Happy New Year!

Yes, I'm back.  Sorry about the long silence.  The end of last year was busy to say the least.  October began with a family reunion in Ohio, followed immediately by Zack's visit home.  I spent my time during those two weeks trying to enjoy every minute with him, with a great deal of success.  When he left, it was suddenly Halloween.  Then I think I blinked and missed most of November.  Suddenly it was Thanksgiving and I was running an 8K and then eating delicious food.  Then there was Christmas to prepare for, which was complicated by trying to send something Zack would appreciate (mission accomplished) and the process of trying to make things both special and even for two little girls who don't really need anything.  By the time I got all that sorted, it really was Christmas, and I was playing bells and enjoying family and eating even MORE good food.  So now it's a new year, and we're counting down the weeks until we get to see Zack again.  And to distract ourselves in the mean time, I've got a few things planned to keep us busy.
First up is the somewhat ambitious New Year's Resolution I've set for myself.  My goal is to run 500 miles before the end of the year.  I figure now that I've started running, I need a solid goal to keep me going.  That, combined with the occasional 5k or something that looks interesting, should do the trick.  I have attempted to talk Zack into joining me, and while he readily agreed that 9ish miles a week was nothing for the moment, he's not sure that he can keep it up once he moves to the ship, so time will tell. It may or may not be the year of 1000 miles for us.  So far, we're both on schedule.
At the moment, my folks are off having fun, so Ela, Lily and I are house sitting.  I'm also helping out at the church where Mom works, covering for her a little bit.  It's my good deed for the month.  Ela is becoming a pretty decent dog letter outer.  Since Mom has a tendency to cook for me when she's home, I find myself suddenly much busier than usual.  :-)
Once Mom and Dad get back, my room mommy duties will be heating up for a little while.  There's teacher appreciation, followed by a Valentine's party I agreed to help with, and then the biggest fundraiser of the year for preschool.  Before we know it, there will be birthdays to plan and homecomings (don't know yet exactly which order, but we'll sort it out).
So things will still be going awfully fast, but I am going to try to get back into the habit of writing.   I hope to post some pictures of my girls before they become unrecognizable.  Happy New Year everyone!

New Year's Top Ten

Lots of people have done top tens about the past year. I realized, though, I've already blogged about those things, so here's the top ten things you can look forward to seeing on this blog in the next year, in no particular order.

1) The big move - We're moving to North Carolina in the next month or so. That will almost certainly make for a post or two soon.

2) Ela - She does so much cute stuff, she will certainly be featured here, along with her accomplishments and activities. On the list of potential topics are potty training and preschool.

3) Lily - Her big sister will be going to preschool, so she and I should get a little more quality time. This might lead to me writing more about her. Milestones that are likely to turn up here include walking (she might even crawl, unlike her sister) and turning one.

4) My Waistline - Once we get settled into our new home, I'm planning to throw myself into a new exercise and diet regime to get rid of the last of the baby weight. My secondary goal is to look and feel better than ever by the time Zack gets back from the mid-east. I'll probably share my progress or lack thereof.

5) A Visit from Zack - Zack will be gone for most of the year, so he probably won't feature here much. Writing about him will only make me miss him more. However, he will get to come back for at least one visit, and I will write about that.

6) Creative Activities - I'm still trying to clear out my yarn stash, so I'll probably post a bit about what I make. I'm also hoping to do more crafty stuff with Ela as she gets old enough to participate.

7) Cooking Adventures - With Zack gone, I'll have more range in the kitchen. This is a chance to try some new recipes without fear of him starving if they don't turn out. :)

8) Dory - The dog has actually already moved. She's staying with my family until we join her. I'm sure her name will pop up here from time to time.

9) Family Fun - Being back in NC will mean having more family close by and more chances to hang out with them. We're all looking forward to that.

10) Lots of Outings - We'll miss the plentiful sightseeing opportunities of DC, but we'll still be getting out and doing exciting things from time to time.

It should be an exciting year! Stay tuned!

Christmas: A Summary

We all had a very merry Christmas this year. Ela is just getting old enough to really be a part of it all, which makes it lots of fun. She got to help her Grandma make cookies for the first time.

Here's the results of her sprinkling duties on the first tray:

Of course, we went to church.  We opted for the children's service on Christmas eve, and the girls looked adorable as usual:

Ela loved the kid's performances, and made it a point to tell them all... loudly... when everyone else was done.  It was great to see all the other kids all decked out for the holiday, too. 

