Ave Maria!

Everyone keeps asking me what I’ve done while the kids are away on their grandparent sojourn. The short answer is “not much.”

Monday, we made the trip to Olney/Newton/Effingham to celebrate the baptism of my good friend Jill C.’s sweet little girl, Maria. We were excited to be there for Maria’s day, especially since we missed both of Jill’s boys’ baptisms.

Baptisms are bigger affairs in Jill’s family than in ours. At our house when someone is baptized, you come over after church for breakfast casserole that I’ve most likely overcooked. (I don’t want to give anyone salmonella.) In Jill’s family, a baptism calls for a much more organized and beautiful celebration. It was so wonderful to be a part of Maria’s dedication to her faith! Jill and Gaspare’s family is full of warm, loving people, who truly value family and it’s always a treat to be with them.

I don’t have any pictures that do Maria and her gorgeous baby blue eyes any justice whatsoever. There was a real photographer there and I didn’t want to be the annoying guest who stepped all over her shots. So, I relegated myself to shots of Maria in a poorly-lit corner while she was in a swing. Even with terrible lighting and the back and forth of a swing, there’s no denying this little one is complete perfection.
The celebration dinner was at a hotel, which made it really convenient for us. The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and it had a great restaurant, where I took full advantage of the breakfast buffet. We left early and were home by noon so Brandon could spend the afternoon working.

Today I plan to stay put and purge our home of broken toys and scotch tape sculptures. There are some things I can do while the kids are here, but it’s much easier to toss all this stuff without Alex taking an inventory of grievances. I would also like to get three of the trees down today, but if I say it out loud it would just be setting me up for failure.

I’ve talked with my mom several times a day since the kids left. Thankfully all the calls have been to tell me how much fun their having or something funny they’ve done or said. No one seemed all that anxious to speak with me until last night.

Alex and my mom went to Staples; which is Alex’s idea of a fun shopping trip. They bought a bank that counts change.
I should tell you my parents’ house seems to ooze spare change. When I was a kid, there was always spare change lying around. I never worried about money to buy Sour Powers at The Trading Post, because I could always find some in a coffee mug, on the counter, in the cup holders of my mom’s car…Anyway, my stepfather, “Trophy” made the mistake of telling Alex he could have whatever change he found and could feed into the bank. Clearly he doesn’t spend time with Alex regularly because nothing motivates Alex more. My mom had to take water into her bedroom, which became Alex’s counting house, because The Gator refused to take a break from filling his bank. Around 7:00 p.m. last night a JUBULIANT--and I don’t use that word often to describe Alex-- but a jubilant Alex called to tell me he had stuffed $176.84 into his bank. We’re still in negotiation about how much I’m willing to let him keep. Trophy says ‘a deal’s a deal,’ but I think it’s a bit much. Maybe I’m just bitter that I didn’t have the same kind of bank as a kid.

It snuck up on me, but tonight is New Year’s Eve. Because we are w-i-l-d we are going over to Jill and Scott’s house. Our friends Angie and Jeremy will be there too. Frankly, there’s nothing I’d rather do! The boys are at Costco shopping for food right now. The always funny Sara asked me if they were wearing matching shirts and stopping for lunch on the way home. I asked Brandon and he gave me the pursed- lip expression that means he’s annoyed and Sara and I aren’t half as funny as we think we are.

Happy New Year everyone, and may 2009 be a lot less bumpy! I have the same prayer for my thighs.