Catching Up Again

Here we go again - so much has happened in such a short time.  That's the holiday season for you.  The kids had the whole week off before Christmas which was nice.  They made their annual gingerbread house and Daddy was around to help make it look so nice.

December 23rd is always the official start of the Christmas celebration around here.  Our neighborhood does luminaria so as block captains we are responsible for setting up a hundred or so luminarias on this day.  It is also the day that we make cheese pierogis for our Christmas Eve Polish Willia (spelling?) Dinner.  Well, things were a little different this year.  Usually Steve and Stacia bring the kids over to help with luminaria.  It is Ashley's birthday and she has had this as part of her birthday routine for years.  Ashley turned 18 this year and between her and Steve's work schedule and wanting to squeeze in lunch together, they did not make it over.  As far as pierogis - my mom always guides the process and usually Leslie and Michele, sometimes Peggy and Becky, come and help.  This year it was Mom and I and the girls and Greg stepped in for the second half.  A much quieter day and we did not make any cookies either.  I am not complaining, just noting how when you do things a certain way with certain people over and over, you miss it when things are different.  But it is soooo important to keep these traditions going - no matter who is able to show up!  Jules and Elise have always loved making pierogi and Paolo got into it too.

Every year Mom worries that the pierogi aren't right and threatens to buy them at the Polish deli.  Every year they are wonderful and delicious and homemade with love.  Diego roped in some friends to help with luminaria and good ol' Grandpa directed things and somehow it all got done.

That evening, the Gonzales Family gathered at Danny and Carmen's hall and had a big potluck with lots of food and desserts.  It was a really fun evening.  Uncle Danny dressed up as Santa and we had a giant white elephant gift exchange.  Chris brought his DJ equipment and played a different song for every person who got up to get a gift.  It was hilarious and we laughed and laughed.  Diego picked two of the gifts that we brought!  So much for getting rid of junk!

All of the kids got to sit on Santa's lap and who knew Santa was such a comedian?!

Diego even sat on his lap but the picture was very fuzzy.  I think he asked for a pink pony and a Barbie house or something like that.   Another comedian :)  Ava wanted nothing to do with Santa so she just sat tight with Tata Joe.

There was some dancing too.  The girls wore special socks just so they could slide across the floor.

The next day was Christmas Eve and Mark was off for the next 4 days - a defitnite perk to being an RTO.  We worked away to have the house ready.  We have not hosted Christmas Eve for years but it was actually kind of fun.  We moved out all the furniture and set up tables and in the end it really looked nice.  Diego had been sick and Ava fell asleep right before Mass so I stayed home with the two of them.  It really felt strange to miss Christmas Eve mass and it made me appreciate my faith.  I thought of all the people who just celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday and I wondered - what are they celebrating?  The older I get the more I have come to love the story that we are wrapped up in as humans.  The story of God coming to be with us, to be one of us.  It gives meaning and joy and hope to the whole crazy madness that Christmas can be.  So I missed it and I felt it. 

We have been having Willia for as long as I can remember and I think my mom would say the same.  It is a special 7 course meatless meal full of traditions and meaning.  It is absolutey, hands down, my favorite part of the holiday season.  It was another great meal.  Becky and Tyler and Maren were in town and so was Greg.

Mom's legendary, must have, homemade eggnog.



Leslie got the best dressed award with Grandma Jane's retro shawl.  She looked beautiful!  And no, we don't really have a best dressed award :)

All my girls looked so pretty.

These two were a total crack up during dinner.  They just sat on the couch right next to each other and took turns giggling.  It was so cute.  That is Ava's cousin Sammy by the way.

After dinner we watched my parent's 60th birthday videos and the kids had a massage-train.

My immediate family exchanges gifts that night and my mom made pajama pants for every one of us.  That is over 20 pairs!  My kids love them - I will have to get pictures.  Christmas morning was nice.  I must have really enjoyed it because I only took 2 pictures!

Next we had brunch at Nanas and my camera died so I have no pictures :(  We ate a ton and the tamales this year are probably one of our best batches ever.

