1000 Words, No Pictures--Xmas and New Year's Eve

I still have not downloaded the pictures from my camera or copied Dad's picture disks, but I have missed blogging, so I'm just gonna post entries without images until I find time to manage my stuff!

Christmas was glorious. We got to hang out with lots of family members. Santa came to Granna and Papa's house, because we just couldn't fathom Christmas morning in our stinky apartment. Plus we had just finalized the deal to buy the Dream House, so we were feeling even more resentful of the apartment. We had gatherings with my dad's side, my mom's side, Peter's family and even a little time with just us. Loved it. The kids loved it. Every year I try to keep things simple, and every year, simple gets harder. But it all worked out beautifully, and Jesus's birthday was well-spent by all.

After all the holiday hustle and bustle, I really needed to get away. With my impending Return to Work (maternity leave is so dern short!), it was just a necessity. So I rented a cabin on Pickwick Lake, about 2 hours from Memphis. We invited Uncle Matt, Aunt Laurie, Caroline, Hallie and Annsley, to come along. It was just what I needed, a little R&R away from the city. The cousins had a blast playing Go Fish and Cranium Cadoo and WebKinz. Daddy/Uncle Peter mastermined a nature walk with scavenger hunt, which produced lots of neat leaves, rocks and tree limbs. The nearby hotel had an indoor pool that cabin-renters could use, so we took advantage of that. We made smores in the wood-burning stove. We ate spaghetti and pancakes. We got a ton of fireworks, but they were outlawed in the park, so they are mostly still untouched. We did do sparklers and poppers, though.

We celebrated "New York New Year's" which really is more fun, because there's a ball to be dropped and Auld Lang Syne to be sung. When Central Time hits midnight, it's rather anti-climactic and hardly even acknowledged on TV. The kids got sparkling juice (Sprite with cran juice) and the grown-ups got sparkling Brut, all in fancy plastic flutes. We had party hats and noise-makers. By 10 minutes after 11, Caroline and Hallie were sleeping. Amelia and Rebecca slept through the whole event. Annsley woke up from the noise-maker production. And Molly, who feel asleep 20 minutes before the ball dropped, woke up for the toast and promptly returned to her slumber. The grown-ups played a little Pictionary, and we were all asleep by about 12:30 or 1, which, frankly, is really late for us.

As Seen on CNN

Our lovely little corner of Earth was jolted from its 75-degree balmy slumber yesterday by tornadoes and "cloud walls" and "straight winds," but we are all fine and dandy, so thanks to all of you who have called, sent text messages and emails.

According to many (myself included), this was the scariest looking storm "ever" in Memphis, and we are no strangers to stormy weather. Out one window, sunny and lovely; out the other, black as night with clouds that seemed to touch the earth (and did in some places).

It was pretty frightening in the area where we live and definitely in the town where I work (Jackson), where the brunt of the storms hit. All evening yesterday and all day today, the 24-hour news networks were chock full of images from little ol' Jackson and the mess that was formerly known as the Union University campus. Dorms collapsed, students were trapped, etc. Miraculously, no one there was killed and only a very few were hurt to any serious degree. I was at the hospital there in Jackson, and caught a pretty little red-headed baby named Chloe to the magical sound of sirens and hospital loud-speakers announcing the "CODE D" (for "disaster"). I guess the toughest part was being separated from the rest of my little family. They were hunkered down in the bathroom first, the closet second, as a tornado touched down less than a mile away from our house. It ripped a roof off, depositing it pretty much intact right in the middle of the road.

Peter reports that the girls were well-prepared, from school drills, I suppose. Molly calmly informed Daddy that they needed to get in the tub and have a mattress over their heads. Rebecca showed him how they should protect their heads and sit "criss-cross applesauce" (known in the less PC days as "Indian-style"). When they were in the tub, however, Rebecca did get pretty anxious and scared & started to cry. Amelia also was not in the best of spirits. So they transferred to our closet and took a few toys and games and the Boppy pillow for Amelia. All's well that ends well, and Rebecca is excitedly reporting that "God held our house down with a big hand" so it wouldn't blow away like Dorothy's house in Wizard of Oz.

