Christmas has come and gone...

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It certainly was not without event at our household. The beginning was marked by my fierce and painful battle with kidney stones, and then there was Will's 104.5 temperature and severe congestion, followed by my contracting pink eye! However, with all that said...we certainly have plenty of good memories, or at least photographs! Joe and I hosted the Rich family Christmas at my mom's house on the lake. The Uncles each spoiled their nephew with their very own firearms. Dillon and Danielle were excited about their being first time owners of bb guns (you'll shoot your eye out!) and Will the proud owner of a Nerf gun. The O'Neill's celebrated with a competitive game of Monopoly with $20.00 in actual cash awarded to the winner, mimi. We enjoyed my brother's engagement to the latest member of our family Danielle; and Will had his first sledding adventure down a big big hill. And finally, my own tiny family, Joe Will and I waited for Santa Clause at home and despite the fact that Will was so exhuasted by fever and congestion that he did not even recongize Mickey Mouse in the morning...he eventually became excited about his new scooter and GeoTrax train set.



And then there was of course the fact that Will learned about the Baby Cheese (Jesus), Mary/Joseph and the 3 wise men this year with the help of Ottumwa's Nights and Lights where they were lit up in neon, and his friends Leah and Lilly. We rang the New Year in quietly and contendly. With hope for luck in 2011 but with the knowledge that if it never gets any better than this, we are lucky enough.

"I want to give you a Magical Moment"

So we have returned from what was a truly magical trip to Walt Disney World. The absolute highlight of the trip was Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It is a special event that is intended to be a Christmas Party thrown by Mickey himself at the Magic Kingdom. The party begins at 7, and you have to have an extra special ticket to join in the fun.

We spent the first hour of the party taking in the decorations, and beauty of the park. The castle was decked out in Christmas icicle lights, and tremendously beautiful. Then the special Christmas parade begins. It was so amazing; like being at Macy's Day Parade, only better. All of the characters seem to make an appearance, a broadway production times 100.











I was literally brought to tears by the beauty and brilliance. A cast member or, (employee) was sitting to my right, and leaned over to ask if I was OK. I explained that I was OK, that I was just happy and sad all at once. That we had, had a lot of loss this year, and that beautiful things sometimes make me very sad for my loss, and very happy that life continues in its blessings as well. We continued to enjoy the parade with Cinderella, the famous Mice, and topped off by Santa Clause (straight from the North Pole I am confident). After the parade, she leaned over and said that she wanted to give us a Magical Moment, could we follow her to City Hall. We did.



We waited about ten minutes and then entered a "garage" where they store the parade floats. Soon, appears Mickey, Minney, and Santa Clause. It was the most magical moment of my entire life. Will was scared. But excited. I could have gone home right that second and had my trip be complete.




After the Magical Moment, we continued to enjoy hot chocolate, fireworks set to Christmas Carols, and then Dumbo, Peter Pan, Its a Small World, Dumbo (again, and again) and the carousel. One more ride Will kept saying. At midnight we headed home.

As I was drifting to sleep I was thinking how exciting the night was, and that while I understand that Santa also went home and took of his suit and went to bed, as did the mice, that for me it was so real and beautiful and fun that it was such a gift. Just before we left for Disney World I learned that our new pregnancy is not destined to make it to delivery. And that hurts, again. And this gift took away that pain for the night and in the morning I thought first of Santa Clause instead of my pain. Thank you cast member, thank you Disney World, thank you Joe for the gift of going back to Disney World (my Christmas gift), and thank you God for the continued blessings.

A real lucky duck!

Its true, only 28 days until we return to the most magical place on Earth! Walt Disney World! I am beside myself that we are returning, a real lucky duck I am. I am in fact already getting nervous about the post magic let down and my insatiable desire to return! I have worked out a tentative schedule for each day. I have a quick reference sheet for my husband to refer to. I have character meal reservations at the Crystal Palace (Winnie the Pooh) Hollywood and Vine (Little Einsteins), Chef Mickey's (for Will's official third birthday party), and a dinner show the Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner. We are maybe most looking forward to the holiday festivities Micky's Very Merry Christmas Party, as well as the Osborne Family Festival of lights.

I'm already nervous about visiting Epcot which we have not yet explored, and a little nervous about all those nights in a hotel room (last time we stayed in a time share). There comes no new adventure without risk I suppose. This time we are sadly not flying direct and I am a little nervous about Will's behavior on the airplanes and the chance for disaster on what will be four total planes by the time we are down there and back. I felt like we barely hung on last time flying direct!

But you know what, we planned this trip as part of our healing process, and 8 months after our family disaster we are doing well, and that's an awesome feeling! We count ourselves as lucky ducks to be celebrating life, our 2 year old's third birthday, and shhh don't tell anyone but also what by then will be 12 weeks of a new pregnancy. A little magic does a lot for a family!

