Our White Christmas

We had a great Christmas in the Great White North of Erie, PA thanks to lots of beautiful snow and fun times with family and friends. Here are some highlight pics:

Ground Lights

I have to get a picture of this for all of my Northern friends. Now, like most places in the country, the houses in our neighborhood are decked out with holiday cheer--lights, hanging baubles, wreaths, wrapped tree trunks. And, there are quite a few inflatable Santas/snowmen/etc. out there, too. But, one thing I've never seen before is the lighting of the yard's perimeter. When I first saw it, I said, "Oh, wow, how neat! I've never seen that before!" And then I realized, well, of course I haven't. Where I come from, we don't need lights on the ground. We have snow! It was an ah-ha moment.

I know that this post is useless without a picture, so I'll try to get one this evening. We're off to a huge Christmas party with some of our new friends here in Katy. We're looking forward to Elizabeth's cooking and a visit from Santa!

Back to Blogging

I am sorry you've been stuck looking at Henry's yucky feet picture for weeks. Blogging has taken a backseat to our trip to Chicago, Thanksgiving, and Christmas preparation. Our trip to Chicago was not what we had planned, as Henry got sick and we had to rearrange and cancel plans. We did manage to eat the food we've been missing (lots of pizza!), and we saw the slew of new babies born since we left. It was bittersweet being back in the city we love, but, we must admit, it was nice to return to warm weather and not having to bundle up!

Our Thanksgiving was fantastic. We hosted Andy's parents, two brothers and their wives/fiances, and our adorable 11-month-old niece, Anna. We cooked two turkeys: one traditional roasted and one deep fried, which we injected with cajun butter. YUM. We had a minor issue with the fryer, but, thanks to the maverick ways of the guys, all was fine.

Guys fixing the fryer:


Henry bundled up in Chicago:


Me with my sister-in-law-to-be:

Our Discovery Health Show

Here is what the Hand-Foot-Mouth rash looks like. (This was taken last week; thank goodness it's better). YUCK!

Road Kill

First, is Road Kill one word or two? I am not sure.... Second, today I saw an Armadillo road kill on my drive back from the bookstore. I've never seen that before.

Voting Democrat in Texas

If I could pick a day to warp to Chicago away from Houston, today would be the day. I already voted early, but I would love to be in the energy of the city I love, with the people I love, watching my candidate win (I hope!). Moving to Texas during this emotional, heated, intense election has been interesting. I knew I'd find McCain supporters here, but I have been surprised to find a lot of Obama supporters as well. I must admit, however, that the election is putting a spotlight on how different I am from many of the people I have met here in Texas so far. I think it has made it harder to adjust to being here. People always say that Texas thinks it's its own country, and I am beginning to see that as true. I know a lot of people who are both Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal, left of center, center, and right of center. But, for some reason, political affiliation feels different down here. I recognize that I am going from one extreme to another. But I wonder if McCain supporters feel out of place in Chicago. Maybe.

There is no doubt that I miss the City of Big Shoulders. I do. I think I miss the North. I am a Yankee, after all, and I don't think that I am cut out to be a Southerner. Actually, I know I am not. So, you see, my political affiliation is the tip of my homesick iceberg. It's just one of many parts of who I am that feels lost in this new place. Who misses the changing seasons, the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks illustrated in front of my eyes, and dear friends. Who wonders when my vote will count again.

Halloween Bust

Our first Texas Halloween was a complete bust. Earlier this week, Henry came down with a runny nose, not news-worthy because he's a toddler who commonly gets bugs. Well, on Friday, he had a fever and a rash that made me think he had a viral infection. I talked to the nurse at the pediatrician's office, and we sort of thought it was Fifth's disease. Henry never made it into his costume. He refused dinner (a sure sign my 32 pounder isn't well) and went to bed, waking numerous times in the night.

After shedding a few tears that my boy wouldn't be able to show off the "Trick or treat!" we'd been practicing all week, I came to terms with the fact that it was all ok. We had lots of kids come for treats, and we didn't run out!

By yesterday, Henry had worsened, so we headed to the pediatrician's office. The rash and other symptoms were inconclusive, but pointed toward Fifth's. By last night, however, the rash had turned to mostly blisters on his hand and feet, and he kept crying saying "Bite cheek" which we realized was code for the start of the blisters in his mouth. He was up hourly last night from the pain, so we put in another call to the ped. and the nurse and I both feel he has dreaded hand-foot-mouth disease. It sucks. My happy boy has sores in his mouth and is in so much pain. He'll go back to the doctor tomorrow. I hope he feels better soon!