President's Day Visit

 

My girlfriend Rachel came up from Louisiana for a nice long visit over Presidents Day weekend.  Our friendship spans backward eight years, to a time when we worked our tails off to help ready Bloomingdale's to open it's cosmetic doors in Soho.  She was a newly wed, while I secretly, desperately wanted to become a mother.  I've talked about all this before in an earlier post about Ms Rachel.  Anyhoo, we had the joy of being pregnant together, sharing belly tips, shopping trips and food cravings!  Rachel also visited Hugo and I in the hospital shortly after he was born and witnessed my awkward first attempts at nursing my new beautiful son.  Soon after this meeting, both our lives changed a great deal.  Besides the fact that we both became mother's, I left the City for the quiet of our house upstate, while Rachel and her small family moved to Dallas, Texas.  Our friendship has continued to blossom and grow despite the long distance, but our children had never met till this long weekend holiday.  It was nice to hear them chatter back and forth and I'd like to say that I enjoyed seeing their play, but I barely saw them at all!  We hardly ever saw the two of them at all unless there was food on the table.  At first I worried that Hugo had locked her in his room, but no, Miss Leah happily played with her new friend Hugo.  Even Marlo and Sabine quickly learned her name and followed after her. 

Sunday

The morning of our last day of Thanksgiving Break, Cesar and I had hoped to sleep in.  I think the kids took pity on us and didn't rise till eight!  Vovo spoiled us with more of her waffles and she made a delicious Portuguese soup for lunch.  Hugo wouldn't touch it.  He didn't even try it.  Well, I tried it, and three bowls later was singing, "there's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy!"  The soup is called Caldo Verde and reminded me a lot of a dish which my family calls Fish Soup.  There is no fish in our soup, you simply have to "fish" for pieces of ham amongst the potatoes and onion slices.  Caldo Verde is a simple potato, chourico (Portuguese sausage) and kale soup.  Delicious. 

Black Friday

Black Friday has rarely ever, ever, ever found us out amongst the crowds in the mall shopping, but today, that's just exactly where we were.  And without a stroller!  Cesar wanted to get the Mac Book Air and Apple had a little special, so... off we loaded the tribe into the van, plus Carolina, to the Apple store.  Hugo loves the Apple store because he can sit at his own computer, on a seat shaped like a giant ball, and has before him all sorts of new kid games to try out.  He calls it...  the puter store.  I was surprised how speedy Cesar's transaction was, we were out of there in no time at all.  

We made a quick pit stop into Williams & Sonoma for a gift and then we were off, aimlessly walking the crowded shopping center.  I suggested chocolate malts were in order, Cesar agreed and we were soon pointed in the direction of the food court.   Can you believe we didn't know where the food court was?  This was not my normal, local mall.  So, Cesar got the malts from Johnny Rockets, yummmm!  Two large chocolate malts which he bought for Hugo, the girls, and myself to split.  I had a pouty face on...  Hugo had a malt all to himself while I shared with Marlo and Sabine.  I must admit, that in the end, my tummy had just the right amount of chocolate malt in it even if I had to share (more pouty face).  Marlo and Sabine would have each sucked down their own large malt if Papa would have been splurging for more, but that's another story.  

The sad part of my story, is that Hugo didn't like his malt.  Translation = he thought he was getting chocolate ice cream with sprinkles.  As Cesar helped usher the kids, his mom and I into a booth and seats in the food court we discussed what he should buy, Hugo kept saying, "you know what I want Papa, you know what I want" with this happy face on.  I don't think Cesar heard a word out of his son's mouth.  The food court had a Ben & Jerry's so I had assumed myself that Cesar would have ordered ice cream.  I was pretty surprised when he came back with just the shakes and nothing else.  Okay.  Hugo was bummed he got a malt and not ice cream with sprinkles, which I really think he was only interested in the sprinkles, but in the end, he slurped it down.  So then the really sad part happened.  Hugo accidentally knocked over his giant chocolate malt and it spilled all over our table and leaked onto the floor.  It was so very sad.

Even more sad news, is that we discovered that Charlotte, this super cool German jewelry company that we both like, is no longer in the mall.  I don't know if they went out of business or simply moved to a new location.  I would like to hope they found better digs. 

Then we drove home.  Or, I should write, back to Vovo's house.  Sabine fell asleep in the van on the way home. The photo of Marlo asleep on the floor I couldn't resist taking.  Sabine kept sleeping as I carried her into the house and up the stairs.  Marlo was settled to sleep with her lavender unicorn pillow pet and her blankie upon the air mattress she shared with Hugo.  I guess she got up and did some exploring before she crashed in a heap on top of her quilt, for when I crept into the room to check on her, I discovered she had ransacked all our bags searching for who knows what.  Little girls, little girls.  

Oh, and Cesar has been playing backgammon with anyone who will sit still long enough to indulge him.  And Hugo's favorite game?  Sorry.  Or, in Hugo Land it needs to be pronounced as SoooooREEEEYY!

Thanksgiving

Things I am Thankful for:  Love in my Life, my Children, our Home, Food in our pantry, Recipes to Make, Ideas to knit, Paint samples, spring time Bulbs, Down comforters, a gigantic Wood pile, our Families, Sisters, my Camera, Kisses, New Words spoken from sweet mouths, Risois, a hot Shower, Contractors, Hugo Dancing, Sunsets, a warm November, Friends, my Testimony, Holiday Spirit, the Breaks in our van, Slippers, Lavender anything, hand Holding and puppy Dogs.

Happy Halloween!

 

This was a first.  We went trick-or-treating in the snow!  Or, what was left of the big, freak snow storm we had this past Saturday.  It was a bit chilly outside, but the kids enjoyed themselves.  Hugo was kinda on the c-r-a-z-y, crazy side.  He darted from house to house while zig zagging across the street.  He wasn't a very good listener about staying with the group or close to me.  Hugo was a good listener about not eating any candy until we got home.  I was very proud of him.  On the drive home I let him choose a treat to eat from his candy sack, surprise, surprise Hugo chose a pop.


Our Halloween really began at 2 o'clock this afternoon when the girls and I watched Hugo and his classmates walk in a Halloween parade outside of his elementary school.  It was darling.  When Hugo finally saw us, he lit up, smiled and waved and waved!  So sweet. 

We spent Halloween with the Hoyt's this year.  Both our families also spent Halloween minus both our Papa's in toe.  We missed them!  So Jin and I joined brood camps for the trick-or-treating.  The plan was a pizza party here at our house and then to cram ourselves in the van and drive to the Lindsay's old neighborhood.  I just didn't know where else to go!  Jin, Amy and Hannah arrived bringing with them Keith's Mom Diane along for the night.  It was sure nice having an extra adult to help keep eyes on the kids.  I thought the girls would have walked up to the houses with their bags open wide, but no.  They were content sitting in their stroller with an occasional piece of candy tossed their way.   

While driving Hugo to school this morning, I asked him if pops were his favorite candy.  He answered, "Yes, and gum.  And I like cake, cupcakes, and cookies!"