Road trip!

Headed to Minneapolis for the weekend! Happy New Year everyone!

t -3 and counting

We're coming into the homestretch, people. I CANNOT WAIT until noon tomorrow when I can walk out of my office and not come back until January 3rd. I made a batch of peppermint bark last night (my 4th? 5th? I'm losing count...) and realized when I was finished that I had totally forgotten to add the peppermint extract. Oof. That's when I knew it was time to hang up the apron and call it a night.

We are hosting a party for Matt's team tomorrow night at our house, which is totally nuts but also something I'm really glad we're able to do. Matt's a tough coach on the court and it's nice to be able to open up our home to the guys and show them that there's more to him than whistle-blowing and barking orders to run suicides.

We haven't put any gifts out under the tree yet for fear Matteo would tear into them. This morning I caught him throwing his basketball into the tree like it was a hoop. Nothing is safe around that boy.

There are still presents to wrap and treats to box and share with the neighbors. And I still have a short list of things to do for tomorrow's party including cleaning the house and decorating cookies for the team. But my shopping is done. My packages are mailed. Teacher and co-worker gifts have been given. My Christmas cards are mailed (well...2/3 of them are anyway). The DVR is stocked with Christmas movies. We are in good shape.

happy birthday, roscoe!

Today my sweet boy is 10 years old. We had a little bit of a scare this month. Roscoe had a couple of very painful episodes that seemingly came out of nowhere where he was crying and shaking and not able to bear weight on his right hind leg. We went to see the vet and they told us they suspected a knee injury, a pinched nerve in his back, or...less likely but much more worrisome...something more sinister. He was prescribed rest and pain meds and thankfully, seems to be back to his old self again. (I'm fairly confident it was a pinched nerve, which must be horribly painful but seems to be responding to treatment.)


at the vet

I've had many moments this month where I stop and look around me and appreciate that my life is a dream. We have a happy family, a precious dog, a sweet kitty, a snug little house, dear friends - we are very blessed in so many ways. As spry as Roscoe is he won't be with us forever and so, newly reminded of this, I am trying to be more mindful of just how good we have it and savor these times.

Happy birthday my sweet, handsome boy.



(If you would like to know more about Roscoe, see here and here.)

happy birthday, dad!

Oh, hello. Remember me? The woman who used to post here nearly every day? That woman is a leeeetle busy these days trying to get ready for the holidays, but I am popping back in to wish Matt's father a very happy birthday (+ 1 day - his birthday was actually yesterday. Oops).

Here is a classic shot of Matt's brother Kevin, his father John, and Matt. Look at those muscles! Look at that flowing hair! Look at those golden tans! I sure married into one handsome family, didn't I?



We hope you had a great birthday and we love you very much!

holiday cheer

Holiday baking is officially underway in our house and even Matteo is in on the act. Last night I gave him a hammer and together we smashed candy canes for the peppermint bark topping. He's such a good little elf. Except when he's yanking Christmas balls off the tree and throwing them.

I don't know what it is but this year I really feel like I'm on top of the holidays and have found that magical balance of efficiency and enjoyment. Is it that I've done this long enough to finally get the routine down pat? Is is the fact that now that with an unpredictable toddler underfoot, I have had to become much more efficient and productive with my free time? Or maybe it's that I merely feel on top of it all, but I'm totally missing something and it's all going to blow up in my face at the last minute. (Please don't let it be that last one.) Whatever the reason though, we're really having a lovely December.

and so it begins

Basketball season is underway, which means time with Matt is at a premium. Matteo is constantly asking for his Dada, which is kind of sad but also really wonderful when you see how excited he gets when Matt finally gets home after practice. They've played two games so far and, amazingly, Matteo was able to last for the whole game both times. While we can't go to all of them, we know enough people in the crowd at the home games who can help me keep an eye on him.

19 months

first visit with Santa

Doesn't he looked thrilled?

happy birthday, uncle jim!

It's a big birthday today for Matt's godfather. Happy birthday, Jim! Keep swinging!

football moves

[flickr video=6394555893 secret=e0e09f6eb6 w=400 h=225]

(Matteo's teachers have been joking that he must have eaten a lot of turkey over Thanksgiving weekend because he came back to school with such a big belly.)

go dog go

One of Matt's favorite books as a kid was 'Go Dog Go'. We have a copy of the original, but we also have a copy of the abridged board book for Matteo. Without any prompting from Matt, Matteo quickly claimed that book as one of his own favorites and wants us to read it to him all the time.



The last page is a picture of a big dog party in a tree, and whenever we get to that page, we always read that line in a really excited voice like, "A DOG PARTY!!!! YEAH!!!!"



The other night after his bath, Matteo grabbed 'Go Dog Go', sat down, and started reading it himself.

[flickr video=6442718025]