Hello, Blog. Wow, what a journey this last week has been. It began very shortly after my last post on here, when one by one my kids began getting sick, literally hours before our epic traveling home adventure was to begin. Let me quickly relive that crazy day that involved a car getting stuck in the mud (for real!); a bag check at security; a delayed flight that shortened our layover at the next stop to give us less than an hour to hop on a bus, go through customs, and run at full speed to the opposite end of the airport with sick kids in tow- without our stroller, because did I mention that we had to check our stroller back at the gate this time, because it was determined to be oversized?
When we arrived at DIA at long last, filled out our paperwork, stood in line, and found all of our bags- except that stroller! It didn't make the flight!- and got to our car I was relieved that the epic traveling journey had come to an end. Not so fast. As we headed north from Denver, it began to snow. And snow. And snow. The conditions were awful, visibility was terrible, traffic was crawling at a snail's pace, and I just prayed that we wouldn't get stuck or die right on the highway after traveling thousands of miles from Europe to here, while on the very last leg of our journey.
Well, we didn't die, or get stuck. Here I am, I won't say none the worse for wear, but here nonetheless. The children's colds turned into an ear infection for one of them, possible bronchitis for another, and the worst coughs my children have experienced. I got sick for a day, too, and I dreaded coming down with whatever sickness had hit my family so hard, but I managed to stave off anything worse than a slight sore throat. Due to being sick, the jet lag has been pretty ridiculous coming home. I'm still waking up at four, several of the children with me. Don't get me wrong; I love the early mornings, I just don't love feeling like it's the middle of the night the moment dinner's done.
Wow, for a post that was supposed to be about our Thanksgiving, this is starting to sound pretty depressing! Forgive me! Life is wonderful. Our day with family we hadn't seen in so long was cozy and wonderful. It snowed again, and it was the loveliest snowfall on Thanksgiving that I can ever remember. It seems the last five years or so we've always been able to go outside to take a Christmas picture with the cousins, but that was not going to happen yesterday. Instead we stayed inside and watched the snow fall. I made two apple pies, something I don't think I've made before, and Gideon and I got creative on the second one, browsing google images for pictures of spectacular looking pie crust. We compromised and went with something a little simpler, cutting out hearts with a cookie cutter, but we think it came out looking pretty good for a couple of novices.
And my two little boys! Those bow ties, Jude's vest...I decided Truman looked like a little boy from a fifties sit-com, and Jude was sort of channeling the British royalty/HRH Prince George look with his vest and button down shirt.
The event of the day that will stand out for me if I remember it in years to come (And now that I'm writing about it on here, it will) had to be Jude and Truman becoming obsessed with the Nutcracker ballet, particularly the dance with the Nutcracker and his soldiers fighting the Rat King and his army. After they had a discussion with my sister about the Nutcracker, something they were unfamiliar with before, she pulled up youtube videos from the ballet for them to watch. Specifically the Rat King battle. All day they begged for her to show them another video. Finally, that evening when we discussed watching Christmas movie, we decided that it must be The Nutcracker. My two tough acting little boys were so excited. They were on the edge of their seats, waiting for the the part with the Rat King. When the mice finally came out (or are they rats too? I can't remember if it is an interspecies army) Truman began to shriek and he grabbed me with all his might and buried his face in my lap. I think he's reacted that strongly when he watched Star Wars, but I didn't know the Nutcracker ballet would have an equally gripping hold on him. With fascination the boys watched the battle transpire, and when all was well because Clara throws that shoe at the Rat King, they boys sat back and relaxed again. They didn't make it to the end of the movie because, jet lag. All that classical music and dancing did them in and they were out for the night. At least they made it to, like, six o'clock.
IT was a lovely day, and I hope yours was as well.
