Christmas was both quiet and busy at the same time. We didn't go anywhere given Mary Ann's delicate condition. Mary Ann's mum is on an extended visit with us and she is staying until the baby is born (and then hopefully for a bit longer).
We picked the boys up on Christmas Eve and went to a party at an ex-work colleague of Andrew's in Long Island. Unfortunately it took 4 hours to get there (usually a 2 hour trip) so we were all a bit frazzled by the time we arrived, but had a good time anyway.
Got home and Santa delivered presents once the boys had gone to bed. Santa enjoyed the cookies and milk left for him and the reindeer feasted on carrots left for them. Mary Ann was interested to learn how different the traditions around Santa and Christmas are here than in NZ - I guess it makes sense considering it is summer in NZ when Jolly St. Nick is doing his work. Nevertheless, she intends to keep up the Northern Hemisphere traditions as long as we live where it is cold at Christmas.
Christmas Day we woke up kind of late (last time for that for a while) and opened presents (photos below). Santa was good, the hit was a ping pong/pool table. Santa had subcontracted the delivery of that 250lb item to Sears and we think he needs to reevaluate his relationship with them. After the first broken table arrived we had to contend with the delivery of potentially two more and the removal of the broken one. Let's just say it was a 2 week ordeal but now is all done. The ping pong table is a hit with the boys and the neighborhood crowd. We are happy to be able to now reciprocate the hospitality of the families the boys have made friends with - but there is nothing like feeding lunch to a bunch of teenage boys to make you realize how much they actually can eat! Nicholas and Kieran also received lovely handmade socks from Mary Ann - there is a picture here of Nicholas modeling his. Now everyone in the family has a pair of handmade socks except Mary Ann but we hope to remedy that soon. As soon as hers are done she'll have to start working on new pairs for the boys as they should grow out of the ones they have in about a week or two!
We spent a lot of time with the boys over their holiday from school and it was really fun for all of us. Kieran spent time practicing his guitar and Nicholas helped out in the kitchen a lot. He and "honorary grandma" seem to enjoy making baked goods together and the rice pudding they put together was a huge hit, especially with Dad. The boys also spent quite a bit of time with the neighborhood kids and there were times that we didn't see them for several hours. We've had to make sure they aren't wearing out their welcome with the neighbors (and aren't eating them out of house and home)! They have been having a great time in our new home and neighborhood and we're so happy to have them out and about and not glued to the TV for hours at a time.
The boys are back to school tomorrow, with very heavy hearts. We're proudly posting Kieran's latest school report here - what more can you say about a kid who brings home a report like this? We are very proud of him and especially happy that he seems so self motivated to do well in school. He also is really enjoying his guitar lessons and his teacher has reported that he is an excellent student and a joy to work with. We're hoping we have the next Eric Clapton on our hands so he can take care of us in our dotage. On the music front Nicholas is also doing well in his violin lessons. Mary Ann attended his violin concert right before Christmas and was happy to see that Nicholas seemed to be taking the performing very seriously. He was clearly very engaged with the teacher, eager to participate and held himself very confidently while performing. On the last day of school Andrew and Mary Ann attended the boy's Christmas performance and some pictures of that are included as well. Kieran was in the orchestra with his viola and Nicholas was in the front row of the 3rd grade choir. There was a lot of music and sing-alongs with the audience. I think the boys were happy the concert only lasted a short time since they got to start their holiday immediately afterward!
Kierans Report Dec 08
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The last couple of pictures show Kieran and Nicholas modeling the beautiful scarf that Andrew made for Kieran. It turned out beautifully and Kieran is really happy with it. Dad also finished up a blanket for the baby which we hope to put to use very soon. Next on Dad's craft project list is a scarf made by Dad for Nicholas. Everyone except Kieran seems to have caught the crafting bug and Nicholas has purchased a small loom for himself and is working on a blanket for the baby. These boys have discovered how a good project can help you while away the long cold winter evenings - especially when you're sitting around waiting for a baby to arrive.
We hope to report very soon on our latest arrival - it could be anytime from right now to middle of next week (they won't let Mary Ann go any longer than that). We hope you all are well and enjoyed a pleasant holiday and are embarking on a peaceful and Happy New Year!
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