Dear Crosby,

The time has come and we are leaving on our trip. We've been telling you about it for a while now. We know the time will pass quickly but we will miss you every second we are gone. We will be thinking about you. You lucky guy, you get to be with Nan and Grandpa! We know you'll have the best time together... try not to wear them out too much, okay? Otherwise they might have to put something other than hot cocoa in these mugs (:



Make sure you eat well so you can keep on growing! We gave Nan your puffs so she'll make sure you have a supply.



Don't get too rowdy with Uncle Pat and Uncle Steve. Snoop, you can lick Crosby's face but just don't whack his tender baby cheeks with your iron-clad tail.



If you miss us too much, Nan and Grandpa will send you to us in the mail. How's that idea?



*** REMEMBER ***



"You should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
We never will be far away."



Love,

Mom & Dad

IN THE MEANTIME...

Here are Christmas pictures.

Nativity reflecting on the water



Crosby's first Christmas!



We gave Steve his... what... 43rd pair of collectible drumsticks?! From the Cleveland Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Museum.



Thanks Pat! Hopefully we can play this with ya soon



Pat in a hat



Mom and Dad got a TV! They were so surprised!



All you need is love



Crosby had so many presents he had to open some during lunchtime. Guy, we only read one Curious George book. Oh well, we'll read more soon.



D has an uncle (his deceased dad's brother) who lives in Salt Lake. This is Pratap:



And his wife Anita (when they visited us in the fall):



D's brother and his family are here for the holidays and so we all went out to D and Suman's uncle and aunt's place on Christmas... Lis, Eden, Lindsay, and Crosby



This is D's cousin's wife Orysa. She's awesome and she walked everywhere with Croz! She and Ripan are visiting from San Diego. They announced they're due to have their first baby in June!



This is Orysa's mom Miro visiting from the Ukraine and she spoke only a spot or two of English. She fell in love with Crosby from the second she saw him; it was really sweet. No language needed. She watched the grandfather clock tick-tock with him and just snuggled him like no other like he was her own grandchild (: Such a cute lady.



D's aunt Anita attempted a shot of us all on the stairs, but D's cousin at the top has no head in this picture. Inevitable, right?!



Then it was off to Beth's where Crosby dilly-dallied in her sea of Christmas bears



And then home to bed after an event-packed day.

Baby Guy...

YOU ARE TEN MONTHS OLD!!!



We had so much fun putting you in this outfit that Aunt Jessie sent you from India. It took us around 10 full minutes to get your squirmy legs and arms in it, though. Once we got you all dressed up, we couldn't stop smiling! You must have known you looked handsome because you couldn't stop smiling either walking around in this little number! Had to open his present early Jess (;

Today's been a fun one, Croz. You had your favorite for breakfast - mango - and then we played all morning and did lots of walking around the house. You helped Dad empty clothes out of his drawer. Then you had a nap. Then you woke up with kind of a cold and you helped Mom wrap a couple presents. Then we had lunch and you came to the store with us for groceries where the bakery lady offered you a doughnut sample. Then you had about a 3 hour nap, so we hope you slept off that cold. Then we went to see the Christmas lights downtown with you bundled up all snuggly warm. Then we went to Grandma Beck's and then Nan and Grandpa's to say Merry Christmas Eve. Then you got on your Christmas jams and played chase with us for a bit. And very last you gulped down a bottle and fell asleep for the second night in a row in my arms. I have to tell you that I savored every single second and kissed your baby cheeks maybe a hundred times! And a hundred more snuggles on top of that.

Love you Crosby!

Mom and Dad

Family

What do this decadent chocolate cake...



... and these two cuties have in common?



They are both waiting for Cam! My brother lives in Cleveland and had to come to SL to interview for a dental residency at the U. Unfortunately he had to leave the rest of his family at home since he's here for such a short time, but it is so very fun to have my brother here! I miss him. Especially around Christmastime! Croz and I went with Mom to pick him up at the airport. It was just a good day; lots of excitement in the air it seemed.



Cam and Miles



We are all so excited to have you here, Cam!



The other night Crosby got to spend a little time at (Great) Grandma Beck's...



She had this snowman dancer she thought he might like, and boy was she right. He was totally fascinated with the thing and I was trying to video the little dance Crosby would do but I only got a little bit of it at the very end. So cute, I almost took the toy home!



