The snow has hung around for days now, despite promises of warmer weather from the television news. The kids have been busy building tents in the livingroom. Maxim wants to know when we're leaving to visit Grammy and Noah lays on the couch, strumming the guitar and listening to Raffi. We have made chocolates this year to send around to family and close friends. Maxim helped mix and drop pieces into the melted chocolate. She was also an excellent taster of all spoons and forks and chocolate drippings. The week was filled with visits here and there and elsewhere. There was Micaela's sixth birthday party where we saw all of our Argentinean and Brazilian friends. We went to a play in Jamaica Plain with Juan Pedro, Gabby, and Steve and the kids hung out with Esperanza. We went to Joey's parents house and saw Lisa and Brenda and Kerry and Jason. We went to Jeff and Krista's house and met a whole bunch of new people.
We went to the Schlessinger Library holiday party and caught up with some of Marcela's colleagues... It feels like we haven't been home in days. But that isn't true. In addition to making the chocolates, we made holiday cards and printed photos. We gathered addresses from papers everywhere and started making our lists. Settling into our own home lets us finally gather together some things that have lived in boxes or in various places apart from each other for years now. We can make permanent lists, we can begin regular rituals and traditions. We feel that sense of things as we engage in our visits and put up our lights and rebuild our tree, life has come to a certain amount of rest. Things move, mind you, but they move around a fulcrum instead of chaotically or intermittantly. It is a different sort of rhythm for our family than we have felt since returning to this state almost five years ago.
The air stays at the freezing mark, but the sun takes layers from the bed of snow, now more than a week old. The ground begins to show through in places. The kids and I go shopping to find a Christmas present for Marcela. Maxim wants to get her a jewelry box. Noah wants to get her jewelry. Perfect. We stop by Carmela's on our way to downtown and they bring her a gift of chocolates. Carmela takesa care of Noah three times a week, but seh always sends him home with a small bag of snacks to share with Maxim in the car. They both want to hand her the gift and walk up the driveway holding it together, which Carmela melts to see. "They're adorable," she exclaims. "Merry Christmas Carmela," they say I unison, holding up the gift. "It's chocolate," Noah says. "I helped Daddy make it," Maxim tells her.
The solar year ended Wednesday with a very short day. The calendar year still has a week in it. The kids only know that these are festive days. They get to see friends and family more than usual, and eat sweets and goodies all through the day. They see their cousins and grandparents and everywhere they go people seem to give them things. What could be better for a child? We leave for Maine Thursday some time. Catherine will care for Bones and watch our house while we're gone. Another year done.
The snow has hung around for days now, despite promises of warmer weather from the television news. The kids have been busy building tents in the livingroom. Maxim wants to know when we're leaving to visit Grammy and Noah lays on the couch, strumming the guitar and listening to Raffi. We have made chocolates this year to send around to family and close friends. Maxim helped mix and drop pieces into the melted chocolate. She was also an excellent taster of all spoons and forks and chocolate drippings. The week was filled with visits here and there and elsewhere. There was Micaela's sixth birthday party where we saw all of our Argentinean and Brazilian friends. We went to a play in Jamaica Plain with Juan Pedro, Gabby, and Steve and the kids hung out with Esperanza. We went to Joey's parents house and saw Lisa and Brenda and Kerry and Jason. We went to Jeff and Krista's house and met a whole bunch of new people.
We went to the Schlessinger Library holiday party and caught up with some of Marcela's colleagues... It feels like we haven't been home in days. But that isn't true. In addition to making the chocolates, we made holiday cards and printed photos. We gathered addresses from papers everywhere and started making our lists. Settling into our own home lets us finally gather together some things that have lived in boxes or in various places apart from each other for years now. We can make permanent lists, we can begin regular rituals and traditions. We feel that sense of things as we engage in our visits and put up our lights and rebuild our tree, life has come to a certain amount of rest. Things move, mind you, but they move around a fulcrum instead of chaotically or intermittantly. It is a different sort of rhythm for our family than we have felt since returning to this state almost five years ago.
The air stays at the freezing mark, but the sun takes layers from the bed of snow, now more than a week old. The ground begins to show through in places. The kids and I go shopping to find a Christmas present for Marcela. Maxim wants to get her a jewelry box. Noah wants to get her jewelry. Perfect. We stop by Carmela's on our way to downtown and they bring her a gift of chocolates. Carmela takesa care of Noah three times a week, but seh always sends him home with a small bag of snacks to share with Maxim in the car. They both want to hand her the gift and walk up the driveway holding it together, which Carmela melts to see. "They're adorable," she exclaims. "Merry Christmas Carmela," they say I unison, holding up the gift. "It's chocolate," Noah says. "I helped Daddy make it," Maxim tells her. 
The solar year ended Wednesday with a very short day. The calendar year still has a week in it. The kids only know that these are festive days. They get to see friends and family more than usual, and eat sweets and goodies all through the day. They see their cousins and grandparents and everywhere they go people seem to give them things. What could be better for a child? We leave for Maine Thursday some time. Catherine will care for Bones and watch our house while we're gone. Another year done.
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