The Twizzler

We’ve decided not to follow our original plans of letting the kids stay up ’til midnight, but we have the Times Square activities in the background live from msnbc, so we’ll welcome in the new year with the east coast. That’s late enough it’ll feel like midnight to the kids anyway.

We have another hour and 15 minutes to kill. Shana requests Boggle. Kenan requests Freeze Tag. I think we’ll go with Shana’s suggestion!

P&L, thank you for the beautiful hannukah candles!

Kenan has inspired two inventions today.

The Parent-Pak

Every parent should have one of these handy two-part packages with them at all times. One tube contains a powerful tranquilizer to feed to the child.  The other contains a powerful stimulant for the parent.  Take once every four hours or as directed by your spouse. Do not exceed four doses per day.

The Repeater

This digital voice recorder pins onto your shirt or can be worn as a pendant around your neck. Its hands-free voice-activate decibel-sensitive logic means every command you yell at your child is recorded, then re-played every minute (or at set intervals of your choice).  Optionally randomly changes emphasis.  “Sit down Kenan.”  “Sit DOWN Kenan.”  “Kenan, SIT DOWN!”

Runs on two AA batteries.  Batteries not included.

Some pictures from Christmas and Boxing Day.

Waiting patiently to open gifts.

Books from Nikki, Tony and André:

Shana is very excited about the Legos from Tony.  “I think it’s really cool that he made a house just for me!”

She made a train station for the Thomas train set Kenan got from us:

Kenan with his train set:

Despite Helen and I both feeling sick today (I’m just getting over a cold, Helen’s just starting), we had a very nice, calm, and meaningful Christmas Eve.  Maybe it’s because we’re feeling sick–we canceled all the big plans that would have seen us driving all around town and making fancy dinners and exhausting ourselves, and instead did only the low-key stay-at-home family things.

We started the evening lighting the hannukah candles (it’s the fourth night) and singing the blessings, then had a splendid low-key dinner by Helen.  (I must say, I prefer it when hannukah is further away from Christmas–I can only celebrate one thing at a time!)

After dinner we ate popcorn and drank hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks while listening to Johnny Whitaker read Charles Tazewell’s The Littlest Angel, then read the last part of the Journey to Christmas, a book we’ve been reading every day leading up to Christmas.

Now Kenan is in bed singing Away in a Manger to himself.  Shana wrote a note to Santa (she says she doesn’t believe in him, but she sure acts like she does!) and is reading in bed. Helen and I are biding our time waiting for the kids to finally go to sleep so we can don our elven hats and fill their stockings.

Here’s Shana’s note.  See if you can make sense of it, and post your translation here–Santa may need your help.    (We’ve got to put some more effort into her spelling!)

… my true love gave to me
two little dreidls
and a latke in a pear tree

Kenan thinks he can win by might:

Shana wins with focused concentration:

Here it is, folks!  A few days late but better than never.  Kenan has been taking  Tap classes at the community center, and here is his end-of-the-year show.  It’s all about making noise, baby! 

Ready or not, here it comes!  Tonight was the first night of Hannukah, and we ran to the grocery store after church to get a bag of potatoes ( I was not ready) and we made some Latkes!  How did I do, Craig?  We took some over to a friend’s house afterwards and they said they tasted pretty good.  What is the best way to squeeze the water out after they are grated?  We did it with our fists, like I think I saw Craig do once, but it took a long time and was very messy.  I think we blenderized them too small, otherwise we could have used our strainer.  However, they were not too watery and tasted great and held together better than ever! 

I cooked them in coconut oil, very good for you and does not make trans fats when heated!  They tasted the same…Jewish cooking does not have to be ALL bad for you! 

Yesterday we journeyed to a Fairy Land of Sweets and ballerinas as we went to the Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker.  We prepped the kids with the movie of George Ballanchine’s the Nutcracker we received from Phyllis a year or two ago, so they knew the storyline and were very excited.   I was very surprised that practically every other family in our first balcony seats was there with kids!  Tons and tons of kids everywhere, many dressed in their Christmas best, so we didn’t have to worry so much about whispering and shifting in seats. 

We took a picture of ourselves afterwards near a Christmas tree , but Kenan must have been very overtired and crabby because he would NOT pose with us while a very nice man offered to take the picure for us. 

We made crafts during the week before, Kenan made a nutcracker and Shana made a ballerina. Shana’s is not quite finished yet, but Kenan is VERY proud of his, he in fact is fascinated and obsessed with the Nutcracker, wants a Nutcracker-Prince costume, is swinging his sword around the house all day pretending to kill mice and the King Rat (his favorite part, by the way) and in general loves everything Nutcracker.  Notice the sword, by the way, it is the most important part of his costume!  We have yet to see if he continues with his Tap classes and if this fuels a love for dance!

All in all a special memory that we will treasure for a long time.  A very long time, if we always have to pay full price to attend!