CHRISTMAS FUN
From: Joanna

1- What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night sung slowly, a cappella, and with emotion. I love the Enya version because her voice is so pure. Even though it is in her language, I get chills because she sings it with such reverence.

2- When was your most memorable Christmas? Lots of nice memories but I recall around 5 years ago me, D, my parents, and brothers all hauled coats/sweaters to the homeless shelter on Christmas Eve in the stark freezing cold and it felt SO GOOD to do something like that on a night like that, all of us together.

3- What is your favorite Christmas treat? Les biscuits de sucre by Kim

4- What do you dislike most about the Christmas season? Idiotic drivers and pushy people. No one seems to say excuse me anymore; manners are out the door most of the time. It's so much more peaceful and easy when shopping is done throughout the year in order to enjoy Christmastime.

5- What do you like best about the Christmas season? Being in touch with a feeling of peace on Earth. Christmas lights, too, I LOVE! And I love how it is a given that Christmas day is all family, all day, with fun traditions.

6- Who is the hardest person to shop for on your Christmas list? No one really; I can always find a little something for someone as long as I know them well enough.

7- If you could receive one gift without money being an issue, what would it be? Hmm, that's a toughie... maybe I would wish for a perpetual stream of $$$ so I never have to fret about budgeting.

8- What is your idea of a perfect Christmas Eve? A fireplace, a family, a story, and snuggling. And some kind of cold fruity drink because that sounds really good right now.

9- Which do you like best, eggnog, or hot chocolate? Depends on the mood, do I want an ice cold drink or a steaming hot one?

10- Do you prefer a fancy Christmas tree, or one decorated by the kids? Depends but I love meanings behind ornaments and so it's neat to accumulate those and have a tree full of memories to reminisce about! I love dressed-up sophisticated trees too. Like Lucy's pink tree in an adult size sounds awesome. At the thrift store I saw a KILLER aluminum vintage Christmas tree, so all the branches were shining silver and it was about the coolest tree I've ever seen. Price tag? $99. Ha!

11- What is your favorite family Christmas tradition? Excitement all through the night, sleeping with my brothers all in one room and saying, "Shhhh. Did you hear that? That must have been the reindeer." Cam wearing Dad's watch and checking it every 10 minutes, being awe-struck by the bit-off cookies Santa munched on, not being allowed to look when you pass the living room, piling on Mom & Dad's bed together for a prayer. I remember as we got older we knew we were about to be lavished with gifts and there was something about that that made us feel overly grateful for our blessings and made us want to stay forever huddled on the bed together as a family! Traditions with me and D: stockings, laying on the couch staring at Christmas tree lights forever, prayer before presents, creme brulee French toast every Christmas morning.

12- Do you like fruitcake? I can honestly say that I've never tried it.

13- Do you prefer skiing or snowboarding? Not much experience in that department, considering the first time I skied was at the age of 18. I went with my pro friend who "accidentally" took me on a Black Diamond (where I scooted the entire mountain down on my butt) and to top it all off I fell off the lift. From quite a ways up. I will admit now though that once I got the hang of sailing down the mountain (for one run!) the sun on the snow was exquisite and it was so freeing and beautiful.

14- Are you dreaming of a White Christmas, or do you say “Bah Humbug” to snow? I think the snow is really pretty and this is the first year I've felt so loving towards it! I used to be such a summer girl. At the store today there was a guy who looked EXACTLY like Santa wearing a sweatshirt that said, "Ahhh Bumhug," ha ha.

15- What was your favorite gift from Santa when you were a child? I got a waterproof Cabbage Patch Kid so she could take baths with me! I also remember the smell of my strawberry LipSmacker that I'd get in my stocking, which I really loved.

16- What is your favorite Christmas movie? California Raisins singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on a Claymation thing.

17- Have you ever eaten snow? Yes. Crosby and I ate some two days ago, fresh from the sky. I love the texture of it!

18- Who do you wish could be with you this Christmas? My brother Cam who has to leave Christmas Eve day ) :

19- When do you put up your Christmas lights and decorations? First-ish week of December.

20- Real or artificial Christmas tree? Fake because I am severely allergic to pine. Too bad, because I love the smell!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Mr. Sandman, What is Your Deal?

