Caroling

I don't have a picture for this post, just a story. Sorry.
Isaac and I went with a group of neighbor moms and kids to sing carols at two nursing homes this month. The first time, I was so impressed with a few families who were teaching their toddlers and preschoolers to go up to the residents and make a connection - giving one of the cards we'd made, giving a hug, or just saying Merry Christmas. I always want to do this, but if I'm having an introverted day, it can be hard to just walk up to someone I don't know, even if it seems like the right thing. Isaac makes it easier, of course.
The second time we went caroling, we ended up talking to a wonderful woman with an Eastern European accent. Her name was Julia, and she had recently lost her 28-year-old son, who had collapsed suddenly right in front of her. She reached out to us as soon as we entered the dining hall, and she thought Isaac was really cute, so it was easy to have a conversation and natural to give a hug to a mother like me who had loved her boy so much.
Downstairs as we were leaving, a woman was sitting silently in a wheelchair. She was quite old and not in the best of health, but there was something regal about her too. She was watching the kids as we put jackets on and prepared to go back to our happy lives. I felt like I should reach out to her. But it was an effort, and I didn't know if it would matter anyway. Finally, to be polite, once I had Isaac ready, I led him to her and asked him to say hi. Merry Christmas. Anything. He was tired, hungry, and uncooperative. But finally, I got him to smile and wave at her. She looked me in the eye and quietly said "Thank you."
I had no idea that our small greeting would mean so much, that it was something to thank us for. I was humbled, and a little ashamed that it had taken me such an effort. I told her to have a Merry Christmas, and we left to go shop for a party, but she has stayed with me.

A few pictures from the past week...

We've had a busy schedule this month, as you can see by Isaac's extremely tired face in the photo below...This is from last Thursday at a one-time holiday music class. After singing and dancing there, we went to sing Christmas carols at a nearby nursing home with some other neighborhood families. Busy night!

Below, some photos from an annual Christmas party at a neighbor's house. Isaac sat in Santa's lap for the first time on Saturday and did NOT like the situation one bit. Given that we never hand him off to strangers, or to anyone without proper introduction and adjustment time, I don't really blame him. Santa came to the party last night too, and Isaac was again quite disturbed.



On another note, I'm now torn between this adorable sweater and the cute new overalls at the top of this page (would be with a white, long-sleeved shirt) for a Christmas outfit. I love both. Any thoughts? Post a comment!

Trying to escape from Santa...

Headed Home

Isaac has developed a fascination with pipes. He'll stand in the bathroom for 20 minutes (and probably longer, but we start to get bored...) and point to all the pipes - in the cabinet under the sink, through the hole in the wall, by the toilet - he knows where they all are. He points and says "Ah-wa" (water) over and over, before launching into a long, detailed explanation of how it all works, in a language only he can understand, accompanied by much more pointing. He is thrilled if we ask, "Isaac, where does the water go?" His eyes light up, and he rushes over to the cabinet, opens the door and begins the long explanation...

So it was no surprise that Isaac was equally fascinated by the melting snow running through the gutters in Damascus. We followed the path of the water, from the snow on the roof, through the gutters and downspouts, and out a pipe into the ground. Grandpa got out his ladder so Isaac could get a closer look. Isaac loves ladders too, so he was very excited to go up the ladder with Grandpa, then Adam, to watch the flowing water. For a week after we got back, Isaac has been pointing up and talking about the snowmelt, then saying ladder and Da-da. Once I thought I heard him say Grandpa too, but he's still working on that one.



Isaac insisted on pushing the stroller himself as we walked between gates...Occasionally he would stop to smile and wave at various people, or turn circles until he got dizzy. He was so happy to have some time out of the airplane, out of the car.

Isaac and I are passing time in the Denver airport, finally home, close to 1am. By the time we got home, we'd been traveling for 15 hours.

More Thanksgiving pictures

Many thanks to Isaac's Aunt Kelly for letting us post her beautiful photos. She is a very talented knitter, but now we know she is a great photographer too. These are all hers.

View of the house from the road:

Rob and Gigi on a 2-hour hike through the woods. 91-year-old Gigi took a good nap when they returned, sure, but I can only be amazed.

I love these family shots:




And I LOVE this one:

Nov 30 - Thanksgiving Weekend

More walking in the snow...



During our walk, Adam decided we should take Isaac sledding down the big hill behind the house. I was a little unsure, but Adam has been sledding down this hill all his life and knows how to steer away from the trees and semi-frozen pond at the bottom...
So after a practice run, we all trudged up the hill. Adam had Isaac in one arm and was pulling the old wooden sled in the other, and he still beat me to the top. Isaac rode in front, and I was in the back. We started out slowly on the thin snow, but soon we were tearing along. Isaac was silent (though presumably not happy) until we hit the little jump toward the bottom. Then he started screaming.
Once we stopped, Grandpa, Adam and I were all there to comfort him. He kept fussing, but every now and then he got a little smile on his face...

No pictures of the sled ride, unfortunately, but below is red-cheeked Isaac just in from the cold:

Hanging out inside some more:

Long day

Wrestling with Da-da

Reading with Grandma

Nov 29 - Thanksgiving weekend

We went to Honesdale, PA on Saturday morning to take in Christmas lights and a (very cold) open-air market. Isaac got his first glimpse of Santa, accompanied by Rudolph. He was fascinated by the large man and reindeer waving at him through the window of a coffee shop, so we went out to say hi. Santa gave Isaac a candy cane, and Isaac gave them both five, repeatedly...Unfortunately, I was enjoying the moment too much and forgot to take a picture.

Hanging around the house in the afternoon, staying warm. Grandma (now called Gigi) is 91, but you'd never know it.



Isaac took this one:

Thanksgiving - Outside in the cold

We spent Thanksgiving in Damascus, PA with Adam's family - Grandma, Grandpa, Gigi (as Adam's grandmother renamed herself - so cute!), and Uncle Rob and Aunt Kelly. There are woods, hills, farmland, and the old farmhouse that Adam's grandparents lived in for years, which now belongs to his parents. It is hard to get there from here, but it's worth it.
The winters are very cold there, and Isaac got his first taste of a snow-covered world. Here are pictures of us on a post-Thanksgiving-dinner walk around the house. Isaac wasn't too sure about the snow yet. He thought it was surprisingly cold.