzz with his lips and he initiates games of this with Aidan--amazing to think five months ago he was still all curled up just after being born, sleeping 22 hours a day.

Aidan started preschool this fall and is doing well. He loves the structure of it and is especially fond of being the line leader and helper. His teachers, Miss Katie and Miss Lisa, comment on his vocabulary and his joke-telling capabilities. I have heard no such jokes, so I wonder what on earth he is saying. And that is the most surreal part of parenting: letting them go and hoping you did a good job to get them ready for the world! He loves trains and plays with them almost exclusively. Oh, and he reads books. About trains. We are thrilled that he picked that, with all of the junk that is out there. He also loves to play on the computer, roll his marbles down the stairs through a wrapping paper tube and basket contraption, and can't get enough spaghetti and meatballs to eat. Artichokes and sugar snap peas are also favorites.

Stats on the boys:
Cole 15lbs, 26 inches
Aidan 37 lbs, 40 inches

Joel and I feel blessed to have such a healthy family. Having all of our immediate family in the Twin Cities is really exceptional. And they are all exceptional people, too! They have all been so supportive and are all a big part of our kid's lives. Aidan loves his overnights with Grandma and Grandpa Hillesheim. And his trips to Nana and Baba O'Reilly's house are always so much fun he doesn't want to leave. My Dad found a Mac-based game called Alphababy that mesmerizes Aidan. They love to play it together.

Joel is coming up on his eighth year working for GE Water and Process Technologies (formerly Osmonics) in Minnetonka. His close friend Don, who is Coleman's godfather, just left the company after working there 12 years. Most, if not all, of his responsibilities have fallen to Joel for the time being. Joel was promoted this year, which sounds good in theory, but in practice means much more work and a "shorter fuse", to use a quote from Don. He enjoys cycling and gets out to do so as often as possible (which like all extra curricular activities when you have children is seldom). He started commuting to work by bike one or two days a week this summer and really enjoyed it. He had a few paved-path mishaps, but for the most part it was a great way to get the rides in an not make his wife pull her hair out.

I am full force into the motherhood. After the adjustment that all mothers go through, but especially the stay at home ones, we are settled nicely in to it. And I think we are doing well. I take myself and my job very seriously, and well I should (no change there for those who know me well). I always have something on the side to do when I feel overwhelmed by mothering, I have a couple of odd jobs, including childcare and home organizing, and I always have the movies. The movies are a huge respite for me. I love going alone, and I am secretly always trying to figure out when my next movie will be! It is an escape in the truest form. Most recently, I saw Marie Antoinette. And last weekend I broke my own rule and took Aidan along to see Happy Feet. Liked both movies. Happy Feet was a bit over Robin-Williamsed, but great otherwise and is essentially an animated March of the Penguins. Marie Antionette has a modern soundtrack, which is au current and well chosen.

We are so glad to have such a great group of friends that we have met since we had children. These are families that we love to get together with to have pizza. Not that we plan it that way, but we always end up eating pizza.

We hope you and your family have a healthy start to the New Year and we wish you a very Merry Christmas! Click here to see our family pictures taken last week.