If I don't write this down, I'll forget. My dreams are a bit embarrassing though. My neighbor made us some curry soup the other day but I never got to try any. So last night I warmed some up and ate it. Then I put aside all of my to-do list items so I could finally finish the last twenty pages of New Moon.

The outcome of these activities? I dreamt last night that I was taking a bath with Edward. In CURRY SOUP!



Yep. Bella was seething mad at me too.

Reasons for the Season

Ah, Christmas traditions. Despite D and I wanting to keep the meaning of Christmas to a maximum and emphasis on commercialism/presents a minimum, we're gonna have to include this sucker in our little family Christmas circle:



Is there a gift that this Santa bag can't hold? This thing is so large that it is almost touching the star on our 6' tree. Never too early to start up the traditions! Don't ask me what we're going to do with it. Until we decide though it'll make a killer carryon.

Mom and Dad... Crosby loves his Christmas ornament. Almost every day we take it off the tree, he turns it upside down so the snow flurries around, I wind it up to hear the music, he gives me a satisfied smile, and then he turns it around and around to stare at it. Then of course he studies the bottom to see how it works. Every time!



Codi. Seriously. What a joy Lucy is. I WANTED her to stay and play because we were having so much fun together. I love her! And you, of course. Better post those great shots I know you took! I want to see them. And Lucy and Croz need to play together more often, let's face it. Do they have the same chins?



D playing with Croz:



Me "playing" with Croz:



Another irresistible cousin shot:

Loving the Snow

Christmas Festivities

Last night was so much fun! I hosted a get-together with old sorority buddies from college Kappa days. We had some REALLY good food: stuffed mushrooms, lemon cake, fresh salad (with dried cranberries, my favorite), cinnamon rolls... I think I need some lunch because I am going on about the food, but it all was really so delicious.

We had the fireplace a-roarin'



White elephant gifts a-flowin'



Christmas tree sparkling



Oh and about 10 separate conversations going on all at once, all night long (: I barely managed to get one picture of (almost) all of us because there was LOTS of catching up to do, as always. Thanks girls for the lovely evening! Excited for the next one...



And thanks to D and my parents who kept the baby guy occupied!

For the Record

One of those things we had to do!

Weird

First off, I am grateful today for snow! I've been volunteering on Mondays at Clayton Middle School helping out with an ESL classroom and it was hard to get any work done today because I think we had one of the best views in the valley of falling snow. So instead of the work we were supposed to be doing, we just started talking about seasons and I think they learned something today!

Once Crosby woke up from his nap I stood him up at the piano bench as I opened the front door to get the mail and he started laughing like crazy at the snow. It lasted about two minutes straight; he thought the snow was so funny! He's continued to laugh at it all day too...



The unusual occurrence I have to report about: I had some NUTSY dreams last night...

Dream #1 - I had a fling. With Barry Manilow. When I told D we were laughing but I think it made him a bit uneasy even still! Talk about uneasy.

Dream #2 - Crosby drew himself a bath. Not in a bathtub though. In a paper grocery bag (which for some reason held the water). And then I got there to rescue him as the water level was ALMOST up to his nose. He almost drowned and I think there are now officially 20 years taken off my life from this one.

Dream #3 - Our neighbors who live downstairs were out on our lawn secretly putting up a Christmas village with life-sized houses, etc. They were "trying to get away with it," and D and I came out and said sorry you can't put up those decorations!

Basically I had an evening full of nightmares and I am spent. I was really cherishing my baby guy and hubby today, that's for sure! Barry Manilow has to be one of the most frightening-looking people on the face of the earth.

Malaria

Does anyone know someone who has had the disease malaria? What were their symptoms, how did they get cured and does anyone know someone who has taken the preventative malaria medication? If you do, tell me about it will ya?



I was reading about medicines to prevent malaria and lets just say: HEFTY side effects. I am curious to know if anyone's taken Lariam (aka Mefloquine) or Malarone; just thought I'd throw it out there...

Today I am grateful for cola.

