Christmas officially came to an end for our boys yesterday morning. Santa is a pretty flexible guy who will make a special late delivery if good children are away from home on Christmas Eve. In preparation for his visit, Dominick laid out snacks for Santa and his reindeer. When morning came, he found that Santa had left a series of rhyming clues which sent him all over the house. (Dom pointed out that Santa hadn't thrown away his granola bar wrapper or recycled his water bottle.) Finally, he ended up in the basement. There he discovered his new tool bench and sawhorse set. Noel received a Leap Frog toy, ironically the same one that entrapped Dom's arm earlier this year. It won't happen again, thanks to a redesign. Santa didn't leave batteries, though, so Noel's toy isn't as exciting as it should be. New batteries are currently charging. May they actually work! Do not get me started on the uselessness of rechargeable batteries. Has anybody had luck with these?
Here's a slideshow of some December photos. Don't you love it when you don't realize how few pictures you took during the holidays until you sit down to look at them? I blame the rechargeable batteries. Mom and Dad, I need to copy some of your photos!
30 December 2007
28 December 2007
Christmas 2007, Parts I and II
We're back home after spending the holidays with family in southwest and southeast Missouri. Like everyone else, we've had a busy December. Now things will settle down somewhat, but our to-do list is a mile long. I'll think about that later. Time to get back to blogging. Pictures will come later.
First, an update: as of December 19, the water leak is no more! In the 3 1/2 weeks between our first call to the water company and the repair, the leak grew from a small wet area in our lawn to a raging river that ran 2/10 of a mile until it ended in a drain. The neighbors must have thought we were really negligent to let it go so long or too stupid to notice. What else would explain all the knocks on our door, followed by "I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a water leak in your front yard." Really?!? The contractor who fixed the leak showed me the section of pipe that caused all the trouble. The crack was deceptively small.
Christmas, Part I: Joplin. This year it was just us, my parents and my grandmother, as it was my sister's first Christmas away from home. How dare she get married! Poor Noel was teething (a molar), so he was very clingy and cried a lot. Dominick made his first dough ornaments. He even gave his snowman the necessary body parts for using the toilet. (Don't worry--you can't tell!) The boys enjoyed opening presents and stockings and eating a big meal on Christmas Eve.
Christmas, Part II: Naylor. As usual, we traveled on Christmas Day, which meant having gas station food for lunch. Then it was another round of presents and another Christmas dinner. Mike's side of the family is much bigger than mine, so there were lots of people to see. Dominick had fun playing with his cousin Seth. By the time we left for home, Noel's tooth had finally started to break through, so he felt much better and graced us with some smiles. Both boys slept most of the way, so it was an easy drive.
First, an update: as of December 19, the water leak is no more! In the 3 1/2 weeks between our first call to the water company and the repair, the leak grew from a small wet area in our lawn to a raging river that ran 2/10 of a mile until it ended in a drain. The neighbors must have thought we were really negligent to let it go so long or too stupid to notice. What else would explain all the knocks on our door, followed by "I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a water leak in your front yard." Really?!? The contractor who fixed the leak showed me the section of pipe that caused all the trouble. The crack was deceptively small.
Christmas, Part I: Joplin. This year it was just us, my parents and my grandmother, as it was my sister's first Christmas away from home. How dare she get married! Poor Noel was teething (a molar), so he was very clingy and cried a lot. Dominick made his first dough ornaments. He even gave his snowman the necessary body parts for using the toilet. (Don't worry--you can't tell!) The boys enjoyed opening presents and stockings and eating a big meal on Christmas Eve.
Christmas, Part II: Naylor. As usual, we traveled on Christmas Day, which meant having gas station food for lunch. Then it was another round of presents and another Christmas dinner. Mike's side of the family is much bigger than mine, so there were lots of people to see. Dominick had fun playing with his cousin Seth. By the time we left for home, Noel's tooth had finally started to break through, so he felt much better and graced us with some smiles. Both boys slept most of the way, so it was an easy drive.
13 December 2007
New link
Be sure to check out the link to my sister Hannah and her husband Steve's new stationery business, Vellum. When their website launches in the next month or so, I'll add that, too. The designs are modern and stylish, very cool. We are so proud of you, Hannah!
12 December 2007
A babbling brook
We have a new water feature in our front yard. It's quite charming, like two little bubbling springs. The problem is we didn't put it there and can't seem to get rid of it. What does it take to get the water company to fix a severe leak? I hate to think of the amount of water being wasted. At least it's not on our side of the meter! The river originating from our yard has become embarrassing. The sign on our door now reads "Please knock/no solicitation/we have called the water company." 
Best wishes to those affected by the ice storm, especially family and friends in Joplin. I hope the power is back on soon.
The river goes up our block, turns the corner, and continues on the next street.
A close-up of one of the little springs, if you can call them that.
Best wishes to those affected by the ice storm, especially family and friends in Joplin. I hope the power is back on soon.
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