What a child needs most

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. -Rudolph Giuliani


I was reflecting today on tradition, and how some things will be the same this year, and how some things will be different. Anyone who knows me, knows that I lost my papa this year. But, in some ways I have lost my grandma too. My grandma has Alzheimer's Disease and lives in a nursing home in Mt. Pleasant Iowa. And, you know what I miss her. My grandma has been in my life as one of my number one people since I was a girl, since I think about the third grade when she came to live with us in Iowa. Sometimes, my grandma would drive me crazy, protecting my mom I suspect from some of the daily grind, she would tell me what to do or direct me in a way I didn't like. But as I have gotten to be a grown up I realize that she was always willing to give me more than she had. She always bought me a cookie in the mall, she frequently gave me cash out of her purse when no one was looking, she drove me to appointments in Burlington, and to synchronized swimming an hour from home every Saturday for two years. My grandma always listened, and I can say with confidence, never judged, she in fact almost never offered her opinion; only her ear. My grandma loaned me her car whenever I asked (and sometimes when I didn't). She never mentioned that I never one time put gas in it. And even much later in life, she loaned me the money to pay for my fiance's wedding ring. My grandma and I went on lots of trips, some with my mom, some without. One of the things she can still remember with some confusion, is our trip to Chicago for my cousin Sue's wedding. There was this moment where we were locked out of the hotel at one of those side entrances. It was pouring rain, just pouring. We were huddled against the doorway trying to protect her newly set hair laughing so hard, I really thought I was going to wet my pants. We made our way in a taxi later that night to see Wicked. I don't really think she liked it as much as me, but she was happy that I was happy.

My grandma was really interesting too. She was a dancer when she was young, in a circus! One time we were at a showing of Miss Saigon in a theater in Chicago, the theater just glorious. Just before the show begins, she says very matter of factly, "I was once in a dance group that performed here, The Kit Kat Club." We just started laughing, because to her it had not been worth mentioning all day long or as we sat there for an hour before the show started. Just an ordinary fact to her, that she had once been a dancer on this stage. It was as if she never really knew, even before the Alzeimer's how beautiful and interesting and fun she was.

She has given me over my lifetime, literally hundreds of beautiful gifts, but every Christmas I enjoy most putting out my collection of Swarofski snowflake ornaments from her. Every year, she would say, are you SURE you want another. And I would say, oh yes, I do. And I'm so glad I have them. My grandma made hundreds and hundreds of cookies for my wedding rehearsal party, even though she could only make them a few at a time in a counter top oven. I'm lucky to have her still, she is still alive, and I can hear her voice. But I just wanted to take a minute and reflect on the things that I miss about her...and also to reflect on how lucky Will is to have my mom. I hope they are friends like my grandma and me and that I have the sense to stay out of the way.

Carroll's Pumpkin farm

Well we made it, a sunny day yielded some questions about whether it would be warm enough; but as it turns out a high of 63 was perfect for Carroll's Pumpkin Patch! Carroll's opens at 1 on Sunday, and while Autumn Acres in nearby Oskaloosa is much closer, they are not open on Sundays at all!

We headed to Carroll's in Grinnell and it took us just over an hour to get there. The crowd was very small probably in part because we got there right at opening time. Will loved feeding the goats and jumping on the huge jumping pillow that is sort of like an orange monster trampoline. He loved showing off his recently perfected tricycling skills, and trying a tire swing. He was anxious to have his picture taken, and loved posing on the tractors and in front of the painted signs. He especially loved the grain building, playing in what must be tons of corn for about 30 minutes.

A lunch of hotdogs and bottled root beer made for a great way to the end the afternoon.

We took Will to Carroll's Pumpkin Patch once before when he was just less than one year old, (he is just less than 3 now). I noticed lots of differences of course his size and independence. Though he loved feeding the goats then and now. This time the air gun that shoots corn cobs sent him sprinting to the safety of the tree house, maybe next year?

A new activity on a rain day...

I've been thinking every weekend for a while that we are going to head to the Pumpkin Patch, maybe in Grinnell, maybe in Donaldson, maybe in Oskaloosa, but it just hasn't been a nice day! So today at the start of yet another rainy day we decided to venture over to Bridge City Bowl. They had open bowling starting at noon, for 2.50 a game and 1.75 for shoes. The bowling alley was empty aside from us for the majority of the time that we were there. We headed over to the alley with Will's friends Lilly and Leah. He tried rolling it and using the ball stand, either way it was fun. Fallowed by lunch at Taco Bells we made the most of a rainy day. Pumpkin patch tomorrow? I sure would love to see the sun on a day OTHER than a weekday!

Dreams Come True

I hesitate to write about this because its not specifically my news...but I can't resist because it is so exciting for us...and the broader implication that its never to late for your dreams to come true! My mom grew up in Chicago Illinois but her grandparents had a cottage on a lake in Red Granite Wisconsin called Pearl Lake. She visited that lake whenever she could until she was 20 years old. It became a way of life, being at the Lake, and she always loved it. They had friendsips, and first loves, swimming and skiing, long lazy days when it raining, visits to the sauna. She has always wished a return to the Lake Days. We vacationed there several times while I was growing up and we have fond memories of those visits and the lucky times when our cousins were there too. About two weeks ago my brother suggested to my mom that she could probably make this dream a reality if she wanted. She has more free time now that my papa is gone, and it has come time to think about her own retirement and what that will look like in the next several years. They set out a three year plan, and two weeks later she has closed the deal on a lake property! We are so excited about "mimi's place" on Lake Thunderhead in Unionville Missouri. It is just a hop/skip/jump for all of us. There is plenty of room for children and grandchildren. While Will is the only little one now we hope that eventually there might be siblings and cousins. I find myself fantasizing about boats and dice games, about hot dog roasts and smores. About pretending to camp in mimi's back yard. It is so exciting to see her dream come true, and it is even better that we get to be a part of it!