And, of course there were lots and lots of presents:

Santa came through with the blue train:

Zack's been telling everyone that all Lily wants is her two front teeth.  She has the bottom but she wants the top.  Well, she didn't get teeth, but she did get hair:

Ela has mastered the fine art of unwraping, and enjoyed both the unwrapping and the playing this year:

Zack and I got Ipads in preparation for his upcoming deployment. It's hard to pull myself away from this new toy, but there's a lot to accomplish around here. We intend to kind of ignore New Years as we prepare for our upcoming move. We hope all our friends out there had as merry a Christmas as we did!

Zoo Lights

Every Christmas, the National Zoo puts up lights.  This year we went with some friends.   Ela wanted to see the animals, but when she saw what the lights were like, it totally left her mind.  Lily slept through most of the event.  I found it was really hard to take pictures with both people and lights, but here's what it looked like. 

 

 

Clearly, Ela had a super time.

And it turned out that there were a few animals still out and about.  Ela even got up the nerve to touch the donkey.

We had a great time both checking out the event and hanging out with friends. It was an excellent way to get into the Christmas spirit!

She Remembers a little more...

This weekend, Santa was hanging out in the Eastern Market, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather to go see him.  Ela was excited to be going, and did her little happy dance when she saw him, but then we asked her to get on his lap.

She was less than thrilled. It was all we could do to get her to open her eyes and take her fingers out of her mouth for the picture.  Lily was highly tempted by that white beard, but didn't actually get up the nerve to pull on it.  We snapped our pictures, thanked Santa for his time, and went on our merry way.
All the way home, Ela talked about her blue train.  Apparently, Santa will just know that it's what she wants without her actually telling him. 

She Remembers...

We've started talking about Christmas in our house.  Ela is at the age where I never really know what she'll remember from holidays past.  We've also been working on days of the week, so at the beginning of this week, I told her that we'd be going to see Santa on Thursday or Friday (I learned no to delay this during her first Christmas).  Ever since I mentioned it, Ela has been talking of nothing else.  This is really surprising to me.  For one thing, she apparently remembers who Santa is.  For another, last year she was terrified of him.  Our picture from last year is of her looking absolutely miserable (but not actually crying) in his lap. 
Apparently, the fear is gone now, and every day she asks to go see Santa.  The funniest part is that I don't think she knows what Santa does.  She just knows that he's a part of Christmas.  I think she's seen him in some of her shows on TV, but she apparently doesn't associate him with presents yet.  In the car today, she was again asking to see Santa, so I decided to see what she knew.  The conversation went something like this:
Me: What are you going to ask Santa for for Christmas?
Ela: Please! 
Well, she's got good manners, right? 
Me: Ela, Santa brings good girls and boys a present on Christmas.  What will you ask him to bring you? [and then I started leading] Would you like a train, or a dolly, or...
Ela: Ela wants train.
At which point I'm relieved, since that's what Santa was planning to bring her.
Ela: Ela wants blue train.
Uh oh.  I guess Santa's shopping list just got a little more complicated.
Me: Okay, then you'll say 'Santa, I want a blue train please.'
Ela: Santa, Ela wants blue train please!

Now that our rehersals are complete, I guess I better take her to go see Santa soon! 

Treats and Tricks

Our neighborhood is not exactly one that inspires trust, at least after dark.  In fact, my husband says we live in the ghetto.  I disagree.  It's really a very nice place to live, with good people all around.  It's just a neighborhood in the middle of a big city, and as such it's a little less safe than, say, the average suburb.  I feel perfectly safe playing with the girls outside all day long.  However, I think twice about going anywhere alone after dark.  This says much more about DC than it does about my neighbors. 

All the same, last year for Halloween, I decided to take Ela to North Carolina to trick-or-treat.  I did this for several reasons, one of which was that I didn't want to knock on strangers' door in DC.  I felt much more comfortable doing so in my parents' neighborhood, where at least they all knew each other.  It was Ela's first trip out, and I didn't want anything scary to happen.

This year, I decided to give DC a chance.  I know a few more people in my neighborhood, and I didn't figure that Ela would be up for a big run anyway, so I made plans to go out with Ela's best friend, Audrey, who lives up the street.  Zack found out last week that he'd be on a business trip, so I felt better going with at least one other adult.  We'd hit a few houses and call it a day.  After all, people do trick-or-treat here. I didn't want to be totally snooty when I know and like people around here and trust them to help my girls celebrate a fun holiday. 

So Halloween arrived and I managed to convince Ela to put on a costume.  She chose her lady bug one:

In the time it took me to get Lily into her outfit...

