I’m slowly recovering from Thanksgiving. My work week is finished and we’re launching into holiday chaos. The travel to Milwaukee was probably the most heinous I’ve experienced. Canceled flights, full security searches, 5 hr lay over, horrible airport food, airline mistakes, sardine can like chairs, and an exhausted fussy one yr old. For me the visiting made the pain of travel worthwhile. I got to see Heidi, Davi, Kailey, Kendra, and Keegan (my college roommate and family). I read Kailey Bunnicula every night, I wrestled w/ Kendra, and played peek-a-boo w/ Keegan. Luckily, all the K’s are ticklish which made play even more delightful.
Friday, we walked in marshlands around GE where Davi works. It felt very adventurous and cold. Then we visited the Elegant Farmer, a local farm that supplies everything homemade and yummy. We sampled the chocolate cheese, squeeky cheese curds, cider ham dip w/sesame crackers, and apple raspberry pie (we were forced to have this for breakfast). Then I saw a Culver’s (home of the butterburger) and that’s where we had dinner, complete w/ custard sundaes for desert. Sara loved crawling around the restaurant.
Saturday was our Thanksgiving Day. Gayle and Roger came with dishes made from the fresh vegetables of their thriving farm. I made sangria jello from last Thanksgiving (Mom made it) which was a hit. Everything was good and the company was excellent. Afterwards, we played Cadoo, a kid’s version of Cranium. Heidi and Davi got us hooked on Enterprise.
Sunday, after worshipping at the Mega (Elmbrook church, home of 1000s), we sadly rushed off to the airport after learning our reservations had been canceled. The high point of the ensuing 12 hrs of travel (5 hrs in Chicago O’Hare) was the Children’s Museum, a indoor playground with an airplane theme. If you’re going to be stuck in an airport, chose one that other people get stuck in often. Sara played for 1.5 hr, climbing stairs, sliding (her favorite), trying to get the model airplanes that were flying from the ceiling. Wayne had to save the seats.
Netflix has been increasing our movie watching. I’ve seen Pieces of April (poignant and worth the rental), Day After Tomorrow (mindless, interesting weather graphics, not as bad as I imagined), and Paycheck (not as good as Minority Report, but once you get beyond that, an entertaining sci fi flick). The service makes it much more convenient than getting dvds from our local Rain City Video (like the name?), even though it only 7 blocks away.
We continue to see Jon and Claire. It’s so nice having them around. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we wandered to the Nordic Heritage Museum and enjoyed Yulefest. The funest part was eating Aebleskiver (a pancake ball cooked over a flame in a special griddle and moved w/ skewers). Delicious when served w/ powdered sugar and jam. Check out ultissimo.com for photos. I’ve also gone for walks with them toward the end of the week.
Sara notes: she seems to be more verbal this week. This morning, she pointed her finger at me and scolded me after I did something she didn’t like. It so resembled an upset Italian, I made me laugh out loud. Walking has picked up. She doesn’t actually walk, but her balance is improving and she’s more comfortable walking with just one hand. She’s still in love w/ balloons. Her favorite game is “I’m going to get you”. She just goes crazy w/anticipation, flinging herself from side to side, sometimes throwing unintentional punches at the one holding her.
