3 posts tagged “family”

#1 -- the 2 year old, examining ripped stickers from her new book: "Dis is wipped. Dis is wipped. Dis is wipped. We got a situation here."

#2 -- I complain briefly about the ache in my neck that I've had for the past month or two.

Stepmom says "You should see a chiropractor."
Sister-in-law says "You should do Alexander technique and lie down on the floor."
Wife says "You should try acupuncture."

Dad says nothing, but reaches behind me and smacks me firmly upside the head.

As if to say "Quit whining, rub some dirt on it, and get over yourself."

Awesome.

A cascade of holiday plan changes this year. First, we were all going together to PA to spend Thanksgiving with my father-in-law and the extended family, for the first holiday since Elisabeth's death. Then, quite unexpectedly, Heidi got offered a spot on the NY Board of Rabbis Bridge to Understanding trip -- a week in Berlin, meeting with local luminaries and working with German high school students, all heavily subsidized -- and we had to think about it for, oh, a couple of minutes before saying "Yes." Seriously, had someone been trying to create the ideal program for Heidi's skill set and background, this would have been it. She even gets to visit with family friends and some of her mom's old school buddies, and at the end of the program she's taking a couple of days to visit her aunt & uncle in Barnstorf (the smallest small town in the northwest part of the country).

However, she had to fly today, on Thanksgiving. Not to mention she's leaving me alone with the girls for a week. :-)
[For context, our older daughter turns 6 in a couple of months; this is the longest Heidi's been away since her birth.]

So, plan B: I take Thing One and Thing Two up to Martha's Vineyard to Grandma's and have turkey with the whole family, including Ilana & Ashley -- a repeat, basically, of the trip earlier in the month, which was fine but exHAUsting. Boat to be booked, and with the various school schedules and reservation options it worked out that I would leave in the wee hours on Thursday morning for an 11 am ferry. Oy.

Unfortunately, Ilana's health problems forced her to cancel her trip, and then Ashley called off hers as well (since she was only going to be able to stay for a day and a half, too short to make it worth it). Monday night, Mom called to reconsider the wisdom etc., and we redirected to Rich's place instead (moments before Rich would have also bought a $100 ferry ticket). We had a rollicking Thanksgiving dinner with four kids, six grownups and enough food for ten more. Heidi was on her plane, and not everyone else could be there, but it was delightful anyway. Tomorrow, we go to Opa's for a quick visit.

Packed the kids back into the car for a wet, dark, slippery, get-lost-a-couple-times drive back to Brooklyn. Almost 2 hours later (which should take 1:15 under ideal conditions), we park down the block and it's raining, cold, and both girls are asleep. Take out #2, she wakes up. Open the door and wake up #1 (a nearly impossible task under the best of circumstances). Shoes on, and whining/screaming out into the cold rain in pajamas (not the best plan). Lug everyone upstairs, #1 to the bathroom, I accidentally step on her toes. She's miserable.

Everyone bundled into the bed. No Mommy, so this could turn ugly for #2, who is accustomed to nursing to sleep. A moment of fussing as  #1 drifts off, and then... #2 is down too, curled up like a hibernating bear cub at the end of the bed. A kiss for #1, "I love you, sweetie." "Muh love you tuh, Dadrrrsz..." is the best she can muster as her eyes are slamming shut with alacrity.

I'm thankful that I have the two best kids in the entire world.

As interesting and instructive as it was to attend WWDC, it was hard to be away from the family for that long; especially hard with Heidi's mother facing surgery and an uncertain prognosis. Love and support over the phone are not as loving and supportive as being there in person.

I'm glad everyone's coming back tomorrow. This is the longest I've been away since #2 was born.

I did take some advantage of my temporary solitude by a) trying to go see Clerks II at the Angelika, and failing when the showing was cancelled -- should have gone in SF while I had the chance; b) actually going to see Free To Be Friends at FringeNYC -- very funny and quite disturbing, best line: "Hey kids, wanna hear a story from an owl with a gun?"; then c) going to see an improv show with Sam at the Brooklyn Lyceum,  pretty good, featuring some recent returnees from the annual AND retreat.

I have GOT to go to bed if I expect to paint the back steps tomorrow.

For some reason, there was a mostly empty can of lard in our front garden today. What is up with that?