Bits and Pieces: January

Cold enough for ya? Har. Har. Har. I may be a little loopy after four days in a row with no school.  Actually, five, because they had off last Friday. Oh, and Clare and I went on Girl Scout camping trip over the weekend.

It has been a busy month. Everyone was ready to get back into our routine after the holidays. The kids started skating lessons, which they seem to be mostly enjoying. We took the kids bowling, which they loved. (It gets expensive quickly though.)

 Then I threw our schedule for a loop again by taking a trip to London.

My Mom and I flew out on the 12th, and spent the week with my brother, sister-in-law, and adorable nephew Marios. That kid is seriously the cutest. He is funny, too, and moving all over the place. He will be walking soon, I think.

We took lots of walks in the park near their house. We also walked around the Olympic Park. We had a Sunday roast. We took Marios to a soft play. My mom and I went to the top of the Shard. My brother, mom and I went to a fancy Afternoon Tea. We went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the City of London Museum. My mom and I spent most mornings eating a full English breakfast, reading, and drinking coffee while waiting for Marios to finish his "settling in" at nursery.

My brother and I went out for a drink on our own, too. It was good to talk to him. It is hard being so far from them, especially now. I have many feelings that I don't know how to express properly.

I spent the next week trying to get over my jetlag, and then it was time for the Girl Scout camping trip. Clare and I joined her troop in Elk River. I don't like sleeping in a room with a bunch of other people, so I didn't sleep well. Clare had a great time, though. It was cold, but not unbearable. It was nice to get to know some of the other moms of girls in the troop.

And then there was snow and it was cold. The end.

Clare made me breakfast on New Year's Day.

Ben took Clare to climb the rock wall at REI after dropping me off at the airport.

She climbs right to the top, no problem.

A mysterious boy at the Tap.

I don't know why they were wearing these, honestly.

I just love this picture. Pure joy on his face, at least in that one moment.

Marios.

View of London from the Shard. You can see Tower Bridge and the HMS Belfast.

London again.

When you have this kind of view in the bathroom, you must take a selfie. It is the law.

The Shard. Or is it Mordor?

Fancy tea. It was good.

The cakes were good, too.

We were at the Oscar Wilde Lounge on Regent Street in Soho, near Picadilly Circus.

Trafalgar Square. We took an interesting walk from tea to get the Tube back to my brother's neighborhood.

Reading after a trip to the library.

She is into graphic novels, and read three in one day. I read them, too. I have to say, I kind of love the Babysitters Club graphic novels. 

Brief sojourn outside during the Girl Scout camping trip.

We made it outside on Monday, and have been inside ever since. (Except for a trip to a mostly deserted Target.)

Snickerdoodle bakers!

Jean

My sweet, funny, and wise grandmother, Jean, passed away on December 4. It has been hard. She was 91 years old, but it still feels too soon to lose her. Up until the end of her life, she was living in her own home, volunteering at St. Vincent De Paul and at her church, and driving her friends to lunch. She had a lot of friends.

She sent cards for every birthday and anniversary. Until the past few years, she sent boxes of cookies each Christmas. She unknowingly coined Ben's nickname for me while we were in college after sending me a package of cookies labeled "Emily No Nuts." I was always so excited to get a box from her. She even sent me a box of cookies when I was studying abroad in Spain. Her close family weren't the only recipients of her kindness - we learned at her funeral that she sent birthday cards to just about everyone she knew.

Some of the best parenting advice I have received from my mother originated with my grandma. ("Pick your battles" and "Never do for your child what she can do for herself" are two of my favorites.)

My grandma was born in Racine, Wisconsin. She married my grandpa in 1949. They were married for 63 years. (My grandpa passed away in 2013.) She lived in a number of cities in Wisconsin. My mom was raised in a suburb of Milwaukee. For the last 20 or more years she lived in a small town near Lake Michigan. She was a dedicated wife and mother. She raised five children. She faced hardships and challenges in her life, but always had a positive attitude.

Once, when we were children and spending the night at her house, she gave us each a pot and a spoon and announced that we were going to wake up my mom. And we did, gleefully banging our pots and pans.

