Once the holidays begin, everything else goes into suspended animation mode, but today it’s time to wake up. I’ve had my coffee, Anna’s had her milk; we’re ready.
This Christmas season has been more fun that usual simply because Anna is so much more aware and willing to participate in what’s going on. We have a local group of moms that we meet up with every week, and last Tuesday we all got together for a cookie swap party. Now, when Anna and I first met all these people, she was bashful and emotional and couldn’t let me out of her sight. Well, the times, they are a changin’. Anna was a new baby at that party. In a room packed with adults and children and noise and cookies, Anna sat happily on the floor, playing with the other kids and didn’t even look for me. I actually got to stay in the other room and talk to people, it was a Christmas miracle! She also let several other people hold her without protesting, and was generally a very happy girl the entire time.
We went to the zoo with my friend Jen and her daughter, Olivia, on Thursday last week. As usually, the giraffes were a big hit, though the meerkats are always a close second. The weather here in the mountains has been very mild for almost two weeks now, and the zoo, which sits high up on the side of Cheyenne Mountain, was quite pleasant and not at all busy. We walked around and the girls looked at everything and tired themselves out with all the excitement. Anna, who almost never falls asleep in the car anymore, was out like a light about two seconds after we left. That evening, Lisa brought over the kids and we exchanged gifts in a mountain of wrapping paper, ribbon and boxes. Lisa gave me this really beautiful handmade sweater and a cool crochet journal to log all my projects. It has inspired me to actually branch out in my crocheting and try some new things, as well as actually complete the handful of projects I have all over the house.
Friday morning I got up bright and early… and very sick. About 2 in the morning I had woken up with a bad stomach bug, but I thought I’d still be okay to go pick up my brother in Denver. Boy, was I wrong. About halfway there, I started to get a fever and horrible aches all over my body, and the wait at the airport was pure torture. I could barely lift Anna, who is by no means a heavy girl. Valentine was a trooper, and even though he was exhausted from his travels, he drove us all back to the Springs. Once we got home, we found Kurt weak and in bed, having come down with the same thing. What a great way to spend your first day of work in a month, right? Val took over, sent us all to bed and started making dinner for the family. I started to feel better as the evening approached, but Kurt, poor guy, spent the entire day in bed. Mom, Kent and Terry came over that evening for dinner, which Val had spent the day preparing. We would have canceled dinner due to plague, but it was a surprise for mom that Val was there at all. He and I had conspired to have him fly in almost two days early- he was originally supposed to get here late on Christmas Eve. Dinner was delicious, (pot roast, yum!), and by morning Kurt and I had almost totally recovered from our illness.
In the Schwartz household, we celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve, opening presents in the evening after dinner. Kurt’s parents were both European, and it’s the way they celebrated when he was growing up. It’s also very convenient because we can have our own private family Christmas in the evening, and then join mom and everyone over at her home on Christmas Day.
This year was our first year with just the three of us, since Monica is in Virginia with her new little baby boy and family there and Otto, Kurt’s dad, was in Brazil. We had a great time and Anna loved ripping into all the paper. She got a Leapfrog Baby interactive book and several Sandra Boynton board books and a new pine toy chest for all her things. It’s beautiful and designed especially for kids, with a lid that won’t snap little fingers and bench on top. Afterwards, we snuggled up and watched, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which I had never seen entirely before. Then we got Anna out of bed and joined the rest of the family at church for the candlelight service at 11 pm. That’s a tradition from my side of the family and something I have always enjoyed.
Christmas Day was wonderful too, over at mom’s house. There were more presents, lots of yummy things to eat, games to play and pleasant company. We received a surprise call from my Uncle Paul in North Carolina. He and Val hadn’t talked in years, so that was a nice treat. Terry cooked up a delicious Christmas dinner and by the time we were ready to go home, everyone was stuffed to the gills and groaning from the feast. We spent the beginning of this week over there for dinner, too, and I have never seen so much food disappear so fast! Val left last night to carouse in Denver before his early flight this morning, but not before getting to spend some quality time with his little niece and the rest of the family.
All in all, a wonderful Christmas! Now it’s time to get Anna back on her normal schedule, (she’s supposed to be napping right now, but is instead singing and yelling in her crib…), catch up on chores, and get back in touch with all the people outside my immediate family whom I’ve neglected for the past two weeks or so. Oh, and my brand new treadmill has been looking a little desolate and lonely downstairs, so I’m going to go spend some time with it today, too. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Pictures will be up, soon.
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