We celebrated Christmas with Mark's Dad on Monday.  It was really nice this year because all of our celebrations were at different times and we were able to spend time with all of our family and not feel rushed or hurried.  It is exhausting celebrating Christmas for 4 days straight but it is worth it to have quality time with everyone.

This is the face Ava makes when she knows you are taking her picture.

Our slim jim queen.

These are all of Tata Joe's grandkids - with one on the way!  Joey and Tessa told us that day that they were expecting.  I am so crazy excited and I am going to pray and pray until that baby arrives safely.  They have had a rough road.

It was so nice to have Maren (and her parents!) in town. 

We made it to the zoo on a beautiful warm day.

The monkey exhibit is always fun.  You get to walk through and they are just jumping around in the trees.

The holidays are always wrapped up with Dick and Peggy's New Year's Day Party.  Everyone looks forward to all the yummy food and one last mega-family gathering before life returns to normal. 

I am pretty sure Alexander and Paolo ate half a bowl of jelly beans!

These guys man the spiedie grill all day (Jay too!)

Sammy was the only one to get a smile out of Ava.  I can't get enough of these two!

Everyone takes turns skewering spiedies.  Somehow I got out of it this year :)

And of course, the end of the evening firework show.

My boys.

Cousin time - does it get any better?

I feel so blessed to be a part of this family.  We are increasingly spread out but I think we all genuinely look forward to time spent together year after year.  Cousins pick up where they left off, parents swap stories, lots of silliness, lots of laughing.  Truly a blessing and another wonderful holiday season.  Back to reality!









Giving and Receiving

One of the many hats that Mark wears is President of the Dad's Club at SSJ.  This year the dads decided to help out a family in need for the holidays.  Sr. Loreto was aware of a family with 5 children whose father was out of work so a collection was taken up and Mark volunteered to shop for and deliver gifts to the family.  I am so thankful he did. 
Last Sunday Mark and his Mom and Tia Linda took our kids out to shop for this family.  All that they asked for was clothes.  No video games, ipods, etc.  Clothes.  Of course our kids complained and did not want to go, but they came back with smiles and I think they really enjoyed it.  They helped organize, sort and wrap.  And yes, they came along to deliver the gifts. More complaining. 
We pulled up to the house and were told by the lady out front that the family we were looking for lived in the back.  We made our way back and found their place - a 2 room apartment with a kitchen and a bedroom.  This is a 7 member family, just like ours.  I could not help but notice that even despite the conditions, there were Christmas lights over the door.  The family was beautiful and I was so glad that my mother-in-law came because she was able to communicate with them and give us a little window into their lives.  They were from El Salvador and had been here for 4 years.  He is an electrical engineer but has had a hard time finding work.  Their kids were beautiful and the older 2 boys spoke English very well.  The 17 year old was looking into college, had already received some scholarships and was hoping to go to Embry Riddle.  The mother was so welcoming and frieandly and I wished I could speak Spanish because I felt like we would have had so much to talk about.  She wanted to know if people thought I was crazy being the mother of five and we laughed at the things people say and how they don't get it.  They were very proud of their Catholic faith and expessed concern that their children would not find Catholic spouses in America.  They were grateful and humble and happy.
Sometimes it is hard to balance everything this time of year - the events, the shopping, the FINANCES.  The past week or two I was starting to feel the small pricks of anxiety that come with Christmas - and I didn't like it.  We showed up with boxes of gifts for a family in need.  They opened their home, offered us food and drinks, insisted that we sit down and get comfortable in their small kitchen.  They laughed and cried and sent us on our way with a bottle of sparkling grape juice and some homemade meringues.  There we were to bring them gifts and help ease their burdens - who knew they would do the same for us. 
On the car ride home I felt so many mixed emotions.  I felt incomprehensibly blessed.  I felt disturbed that there can be such economic disparity between people.  I felt peace that God lives and works and speaks among people of all cultures and conditions.  And I felt that unnecessary companion -  anxiety - slip right out of me.  Everything will get done, everything will work out.  All is calm, all is bright.  Thank you Lopez family.