She always had an amazing lunch spread when we visited for lunch, and never forgot the black olives or taco dip. I learned my ways of always having way too much food at parties from her. One thing I'll always remember is Grandma standing in the doorway, waving goodbye until we were out of sight.

My kids loved Meema Jean, too. I am so happy they got to know her. Clare will have memories of her, I hope.

She's given me many cookbooks over the years. I don't use them all, but I can't bear to get rid of them. I will probably keep them forever. I tried to follow her example this year and bake cookies in advance and then freeze them. I think next year I will start in November to honor her memory.

My grandma's cookies were delicious and she loved baking. Two of my most prized positions are handwritten notes from her. One contains her advice for various potential problems in the kitchen. The other is a recipe card for her Dipped Gingersnaps, my favorite Christmas cookie she baked. The best part of the recipe card are her notes, including one telling me how special I am. She was pretty special, too. I will miss her joyful laugh, funny comments, and unconditional love of her grandchildren.

Jean Bernhardt
 November 26, 1927 - December 4, 2018

December, in pictures

This year was incredibly hard, and I don't feel like writing about it. Instead, here are some pictures from the last two months!

Bits and Pieces: November

We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year, although it was tinged with sadness for several reasons. We went to my parents' house and were joined by my sister and her family and extended family from around the country: my Aunt Debbie (Bloomington, IL), my cousin and her husband (Cedar Rapids) my Uncle John and Aunt Conchita (Memphis), my cousin Alyssa, her husband and cutie-pie daughter Lily (New York City) and my cousin Grace (Chicago). Clare loves Grace, and followed her around the entire weekend. Grace was so sweet to her, willingly playing games and braiding her hair.

We ate a lot and drank a lot and laughed a lot. There were also tears, especially during my Uncle John's Thanksgiving toast. We have all lost important people this year. We also visited my Grandma in the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, she is quite ill. She is so funny, though. She said she just wanted to beat her mom and make it to 91. Well, she did it. Her 91st birthday was Monday.

I also got to have lunch with my friend Christina and meet her adorable, smiley baby Owen. I wish I could see more of both of them!

Other than Thanksgiving, November was fairly low-key. We had a few birthday celebrations (Katie, Otto and Clare's best friend Natalie), a trip to the Science Museum for Girl Scouts and a few days off school for the kids.

We had conferences this month. Clare is doing well, as usual. She is above grade level in every subject. She does have a few issues with scolding other kids when they are doing something wrong and "helping" her friend figure out her math. (Yeah, she's basically doing it for her. Insert eyeroll emoji here.) Her teacher has plans to really push her out of her comfort zone with math, and I am happy she is being challenged.

Christopher is also doing well. I had no idea what to expect, because I hardly ever hear from his teacher. She said it took awhile for Christopher to understand that group time was not the time to tell jokes in an attempt to make the entire class laugh. This was not a surprise. He is still working on writing his name, but knows his letters and numbers. He is also making friends at school and on the bus.

Speaking of comedy, Christopher has had a few gems lately. The other day he announced: "I am going to name my baby Elf. I hope the mother is okay with it." He was so happy and proud when this statement got a huge laugh from Ben. He whispered in my ear, "I made Daddy laugh, Mommy!"

Here's another, from yesterday morning. "Mommy, why are you wearing that shirt? It doesn't look  very good on you. But your pants are fine."

At ECFE, we were singing the Daddy Finger song, and Christopher got upset when the teacher sang it in a different order from the one he knows. "No, THIS is brother finger!" he shouted, while waving his middle finger at everyone in the room.

And now it's on to Christmas. Already. Somehow.

She earned her first Girl Scout badge at the Science Museum!

Her precious Doggy was missing for two weeks, before I found him in Christopher's room. She was so happy to have him back.

This dapper dude.

Each year at Thanksgiving we throw my mom's decorative gourds into the woods. The kids love it.

Ben was into it too. And was protected from hunters.

Clare and Grace. Her second cousin? First cousin once removed? It's easier just to say cousin.

Helping Meema Jo with her tree.