Back to (anything but) routine

It has been a whirlwind two weeks, starting with good friends visiting, then visiting good friends, then Christmas, then family visiting from afar, then visiting family afar... basically we have not been on our routine for over 2 weeks now because we either weren't at home or we had guests at home with us.   Over the course of those two weeks Calvin went on two 2 hour and one 5 hour car trip (adding up to 18 hours of driving), napped in two different cars and four different houses, and spent the night in two houses other than his own (amounting to more nights away than at home), ate in six different restaurants, six different homes, and one car, and attended three different parties packed with strangers, and during all that time nobody lost any of their sleep or sanity.  In all actuality it would appear that Calvin was born to travel and party.

So what was the best part of the holidays?  Seeing friends and family that we see only once a year is always very special to us, and marked our season with a special joy.  And Christmas itself was truly magical this year with Calvin being such an active participant, ripping open packages and squealing with delight over every new gift (even the socks).  We spent the last week of the holiday season in Harbor Springs, our favorite vacation destination, and in addition to our usual enjoyments (such as visiting family, a Mackinaw City trip, local restaurants, and putt putt) we were treated to a week of nearly constantly falling snow (starting with the 10 inches that fell during a snow storm our first night there), giving us a vacation that was beautiful, serene, and oh so fun for a toddler who is learning to sled.  It was exactly what we needed for a strong end to our 2007-2008 holiday season.  Well, that and the fantastic football game we enjoyed from the edges of our seats in our snow encompassed lodgings (think Citrus Bowl goes to Michigan). 

Yes, it has been a magical two weeks, and we were ready to return to our routines today, if only that had happened, but is anything ever really that simple?  What started out as a normal day quickly became muddled by a dead car battery that threw everyone's day for a loop, and an odd evening of mishaps, which included Cortney absent-mindedly mistaking Calvin's soap bottle for lotion and having to start his bath all over again.  Fortunately, whether due to the recent weeks of escape or something in the air (perhaps the beauty of the recent 11 inch snowfall here at home), all three of us remained in good spirits in spite of the frustrating disruptions.  Maybe tomorrow will be more routine, but nobody's holding their breath.

Pictures from Christmas are in the Dec 22-28 album.

Pictures from New Years are in the Dec 29-Jan 4 album.

The joys of the season

The tree is decorated and the stockins are hung, so now it's time to have some fun!  It's a strange phenomenon in our house that during the summer we go outside only on days that are free of precipitation, but during the winter we only take the trouble to venture out if it IS precipitating.  We tend to think that snow is more fun than rain.  After days of being cooped up in the house listening to the winter winds howling all around, the blustery weather finally moved off, leaving a dusting of snow in its wake as an invitation to get some fresh air.  Of course we likely spent more time getting ready than we actually spent out of doors, but that in itself is part of the physical exercise of the season, isn't it?  Calvin was looking mighty fine in his "stay-puft meets M.C. Hammer" outerwear, and had no problem moving about in his boots (no "I can't put my arms down" like last year).  He was immediately surprised by his new ability to leave footprints on the driveway, and wasted no time in ordering his mother to shovel (a difficult job, but someone's got to do it and it shoudln't be him, right?).  It wasn't so much the clean driveway he was after as the pile of snow he wanted made on the grass, though.  Perhaps it reminded him of the leaves he shuffled through not too long ago. 

See the rest of the funny pictures in this weeks's album, of course. 

The wonders of the season.

Be it the strange decorations  that have come out of the basement or the sudden change in the weather, the crowds of people or simply a spirit in the air, the wonder of this season is more than just a commercial phrase coined by companies such as Coca Cola and Hallmark.  we know this to be true because we have already seen the look of wonder spread across our son's guileless face.  On Friday morning he stood agape, staring at our singing and dancing animatronic snowmen when first they appeared (and performed).  Saturday afternoon he traipsed through stores with a cheerfulness that can only belong to one who has never been responsible for holiday meals, deals, or clean-up.  Then tonight, as we enjoyed our first real snow of the season, he stood wide-eyed on our deck, face turned up to the heavens, a look of fascination on his face that clearly knew no cold.  Though last year may have been his first Christmas, we are ever more aware that this one will hold a place in our memories that is so much more special.

 "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science."
-Albert Einstein

There is a use for the snowsuit this year!

After months of waiting for winter to arrive it looks like it is finally here to stay for a while.  Really we couldn't be happier.  Cortney was even excited to go outside and shovel for the first time this season yesterday (yes, we know she's nuts).  We do love winter, but it's likely that our disappointment over the mild winter this year was due to our desire to introduce Calvin to snow.  We feel much better after getting our chance to do that today.  After his lunch Cortney suited herself up, then suited Calvin up, and headed outside for a brief romp in the snow.  Calvin thought it was pretty bright out there, and he's squinting in most of our pictures.  But after a couple of minute sitting in the snow he finally opened his eyes to see what was going on, and he thought the white stuff was pretty funny.  Until he tried to crawl in it and found that movement in the snowsuit was not possible.  Then he just wanted to go inside.  It was fun while it lasted, though!  And back inside he went right back to terrorizing the other four legged animals in the house... I don't think the cats are as excited about his crawling as we are.

A converstaion and a bit about the weather.

It has been a really weird winter.  Snow in October, temperatures in the forties and fifties throughout December and January...very weird.  And then, finally, winter hit with a vengeance in the form of a weekend ice storm that broke trees, downed power lines, and left our deck slippery enough to cause trouble for the poor dogs.  Monday saw many schools and businesses closed due to power outages and downed trees.  Even Jon got the day off because his office was one of those without power, and today his bosses moved operations to their institute location, as the power likely won't be restored until tomorrow or Thursday.  But, and this is easy for us to say since our power is on after only a brief interruption, everything sure is beautiful with a fine covering of shining ice, and the air seems so fresh when it is crisp and cold, with the sun shining brightly, albeit very coldly, all afternoon.

And Calvin must have really loved the day, too, because he and his mother had a long conversation about it at dinner:  Calvin "huh, huh, huh,"  (that was fun being out in the cold today) Cortney, "huh, huh, huh" (for you maybe, you were covered up), Calvin "mmmmm," (I like to watch the snow out the car window), Cortney, "mmmMmm" (you should have been sleeping instead), Calvin "aahmmm" (more squash please), Cortney "AAhmmM" (eat what's on your face first)...and so on.  You get the idea.  They conversed like that for upwards of two minutes, which had Jon laughing nearly to the point of tears.  This is the first time that Calvin has really seemed to talk to us, or to mimic in any way.  It was a beautiful conversation!