Of course, not everyone was as lucky as we were. One nurse from my unit lost her entire house, opening her closet door to nothing but rubble and her sun porch. I have already mentioned the Union community. The other Jackson-area hospital suffered significant damage to the medical buildings. As I drove home this morning after my 24-hr shift, I saw mangled semi trucks on the Interstate, trees pulled out down to the roots and upside down along the side of the road, dozens of them flattened like matchsticks, billboards snapped in half. And last I heard, there were about 50 deaths in this area. How lucky we are.

Where in the World Is Courtney?

Have you missed me? I know, my three readers out there, it's been a long, hard haul to this point. But I am up and running again! I have so much in store for you--stories, updates and photos--but your patience will simply have to kick in a little longer. I am writing this entry from my call room at the hospital, so I have no access to my pictures. And I want pictures to go with my stories. I will, however, give you a sneak peek:

1. Christmas--Remember way back then? Lots of family time and pictures and events. Best of all, didn't get on a plane or take any long road trips.
2. Return to work for me. New school for Molly, new school schedule for Rebecca, new daycare for Amelia.
3. Edamame. One of my new favorite foods. Curious?
4. Pickwick Lake for New Year's Eve.
5. All brain, a little braun. Trivia Nights for the Walshes & Marshes. Winnings galore!
6. Amelia groweth! She rolls! She grabs! She's got chub on those scrawny legs!
7. We now live in Our Dream House! Unpacking is another story....

Stay tuned for details. I know you were worried. Thanks for waiting. I'll be back soon!

Snaggletooth

Yesterday, Molly woke up as usual. She was talking to me about her upcoming "winter party" at school, when I noticed a dark shadowy area in her mouth. The previously mentioned loose tooth was gone! We were all very excited about this, her very first lost tooth. I felt a little sad, because, well, it seems like she JUST got that tooth. Wasn't she 6 months old only last week?? Anyway, we thought perhaps she'd swallowed the tooth in the night (I've heard that this can happen), but I found it in her sheets. The Tooth Fairy visited last night. I was awakened this morning to a squeal of delight. She left Molly a dollar, a pack of sugarless strawberry gum, and a small Tinkerbell decorative pillow hanging on a ribbon, all of which Molly promptly zipped into her High School Musical purse from Aunt Jenny. I asked Molly what she thought the Tooth Fairy did with all those baby teeth. Without hesitation, she answered, "They are for her Tooth Castle. She builds the Tooth Castle with baby teeth. But not the furniture. That would be gross."

Sugar Plum Fairies & Scarlett O'Hara

Our most recent Christmas-themed adventure was the annual performance of the Nutcracker ballet. Again, a childhood memory for me--my very best friend from age 10 and up was Miss. Jessica, and she was a dancer with Memphis Concert Ballet, which is now called Ballet Memphis. Every year, she danced in the Nutcracker. I can remember the week when auditions were held--always a very anxious and tense week--and going to the final dress rehearsal to witness the culmination of all that work. I loved it every time. (To highlight how old we are, Jessica & her husband are expecting a baby in February, and I have three kids. Wow--we are so ancient.) Two years ago, I took Molly to the Nutcracker in Davenport, and she was mesmerized. So the tradition continues. She again loved it. Rebecca was great through the first half, but was pretty restless by Act II and had to be escorted out a few times. Frankly, I think she missed the best parts--I love those Arabian, Chinese and Russian dancers, and I especially like the Polichenelles (spelling?), chldren dressed as clowns who come runnning out from under a lady's big skirt and do cartwheels all over the stage. Before the show, the girls had "mini-manicures" at Sweet n Sassy salon, complete with glitter and a ring for each (see photos above). We went to dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse and got to eat at the table that is shaped like a bed. Aunt Meredith, my cousin Alyson and her daughter Hannah, all joined us for a "girl's night out." We all posed for a picture, except Rebecca, who spent most of the meal hiding under the table, pretending she was asleep.

