I know, I know strange title...but my brain just could not come with anything better than this. In my mind I have written at least five different posts since Christmas but as you can see it just did not work out. I mean getting it out of my brain onto the screen. So now, a bunch of posts wrapped into one.
We had a very nice and relaxing Christmas this year. I missed my family dearly this year since we have celebrated the last couple of years with them. My
little sister is in Finland, my Mom is on a fantastic trip to Vietnam, and my dear friend Beate stayed in Europe. We spent Christmas Eve baking cookies for Santa,
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| Baking cookies for Santa |
making dessert {Vegan Mousse Chocolate - it will be a future post}, and having a nice, relaxing day. And yes, there was
Swabian Potato salad and Fleischkaese for dinner :) Take a look at the girls toasting {with sparkling cider}
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| Toast on Christmas Eve |
It has been our tradition to roast a goose for Christmas Day, as it was only going to be us we changed the meal to a beef roast. I did make Kartoffelkloesse {potato dumplings} - it happens once a year and that is at Christmas. We took our Christmas Day family walk {yes, in the pouring rain}
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| Family walk, Christmas toast, and visit to Santa 2012 |
and were thrilled to have guests join us for dinner - there is something wonderful about having friends or family around the dinner table for a holiday :) - Take a look does it not look cozy...
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| Christmas Day 2012 |
Today we went up to the hill {OHSU} for the girl's last blood draw of 2012; I did not tell them until this morning to keep the anxiety level down. I am not complaining - honestly - or whining {even if it sounds like it} because it really is not a big deal b u t it still takes out a lot of me. Both girls are anxious - Alena more than Mia Rose - and I try to stay positive. "Magic creme" {anesthetic creme} makes it all better but still...I know our diet is great and GALT levels have always been good, there is however always this underlying nag. You want to know the truth? Internally I am shaking because it always brings me back to when Alena was an infant in the NICU. I sound so silly and absolutely self absorbed, yes this is nothing in the grand scheme of things we are SO SO lucky. In any case, I just needed to get it off my chest. Thank you for listening!!!
The draw today was taken in a regular visitation room - Alena sat on my lap and Mia Rose sitting on the chair next to me watched - in horror - the entire procedure. For the first time Mia Rose cried - almost hyperventilating - during her blood draw {she sat on my lap}. Let me just tell you, that this Mama had the hardest time keeping it together...In any case, after the draw Alena needed to lie down and both girls needed juice...I could have used something stronger than that...but yay, it is done for 2012. Fingers crossed that the levels come back great!!!
Oh, and for a treat we had lunch at HopWorks...
