November found us getting ready for the holidays and finally completing the organization of the house. We now have artwork on the walls (thanks to Catherine!) and all the little things that we left lying around after the move are put in their appropriate spots. The only things remaining to do are get some furniture for the "library" and purchase a china cabinet for the dining room. We have furnished the nursery and thanks to Andrew's father and siblings for giving us the lovely crib set where our baby will be spending a lot of time in a few short weeks.
Towards the end of the month we had lots of company. We decided to welcome ourselves to the neighborhood by giving a little wine and cheese party for our neighbors. I had met all of the wives and some of the husbands but Andrew hadn't met anyone so it was nice to have everyone over. We really like our neighborhood and have found everyone very friendly and welcoming. There are a lot of kids around the boys ages so there is no shortage of weekend football games, bike riding or general fooling around. Some of the neighborhood kids came with their parents to the party and I'm not sure what they were doing in the basement but they all managed to absolutely tire themselves out without actually breaking anything. The parents, who I expected to stay for just a couple of hours/couple of glasses of wine, managed to hold out until 11pm and drank us out of house and home. A great time was had by all!
Catherine stopped over in PA for the weekend on her way to and from Rome. We had a great visit with her and the boys are always thrilled to see their Auntie Catherine because she always comes with gifts of chocolate from San Francisco. This time she also came with presents for Nicholas as he turned 9 on 11/21. We celebrated with his favorite beef tenderloin, jasmine rice, carrots, cucumbers and, of course, chocolate cake and ice cream.
The celebrations continued that week as we hosted Thanksgiving for much of the Cook clan (we missed you Dave and BJ). We had a traditional meal for 13 and I was surprised to find that a 21 pound bird just feeds that many people. We had many going back for seconds, a few for thirds and 2 for fifths (our growing boys Kieran and nephew David!). We were happy to be able to host the family and we had a really nice time. I'm thrilled to be back on the East Coast and so close to much of my family. We get to see each other so frequently these days!
With Thanksgiving done we have moved on to Christmas preparations. We got a lovely tree and had fun decorating it last weekend. It isn't too tall but is so fat. Nicholas was intent on filling the tree with green and red ornaments (all within inches of each other) - fortunately he wasn't too upset when I moved things around a bit. Kieran was instrumental in gettting the lights on correctly and Dad did the most important job of putting the star on top. Andrew is a lot like my dad was - he helps with the setting up the tree and getting the lights on in the beginning and then sits back on the couch and "supervises" while mom and kids put the decorations go on. After this year we'll have to have a fence around the tree to protect it from curious toddler hands so we are enjoying the unobstructed view now.
Kieran and Nicholas continue to do well in school and outside activities. Kieran is taking guitar lessons on the weekends and really enjoys the new music school we have him in. He is really working hard on technique and is learning songs that he likes. We may have the next Eric Clapton on our hands! He also had mid-term exams a few weeks ago and came home with all A and A+ marks. We are very proud of him. Nicholas has been doing pottery, some of which now graces our house. He has a real flair for style and color and seems to really enjoy creative activities. He is also doing very well in school and we went last week to his classroom to view his memoir (which is posted here) as well as work on his history project with him. He is researching Colorado and a famous Colorado resident from the past, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". We really enjoyed being in the classroom with the boys while they were actively working on their projects. We got to see Mr. Cunningham in action and really like how he interacts with Nicholas and the other boys. He invited us to come in anytime to sit in - we may take him up on that.
Nicholas Memoir
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The other thing taking up most of our mental and physical energy is, of course, getting ready for the arrival of our baby, due on January 4. I continue to grow...and grow...and grow but I fortunately feel good most of the time. Sleeping is my only challenge these days but I guess that comes with the territory. We are taking childbirth classes now and they are really informative. Even Andrew is learning a few things he didn't know (or didn't remember). We are very excited about the pending birth and finding out whether it will be a little she or a little he. The boys are also very excited and I love to hear them refer to the little one as "our baby" - I think they are going to be great older brothers!
As we move closer to Christmas and the New Year we wish you all peace and joy and we hope that 2009 is a year of good health and much happiness (and fewer economic worries) for all.