In the same weekend, the girls were in a Christmas parade in the town of Lakeland (soon to be our home)! Rebecca's school friend Haley (whose mother went to high school with Peter and me) was turning 5, and her parents built an awesome Gone With the Wind-themed float. The kids dressed in period dresses, sang carols and tossed leftover Halloween candy to the crowd. Their float won third prize (and a trophy for the birthday girl!). Oddly, Rebecca fell fast asleep (are you sensing a theme here?) on the float, so her parade memory is of her dad and Sage's dad shoving her onto the float as it pulled out from the staging area, throwing the parasol and white gloves to her as they drove away. By the time it was over, she was awake and peppy as ever! Again, Santa was a highlight. Molly is just so excited that she's finally not scared of Santa, so every opportunity to see the Bearded One is greeted with urgency and delight.

Will the fun never end?! Let's hope so, so Rebecca can get some sleep.

Holiday Happenings

We've been busy little elves this Christmas season. The girls, Peter, Pa and Papa all saw the Zoo Lights on the Friday after Thanksgiving and it's been downhill (or uphill?) from there!

Although Santa was at the mall from the very first day of November (doesn't this get earlier every year?), we waited until after Thanksgiving to see him. We went on a weeknight, which was super-smart, since there was no line. The girls got to chat at length with the Big Guy. Molly asked for a Nutcracker, and Rebecca asked for "an Ariel doll with Sleeping Beauty's head."

Reliving a childhood event for Peter and me, we all went to the Enchanted Forest. When we were little, this was held downtown in the Goldsmith's department store. As we got a little older, it moved to the Agricenter, and I'm pretty sure it was somewhere else before that. Now it's held at the Pink Palace Museum. The Enchanted Forest is held in conjunction with the Festival of Trees, in which local companies sponsor a group or organization so they can decorate themed Christmas trees. The girls truly enjoyed this part, perhaps even more than the EF. The EF has the exact same little moving figures it did 30 years ago--beavers building stuff, foxes sledding, owls in trees, etc. It all sort of smells like cat pee and moth balls, but what says Christmas more than beavers on sleds who smell like an old lady's house? There's a fabulous train village at the end and, of course, Santa. Sage, who goes to school with Rebecca, came, too. She and her parents are recent Memphis imports, so perhaps this will start a tradition for them.

We went to our church's Breakfast with Santa, which may need to become a tradition. The teens did a short play about the real meaning of the season (Jesus, for all you heathens out there!), incorporating the Christian meanings of the secular decorations (wreath is a circle for everlasting life, etc.). Breakfast was served, and since there were cinnamon rolls involved, Molly and Rebecca were all about that part. They made gingerbread man crafts, bookmarks, and saw Mr. Claus yet again.


Next weekend, the girls are in a Christmas pageant. Amelia is the star, as she is Baby Jesus, breaking gender barriers at an early age. Molly is a song (the performance is set to the song "Do You Hear What I Hear?") and Rebecca is a little lamb. We will also get together with the Walsh side of the family for holiday cheer. Then on Christmas Eve, the McKee side, and on Christmas Day, the Marsh side. It sounds busy and crazy, but let me say one more time how THRILLED I am that we are not getting on any airplanes or making long car trips for Christmas this year. Or maybe even ever again! Perhaps this is the best new Christmas tradition of them all!

It's just magical to watch the girls react to all the Christmas wonder. It's wonderful for those of us who are fast becoming grissled adults to see again through a child's eyes, the joys of the seaason.

Chuck Hearts Huckabee

Those of you who know me well will realize that I am not endorsing this particular candidate, but I must give kudos to Mike Huckabee for the Chuck Norris Connection. Are you familiar with the enormous cult following of Chuck Norris, of Walker, Texas Ranger fame? There is a Web site of hilarious Chuck facts:

www.chucknorrisfacts.com

So Chuck endorsed Huck, and the campaign made a clever ad featuring the Governor and the Action Star. It's posted on YouTube. You need sound to enjoy it, but you will:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjQs6Bn3ZVM

A little light-hearted fun in an otherwise long and tedious process is always welcome!