Angels and Cookies

During the last week before school gets out there are several Christmas plays that the kids do and this year we had three!  Starting on Tuesday, Juliana was one of 75 students selected to be in the choir for the 8th grade pageant.  This pageant has been going on since before my time at SSJ and it really is beautiful.  I forgot my camera that night but it really was a wonderful performance of the Christmas story and I just kept hearing from the teachers that it was one of the best choirs ever! 

On Thursday we got to see our little Kindergarten angel perform.

B is for the Baby that was born on that day.



They do a sweet poem where each child memorizes a line and they each have a letter and when you hear their little angelic voices - aaaah, the world is good. 

After the poem they sing lots of songs.

Costume changes.....

We love our letter B!

And we had another little angel at our house.  Elise was very excited to have gotten the part she wanted.  The 2nd grade always does their version of the Christmas story and it is also sweet and adorable.

She is growing up so fast and she really looked beautiful.

I think she kept her hands folded the whole time!  I had to take a picture of Joseph and Mary. Joseph just kept his arm on her back like they had just made the long trek to Bethlehem and he needed to support her.  So sweet.

Friday was also the Grandparent's Mass and Grandma and Grandpa were able to sit with us and stay for Elise's show.  As busy as it is, I really do love this time of year.

Earlier in the week we were able to squeeze in tree decorating.  With our crazy schedule it is hard to find a time when we can all do this together.  Mark has missed the past 2 years but I am not sure he minds :) 

Then we had our 3rd Annual cookie decorating party.  It really is quite impressive.  First we star with this -

Then we add a little of this -

And don't forget hard work and concentration -

And here is what you get.......



And yes, Elvis!

Everyone gets so into it (especially the adults) and I am always amazed by what is created.  The kids have fun too!

Catching Up

This was a note I left for Diego early last week.  Sometimes I forget to tell him when I am going running in the morning and I worry he won't know where I am.  Anyways, I thought it was indicative of my life right now.  Not only is it a busy time of year but I have been dealing with illness in our house since Halloween.  It is starting to get me down.  But I want to attempt to get caught up with this old blog and not miss any of the fun and memories of the season.  I am still hoping for the day when I can blog every few days instead of every few weeks and not have these mega-all-in-one-multi-event-catch-up-blogs.  Someday.

The  first weekend in December we went to the Electric light parade.  This is something we have done on and off for years.  A friend of mine from elementary school lives very close to the parade route and she invited us to come hang out and walk to the parade.  It was a very cold, very wet night.  I love seeing the kids all bundled up. 

We walked (or hitched a ride in a wagon) to the parade route, hot chocolate in hand.

It was so fun sitting with Ava on my lap - everything was so exciting and magical.

Exciting and magical - until it started to rain. Freezing cold rain.  Fortunately Mark had brought our gigantic golf umbrella so we were ok for awhile.  Eventually we just had to pack it up and call it a night.  I have to admit, I loved how cold it was.  It makes it feel more like Christmas.  We had fun.

The following weekend was our tamale making extravaganza.  We have been doing this for at least 10 years and now that the guys are involved it has become an all out party.  I was about three days into my cold so I was not feeling so hot.  I was able to get some pics.

Here the kids are preparing the maza.  They always enjoy mushing and sqwuishing and when Nana pours in the warm broth it feels so good.

The assembly line.

When you are making 60 dozen tamales you gotta keep the workers happy :)

This is shortly before I dropped out and took a nap.

These Santa hats got a lot of use.  Earlier in the day I had all the kids put one on to try to get a Christmas card picture.  Not great but they are all there!  Note to self - look for opportunities to get a family pic before the second week of December.  On Sunday Mark took the kids to get a tree and they came home with a beautiful, big tree.  Our schedule for the week was so hectic that the only day we could decorate was Monday afternoon and we had to squeeze it in between homework and dinner.  Mark had to work.  It makes me a llittle sad to think we have officially entered the phase of a family when everyone is coming and going all the time. The kids had a great time - the girls insisted on wearing their pjs in the middle of the afternoon.  I love how they go through the ornaments and talk about where they are from and whose they are. They start reminiscing about past Christmas' and seeing their excitement and joy helps put me in the mood for the season.