Tag: family

Christmas 2024

December 27, 2024 8:36 pm

Merry Christmas!

Mom gave us a fake-snow machine! It’s more convincing than one might think–particularly in pictures.

I baked gingersnaps, orange rolls, cinnamon rolls, chocolate shortbread, baguettes (for Christmas Eve cheese fondue), and dinner rolls (for Christmas dinner).

I bought twinkling lights for the tree this year and so had several extra strands of lights leftover. I tried my hand at writing “Merry” on the fence (I think it came out pretty well).

On Christmas Eve everyone took turns reading stories. Heather played a few songs on the cello. I played a few songs on the trombone. We opened books from the girls and spent some time reading and eating treats. London practiced being a present under the tree. And then Santa came.

The girls were up about their usual time on Christmas morning–which is about 6:45. But they let us sleep a little longer and we got the morning moving around 7:30.

After pictures and stockings in the living room we moved on to the family room with the tree. But first Corinne had a few surprises of her own for the morning. She created, in secret, a surprise gift randomizer. This entailed her writing down gifts from herself on sheets of paper and sticking them in the pages of a picture book. We each opened the book to a random page to receive a special gift from her. Several of them involved her making us special items in Minecraft. She also gave us gifts she made at school including her “Christmas is…” book in which she describes the memories that make Christmas special for her.

I ordered the family campfire art from Uncommon Goods. Took a few back and forths with the artist to get the proof correct, but it came out pretty well. Even has London and Phoenix curled up by the fire.

Corinne was super excited to receive a box of “Captain Crunch’s Oops all Berries.”

I found a copy of the Springbok “Twelve Days of Christmas” puzzle on eBay for a non-absurd price. Jess’ family had it growing up and she’s been wanting it for nostalgia for a while.

Corinne became enamored of the horse toy when she saw it in a local shop. So she was extremely happy to find it under the tree.

Heather received a variety of things, but I think the thing she ended up being most excited about was the wireless computer mouse that she can use at school with her Chromebook and at home with her tablet.

Amongst other things (including the aforementioned snow machine), I received a variety of 3D printing supplies including some fancy filaments and a case for my newish Kobo eReader (which I keep meaning to write up a quick post about because I’m very pleased with it).

It was a good year. Though for unknown reasons I really had a hard time feeling much Christmas spirit this year. Didn’t feel like Christmas was near and then it was here and even during the day it somehow didn’t feel like it was happening. The girls all seemed to have a blast though. Corinne still has the unbridled joy and excitement of childhood that clearly comes through in her pictures. Heather is reaching the more subdued teenager stage.

I think perhaps next year I need to spend less time in the immediately preceding days trying to get baking done and more time just enjoying things. Maybe it will be easier if there aren’t car repairs needing to be scheduled (still not done), leaking ceilings to be worried about (hopefully resolved), and broken dryers to be fixed (seems to be working again now). Being an adult can sure be a drag sometimes.

Halloween 2024

November 2, 2024 8:59 pm

After missing out on Halloween last year due to the whole family being sick with COVID we got to make up for it this year.

We carved pumpkins on the 30th. The girls each really participated this time with not just coming up with designs, but helping scoop guts out and Heather did almost her entire pumpkin herself.

Corinne’s design used the eyes to make ears. Heather’s is a cat sitting in silhouette. I added a side view of a cat to make a whole feline crew.

Corinne and Heather were both cats from the Warriors series. Heather was Firestar and Corinne was Graystripe. Jess did face paint for them to complete the looks.

Corinne’s friend was supposed to Trick-or-Treat with us last year, so we made that happen this time.

I’ve been putting the smoke machine out on Halloween since I got it, but just a little wind will clear the smoke almost immediately. So this year I pointed the smoke machine at the ceramic jack-o-lantern we have. So smoke fills the pumpkin and then drifts outs of the eyes, nose, and mouth. It was a much more effective result.

A Couple Days in Monterey

June 17, 2024 4:31 pm

Mom said she’d take care of our cats for a couple days so we could do a short trip to Monterey.

We stayed at the Best Western in Marina which is almost as close to the beach as you can get. So after checking in we walked down to the ocean. It was cold. I wore pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a windbreaker, and a hat. I also went to Walmart and bought a couple blankets and was wrapped in one. I was still chilly. The girls pranced about and played in the waves. I don’t know how they didn’t freeze, but once Corinne was shivering we packed it in and went back to the motel.

The next day we drove into Monterey to go to the aquarium. We parked downtown and walked around Old Fisherman’s Wharf a bit. But before we got to the wharf we passed a patisserie and bought crepes. We had considered waiting until our way back, but it was good we didn’t because they were closed then. They were pretty good, though they took an oddly long amount of time. On the wharf the girls found a cow-bench to sit on.

At the wharf there were sea lions basking, and barking, on the shore. We walked the length of the wharf and then along the shoreline trail a while before hopping on the free trolley to finish the trek to the aquarium.

Corinne and Heather have very different approaches to such places, so I went with Corinne while Jess stayed with Heather. Corinne was upset when the bat rays wouldn’t come over to her for petting, but on our 3rd visit to the touch tank she was able to reach them and was very pleased about it.

Then it was back to the motel and the next day we headed home. And the day after that (Father’s Day) I took Mom & Dad back to the train station.