D's mom has been gone for a while so he's hankering for some Indian food. We were revved up to go to Taj India's lunch buffet today since we rarely go out to eat... well we drove around in circles trying to find the place. They moved their restaurant. So since we were starving we stopped off at that enormous Chinese buffet mall on State; you know the one, right? Can't miss it and so we stood in line listening to this poor old lady ahead of us trying to purchase a take-home lunch for the senior price of $6.39 or something but the lady was charging her $7. Apparently take-home meals (one little tray) cost more than sitting in the restaurant gorging yourself on an all-you-can-eat buffet, go figure. She thought they raised the price on her and was livid. The cashier was trying to explain that it is dining in vs. taking out but she sadly didn't get it and finally gave in and paid the higher price. So we're ready to chow. We finally sit down, I tell D to go get his food, we whip out the high chair for Croz and toys and get situated. D sits down with the grub while I go get mine and soon as I get to the table he's like, "I can't eat here." It freaked me out like maybe he found something nasty in his food. D's allergic to peanuts though; he took one bite and knew something was awry. Luckily he had some Coke right there... for some reason he HAS to have some kind of cola when he accidentally eats or smells something peanutty and it helps ease the taste out of his mouth. I always flip though thinking he is going to die or something so I consider the Coke his saving grace. So we pack up, get our refunds (with a strange look from the manager... 'we no use peanut oil'), and wander around like vagrants for some kind of lunch.



By that time we were nearing Crosby's 3:30 9-month checkup, so went straight to the doc and didn't leave there till after 5. Delays, I tell ya. Which brings me to a fun tidbit of the day. Crosby's doc said he used to have a yellow lab named Crosby, who died 2 years ago and has been greatly missed. He said he's excited to be able to say that name again once in a while because it reminds him of his buddy. I wondered why the doc calls him Croz sometimes... now I know! The stats: our baby guy is 29 1/2 inches and just over 19 pounds. Pretty good after battling 2 FULL weeks of diarrhea and throwing up... a yuck stomach bug and I was worried he was losing a lot of weight. His 7th tooth just surfaced a couple days ago... never-ending teething! But he is a pro by now and puts up with it well. Next checkup is his ONE year! Unbelievable.



Happy Weekend, All!

Suggestions?

Our onion chopper bit the dust after two usages. It looked kind of like this:



Anyway it just broke. Anyone have a really good one that they love and can help us out with a suggestion?

Well my friend Lilie that I used to work with at Marriott just moved to Cali. I was looking at her blog where she said she wants to "try and post two things each time, and encourage you to do the same with your own life and/or blog: 1. What are you grateful for today, and 2. What's something interesting and unusual and/or fun that happened to you today."

I like that idea.

Today I am grateful for warmth. I woke up today in my bed, cradled in blankets, warm all the way down to my feet, and felt so lucky. Being cold is one of the worst feelings. A month ago I weeded out jackets, sweatshirts, and coats that are just sitting at our place that year after year we don't use and took them down to the Rescue Mission @ 463 South and 400 West. They and many other places are in need! Since it's not yard sale season anymore, take yours down there! They are always open. And Lilie I will follow in your footsteps... like Dr. Love says, "No need to thank me, just pay it forward." (;

Something fun is that I've been doing a Crosby photo shoot and he had a ball playing in the leaves... until that snow comes it is still Autumn around here!

Holiday Kickoff

Happy December 1st! Here is my guy in his Santa suit for when we take walks in the chilly December air.



Christmas tree: up. I gave Croz an assignment to find some ornaments but he got way sidetracked with the lights. We had so much fun decorating with him! Loving the Christmas music. And we made up our own little dance to Mindi Abair's jazz song; Croz was giggling like crazy.



Thanksgiving is old news now with Christmas right around the corner but this was Beth whispering secrets to Crosby on Thanksgiving. He listened to every bit. He still won't tell me what she told him.



So anyway we discovered this amazing park today... actually it is a bird refuge and nature park... quite stunning with a creek running all the way through and birds serenading... loved it! Crosby got to see lots of ruff ruffs too and you can't beat that. When he sees one he'll almost "ruff" or squeal or just stare, depending on his mood. He loves dogs. He's getting used to my bro Pat's dog Snoop and it is cute to see them becoming little friends.



D and I went in to check on C and cover him up and found him asleep like this:



He was snoring so deeply. For some reason it blasted me back to the past and reminded me of playing Heads-Up-Seven-Up in elementary school. What a baby guy!