Tis the Season...(with some desert photos)

Hello, and Merry Christmas (a few days late)!

I just LOVE Christmas and it is possible that my adoration for this season led me to overcommit a bit this year.  But morning as we walked to the beach for a Christmas swim, I told Eli that somehow this year feels even more satisfying than I anticipated, and I think it's because of the hustle-bustle of the season.

My parents have been here since early December, and Hanh and Eleanor joined us on December 20th.  We had a really good time playing with Eleanor - she is a quick, clever little thing and brings a lot to the table personality-wise.  (For example, she demands "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" whenever we go anywhere in the car.)  She and Lizzie got along better than I anticipated and mostly were playmates but occasionally had dramatic altercations.

Right before Hanh and Eleanor arrived, we took Mom and Dad to Wadi Shab and then to the desert for a night (at Desert Nights camp, where we have gone before).  It was a great two days.  I owe you some photos but I'm having technical difficulties right now and I started a novel this afternoon and I would rather read it than try to figure out why this computer is so in love with the dreaded color wheel.  I can just imagine those guys at Mac talking to each other when they invented the color wheel:  "well, let's give them something pretty to look at while the computer is misbehaving or even undergoing a catastrophic event", "oh that's awesome, right, maybe it should have a rainbow?"  ANYWAY.  Here is one of T and L in Wadi Shab...

My tech guy fixed things for me, here are some desert photos:

Lizzie's concert

I'm not going to lie to you, faithful readers, and tell you that I am finishing off a perfect, relaxing December.  But, it was pretty great even if it was exhausting.  On the last day of school, little Lizzie had her concert and she was just amazing.  Luckily, Eli took amazing photos to prove it.  See?

Sadly, the photos of Tommy's concert were lost somehow and they were really worth having because he insisted on wearing an outfit that made him look like a little old man at the beach.  But oh well.

FIVE YEARS OLD!

I realize I sound like any other parent out there, but how oh how is my sweet little girl already five whole years old?  I am comforted only by two different people telling me recently that when their kids went to college, it felt like it was about time, because the kids had become increasingly difficult to live with.  It makes me feel better that I might be a little bit tired of Lizzie in 13 years (after a couple of fights about homework and perhaps some disagreements about appropriate attire, but not dating because she can wait to do that).  Right now, it just seems surreal that she is getting to be such a big girl, who does everything all by herself.

I suppose if kids came with pause buttons, Lizzie would only be about 10 months old, which wouldn't really be fair to any of us.  Because she is an amazing five-year-old who is clever and kind and sassy and funny.  And when I think about how much time I've been able to spend with her since we arrived in Muscat, I am so grateful.

I think it is important to note that she selected macaroni and cheese "with the sugary cheese" for her birthday dinner, so I dutifully purchased a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese and prepared it for her.  She did not eat any veggies with it.  When she goes through her hippie vegan phase, I'm going to tell her friends all about how she loved processed junk.  (When I served her a spanish tortilla with sweet potatoes for dinner this evening, she loudly exclaimed that she HATES this dinner.)

Thank you for the Elsa doll, Auntie Em! 

All set to celebrate at school!

A birthday nap with her new Elsa Build-A-Bear (thank you Miyu).

Lizzie's FIFTH birthday party!

We celebrated Lizzie's birthday with 18 children at a ceramic painting cafe.  The party room was a bit small for the number of children attending, but I think they had fun and I know that Lizzie enjoyed herself.  After they painted their ceramics and ate lunch, they played games and when the games were over, the party leader turned on the music and they all danced.  It was very cute and very fun and made it all worth it!

I am working on a series of Tommy and his friends who are also missing their two front teeth.
This sweet friend is the newest member of the club :)

Conversations with Lizzie

Me, to both children:  "What are you favorite things to eat for dinner?"

Tommy:  - listing many things that I make -

Lizzie:  "Macaroni and cheese.  The kind with the bunny on it, and the sugary cheese."

****

Me:  "Lizzie, look at me in my eyes [to remove her attention from the television].  It's not polite for you to roll your eyes at me when I ask you to do something."

Lizzie:  smiles, rolls eyes.

Me:  laughing

****

Me:  "How was school today?"

Lizzie:  "Oh!  There's a new beanbag chair!  And, right at the end of recess Miss Julie brought out some balls for us to play with."

****

Lizzie:  "Why does 'date' mean what grows on a palm tree and what you do when you're going to get married?"

****

Everyday for a week, Lizzie wakes up and asks two questions:
"Are we going to pick up Grandma and Grandpa at the airport today?"  And when I say no, she says, "Well, are they in the airplane??"

****
Finally:  a Tommy zinger

[As we discussed our family's charitable giving for the year, we got onto the subject of orphans.  I explained quickly that Tommy and Lizzie are very lucky because they would always have a home to go to if something happened to Eli and me.]

Me:  "You'll never be in an orphanage.  ...  Unless you don't eat those vitamins!  If you don't eat your vitamins, I'm dropping you off today!"

[pause, as he thinks about what I've just said]

Tommy:  "That was a terrible joke."

Last woman standing (or am I??)

So.  Remember how Lizzie had the stomach flu over Thanksgiving? Eli came down with it and missed work on Monday and Tuesday.  Then, last night about midnight, Tommy called us and when we got to his room, he was sitting straight up in his bed with vomit all around him.  (May I pause here and say that while I am delightful to my children when faced with a totally destroyed bed like that, inwardly I am SWEARING because I do not feel like doing three loads of laundry -- much of which requires the pre-removal of vomit chunks???)  Anyway, he vomited all night long and his daddy took care of him because for two nights prior I had not slept at all.  Would each of you reading this please clap your hands together a few times for my spectacular husband?

There are two more parts to this story, but I'm too frazzled to figure out how to make it story-ish.  The first is that today is my THIRD day of feeling queasy.  I can't figure out if I'm just tired or if I'm going to vomit at any moment (I have a big ziplock in my car, just in case) or if it is purely mental because everyone else in my house has been vomiting but whatever the cause IT MUST STOP.  I am far too busy for this business.

Second.  Last night at soccer practice, Lizzie - wait for it - fell on her face and has an enormous fat lip.  The kids had dental appointments this morning, and while of course Tommy did not go, Lizzie did so that our phenomenally amazing dentist could check her out.  Then, Lizzie had a cleaning and she doesn't have any cavities.  But, on the way to the dentist I had to drop things off for the AWG Christmas lunch which is on Sunday, then I had errands to run at school and by the time I finally got home at 11, Tommy was feeling must better - dizzy and weak but better.