... Ela was ready to take the costume off again, but then I reminded her that we were going trick-or-treating (which she'd seen on Dora the Explorer), and that (more importantly) Audrey would be there, and she stuck it out until we got outside, only insisting on losing the headband.

We left the house around 5:45, with plans to meet a bigger group at six for a short trip up a few streets.  We met Princess Audrey at her house and then the rest of the group at a playground, which was nice because the girls got to play on the equipment before we headed out. 

As it turns out, Ela liked trick or treating this year.  She said the right words, and got her candy, and insisted on carrying her own bag.  She loved all of it except getting down steps, which was hard because she couldn't see her feet in her tutu.  We were out for roughly an hour, and it was getting dark when she announced that she was getting tired and wanted to go home.  As we were on our way home at the time, it worked out perfectly.  It was a super experience.  I was very glad I had decided to stay in the area.

I sent Ela inside with a piece of candy (her only one for the night) while I waited on the porch for another neighbor friend who was coming by to trick or treat, since we'd bought candy before I knew Zack wouldn't be home.  His mom was watching him from across the street.  Audrey and her mom were still hitting a few houses on our street.  I saw a police car pull up at the end of our street.  That alone didn't phase me. I'd seen them out and about while we were trick-or-treating, and I actually like that they were so visible on a night that begs for minor mischief.  Then I saw the cop come running down our street from the car.  That was when I decided it was probably time to call it a night.

Apparently, my neighbor decided the same thing, because she started hurring her son along. I met him on the sidewalk with a handful of candy and walked back up to the house to close up shop.  I was closing myself in the house when Fiona called.  She had just gotten home with Audrey and she informed me that the owner of one of the houses she and Audrey had been visiting on their way home had called the cops I'd seen.  Some men had been doing some work for him in his back yard and were held up at gunpoint. 

See? I knew there was a reason we didn't trick or treat in DC last year.

So I turned off the porch light, locked the doors, and pretended we weren't home.  I bathed the girls, and put them to bed, and when I came back downstairs, there was a cop car parked right outside the house.  I figured that meant I was pretty safe to take the dog out one more time, so I did.  My neighbor across the street informed me that they had put up crime scene tape at the end of our block.  I thanked her for the information, and hurried the dog back inside.  Then I set the alarm for the night.

Nothing else out of the ordinary happened, but I was glad we did our trick or treating earlier rather than later.   I'm also glad that next year we'll be in Cary, where the odds of running into a mugging are much much lower. 

Easter Weekend in Pictures

We went to the Arboretum and fed the fishies.
Ela got to play with her cousin.
Mom had a super birthday "picnic".Ela gets ready for church.
The family after church.

Valentine's Day Tradition

Zack and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day since we've got an anniversary four days later. However, Ela's grandparents have been vigilantly making sure that the holiday is not completely forgotten in our house. This year, the Ortman grandparents got her an adorable stuffed tiger, which she was allowed to open early so they could see her do it, and some wonderful Swedish cookies, which she's been requesting for dessert every night (she calls them "green cookie" because they have green sprinkles on the top). And every year, I look forward to my Valentine's Day present from my dad: candy from Lagomarcino's. We've been friends with the Lagomarcino family since I was little, and their candy is excellent. Last year and this year, Ela got a little gift from Grandpa and the Lagomarcino's as well. When the box came this year, it was all I could do to not open it immediately, so I was proud that we managed to get dressed today before I pulled out the presents to open. :-)

Ela, to my great surprise, suddenly took an interest in opening presents, so we had a lot of fun finding out what Grandpa got her this year:

She needed some help getting the paper open, but then...

I think she would have been delighted just to get the box!

So we opened that up...

...and found...

...an even prettier box! Yay!

The packaging material was a fun toy, too.

Then we opened the pretty box (she hasn't figured out how to work the latch by herself yet).

And found candy! The smell of it got Dory's attention. I let Ela have a piece before we put it away. She would have liked to have a bit more. Now she's enjoying putting the wrapping material in and out of her new box. Thanks very much, Grandpa!

May be next year I'll really get moving and remember to do some Valentines for the family in return.

Easter

I posted about the cherry blossoms, and then I lost all desire to blog for a week. I think part of the reason I was so lazy was I went to North Carolina to visit family, and I was out of my routine. It’s hard to get motivated when I’m on vacation.

But Easter was very nice. We got up and went to the 10:30 service at our church. It was super packed, so we couldn’t even all sit together, but it was a good service. Minjee was kind enough to take Ela out when she ran out of church steam, and they played with the Easter Bunny. Apparently, Ela thinks the Easter Bunny is pretty awesome. I’m guessing this is due to the fact he looks like a really big dog (from her perspective).

