Waiting for Christmas--Belated

The kids patiently awaited Christmas morning. Over the month we received several boxes full of presents in the mail. By the end, the kids screamed "presents!" every time the door buzzer rang. We made lots of forts out of the big boxes and surprisingly, only a couple of gifts were stolen and partially unwrapped from underneath the tree.

We celebrated advent every night all month with candles and carols and chocolate. It was perfect for preparing young children for what was to come. They knew exactly what was going to happen on Christmas and why we were celebrating. It made the waiting and anticipating much more fun. We are continuing the celebration through the 12 days of Christmas
and I suspect that this is the beginning of a new nightly routine for our family. There's nothing better than ending the day with a little chocolate and hearing your kids' sweet singing voices.


Christmas Day pictures to come...as soon as they are downloaded for my computer-illiterate use.

Little chefs

The kids love to cook in their little kitchen. Today they made their great-uncle Marshall "eggs, cranberries, and corn puffs." Yummy.

They also beg to sit on the kitchen counter and help us cook. Arthur helps "Dad" (he's dropped the "y" and prefers to call us "Mom" and "Dad" like a little teenage squirt) grind the coffee beans every morning. We don't have tons of counter space, but we try to find a way for them to help if possible. It's really cute.

They made the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Arthur chose to taste it as his first bite of the feast and quickly vomited everywhere, ending his Thanksgiving meal early. Oh well. It still hasn't discouraged him from further cooking endeavors.

Mom and Dad have also been exposed to new tastes in the kitchens of NYC restaurants (thanks to the generosity of those who took us). We went to the Korean restaurant Temple in the East Village and enjoyed the spicy squid dolsot, or hot stone pot. For our appetizer at Al Di La we had carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef) with anchovies--both a first for me. Last week with the parents at Applewood we had foie gras over lobster. About half way into the liver, I realized that foie gras can be prepared cooked or raw...and I think I had the raw. It was delicious for a couple bites, but next time I would opt for medium rare. Literally any cuisine is at our fingertips in this city--a place where I am really excited about our little chefs growing up.