Once we got home, we put together a yummy lunch consisting of ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, pasta salad, and the traditional lamb cake. My cousins came over and we all smooshed into our dining area and had a very nice meal.

Dad had to leave after lunch, and that kind of set us all of on our own directions. Minjee and her boyfriend went out to do some sightseeing, and Mom went into full cleaning mode. I packed up my bags for my trip to North Carolina, and Zack mowed the lawn, so it was a productive day. We traded off on baby duty so we could all accomplish our goals.

Late in the evening by our usual standards, we went out for Korean dinner. Then Ela passed out and Minjee took over baby duty again and we got in one last game of Rock Band with my cousins, who were preparing to move. (We miss them already!) So we had a good time all day with family and friends.

The next day I headed to North Carolina for the week, and now I’m back and Zack’s heading out, so we’re still keeping pretty busy. I’ll try to keep things updated.

Snow Days

Halfway through the great snow of 2010, we decided to take advantage of a clear day and see what the weather had done to the city. Here's what we saw.

Zack has better balance, so he got Ela. She had a great nap while we walked.

The sidewalks were mostly clear, but sometimes we had to walk in the road.

We picked up supplies at the Eastern Market.

The bit of melting that had already happened made for some great ice.

I just love walking in DC.

There were a few broken limbs.

And more than a few friendly snowmen.

Since the snow started again that evening, and we were stuck in the house for a few days after that, we were glad we got out while we could.

Home for the Holidays Part 2: Christmas

We spent the beginning of December in DC trying to get move in. All our stuff arrived. The most depressing moment: when our shipment from storage arrived. This is the stuff that we haven't seen in 3 years because it was more than we could hold in our house in Japan. We could think of about 20 items that we knew were in there, so we were expecting a list of may be 30-40. No less than 100 items showed up. Since we had spent a whole week finding places in our new house for the stuff we'd had in Japan, it was completely demoralizing to try to find room for all that stuff. We took many trips to goodwill and our new storage space: Mom's attic. It's finally getting under control now.
Anyway, over Christmas, we took a break and went back to North Carolina to refresh and enjoy family time. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures of anyone except the baby. So here she is playing Frisbee in Eastern NC before Christmas:

We had a nice family Christmas there, and Ela enjoyed playing with the ribbons. Then on Christmas Eve, we moved on to Raleigh for my side of the family...

Ela got a stroller to help her walk and a dolly to put in the stroller from Santa the next day. Ela takes the dolly out as soon as you put it in the stroller, and still only pushes the stroller one handed. She also walks entirely on her own now (with lots of tumbles)! Crazy! Luckily, she doesn't know how to get from sitting to standing on her own yet, so if I need her to stay put, I just don't set her on her feet. It won't be long now before no where is safe. The baby proofing has begun.
Christmas morning, we gave Ela her stocking and headed back to Winston Salem for more family Christmas.

The stocking, I made for her. Inside were just a few toys from Japan, nothing big. She really likes the squid bath toy at the moment. From her Daddy's parents, she got a nice set of keys and a toy camera that can keep her entertained for fairly long at a go. I failed to get any more unwrapping pictures, though. I was too busy enjoying the company.

Ela had a very good time, too. A few days later, we were on our way back to DC, and over New Years, we finished the unpacking. The boxes leave on Saturday, and we're gradually getting back into the swing of things. It was really nice to spend so much time with family after such a long time away.

Home for the Holidays Part 1: Thanksgiving

This year, we got to spend Thankgiving with my family. We started the holiday off in a healthier-than-usual way: with a fun run. Emily and Zack ran, while Mom, Dad and I walked with Ela. We did one mile, then walked around the neighborhood where the event was taking place while the runners did eight. It was a good way to make us all feel better about eating a ton later in the day.
Ela hated her hat.

Back at home, the feasting began. Zack says that every time he goes to my parents house, he learns something new. Usually that something is in the kitchen. This year, Mom soaked her turkey in brine, something new she'd heard about from a friend. She put Zack to work "massaging the turkey" before it went in the oven.

I usually don't like turkey, but this was pretty darn good. It was tender and flavorful. And of course, there were all the traditional sides to go with it.

Ela had everything soft: stuffing, sweet potato, cranberry and mashed potato. She liked the sweet potato pretty well, and the stuffing too. We all enjoyed watching her eat her dishes.

It's hard to beat a great meal with family!