Jack and Jill....

Ryan constantly amazes me with his knowledge and how he can put things together in his mind....Today I gave him a Christmas present that he didn't have time to open on Christmas. It is a little cleaning caddy with a pretend broom, mop, duster, bucket and cleaning supplies. He loves to help me clean, so I thought it would be perfect. As I cleaned the kitchen, he got to work in the living room. A few minutes later he started marching around the house, swinging the bucket and mumbling something. I didn't understand what he was chanting so I asked him what he was saying and he said "Jack and Jill...Jack and Jill...." In his mind he had looked at the bucket, saw it as a pail like Jack and Jill carry, and connected it to the nursery rhyme. I am so glad I have this blog to write down these little stories so I don't forget them. His cleverness surprises me everyday!

Christmas Dinner for 3

Yesterday we had a fantastic Christmas Day. We woke up and opened presents, snacking on my homemade coffee cake, and taking our time. Then Tim cooked up apple cinnamon pancakes and bacon, and we opened some more presents. Ryan played with his new toys, took a nap, and then in the afternoon we gathered around the table for our Christmas dinner. It is definitely harder to cook for a small group - I made a turkey breast, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. Needless to say, there were TONS of leftovers, that we're hoping our friends Scott and Annette can help us finish later today. Spending the day at home as a family of 3 was absolutely perfect. I have a feeling this may be the only year that we are alone on Christmas, and for that reason I will always hold this Christmas in a special place in my heart. As I said on Facebook, I was originally said about not going "home" for Christmas, but last night I realized that I AM home :)

A Very Mickey Christmas

Christmas Morning 2009

Santa Snacks - Baltimore style!

New Christmas Memories - Christmas Eve Dinner 2009

This year, for the first time in the 10+ years I have lived in Baltimore, I did NOT travel for Christmas. Instead, we decided to have a relaxing Christmas at home with our family of 3. On Christmas Eve, we had a little cocktail hour at our house with our neighbors Erin, Eric and their daughter, Ava, who is Ryan's age. Our good friends Katie and Frank also stopped in for a couple drinks, and to drop off some gifts for Ryan. After their visit, we headed to a local restaurant for dinner with Erin, Eric and Ava. It was certainly a different kind of Christmas Eve, but exactly the kind we were looking for. We weren't worried about travelling, the weather, flight delays, or anything else. On the walk to dinner we saw the police helicopter hovering overhead, a familiar site when living in Baltimore City. We used this to our advantage, and told Ryan and Ava that Santa was on the helicopter. Ryan then proceeded to tel our waitress "Santa is in the helicopter!" which I think she got a kick out of...Dinner was great, the kids were well behaved, with a minor meltdown coming only when Ava would not hold Ryan's hand anymore and he was sad...We are so glad that we met Erin and her family, and that they invited us to dine with them on Christmas Eve.

"Look, it's my school!"

Christmas Memories - Part IV - Christmas Dinner

All of the three memories I have already discussed - Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning, and the cemetery visits - stayed pretty constant over the years - same general time, place and people. Christmas dinner is something that has changed and evolved for our family over the years.

Up until I was about 10 years old, after visiting the cemetery we would head to my Grandpa Sam and Grandma Rose's house for Christmas dinner. In attendance were my grandparents, my family, my Uncle Rich, Auntie Sue and their daughters, my cousins Diana and Ali, as well as my Grandma Rose's sons Charles and Anthony and their families. I guess you could call them my step-uncles and cousins. The dynamic was a little different there, with the combining of two separate families, and it was always a little chaotic. My Grandma Rose was a fantastic cook, and the dinners and desserts were always delicious. I loved my grandparents very much, but I hate to say that no one memory of those Christmases sticks out in my head. Part of that could be that we were trying to mesh two very different families, but more likely it is because I was so young for all those Christmases, and, unfortunately, have forgotten a lot about them.

After Grandpa Sam died, Uncle Rich and Auntie Sue started hosting Christmas dinner at their house. These dinners I absolutely do remember - there are so many funny stories from over the years. Auntie Sue is also a phenomenal cook, and the meals were fantastic. Uncle Rich is one of a kind, I don't really know how to describe him. He loves to entertain, I will just put it that way! If any of you were at my wedding, he gave the toast and blessing, and I know you remember that! For those of you not lucky enough to hear, he had us in tears - mostly from laughing! Various other relatives would join these dinners from year to year - Sometimes other cousins on my Dad's side, often members of Auntie Sue's family, and sometimes just friends of my Uncle and Aunt. Laughs were never scarce. After dinner, uncle Rich would open up his library of videotapes and pop in tape after tape of some news story or show that made him laugh and, in turn, us. Most of the time, these news clips were serious issues that were not meant to make us laugh, but he and my Dad have a unique sense of humor. It was at his house that we saw the Jerry Springer show for the first time, long before the hype and it became a mainstream hit and source of amusement. I laugh out loud when I think of all the Christmas dinners spent with Uncle Rich, Auntie Sue, Diana and Ali.

In the last couple of years, my grandmother's health has declined and she has moved to a nursing home. My grandfather has also declined a bit, and he has moved in with my parents. Because of this, my mother hosted Christmas dinner at our house for my grandparents last year, and will again this year. I think this is a trend that will continue, and I really enjoyed the change of pace last year when we were able to attend. We had a quiet dinner with just my immediate family and grandparents, but it was very relaxing and intimate. My mother even ordered dinner from a local catering company so no one had to worry about cooking! It was a great meal, and nice quality time together.

As you can see, our Christmas dinner has changed a lot over the years, and I know will continue to evolve. What matters the most is that we are always with family. Being together is the most important, not where we eat or what is on the menu. Thanks to all the members of my family, both immediate and extended, who have been a part of so many important past Christmas dinners! Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of photos from years past, I did dig up a couple from 2002...

Sleigh vs. Sled

For the past few weeks, Ryan and I have been reading "Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer" as one of his bedtime books. The past few nights, we have the following exchange:

Me (reading from the book): "All the reindeer wanted to pull Santa's sled"
Ryan: "No, it's a SLEIGH!"

My little know it all!

Christmas Memories - Part III - Cemetery Visits

Although the title of this post makes it sound rather morbid, I actually have good memories of our Christmas cemetery visits. I don't know if this is an old fashioned tradition, or an Italian tradition, as I have never heard my friends talk about visits to the graves of loved ones. But on every major holiday, my family always stopped by the cemetery to pay our respects to family members who had already passed on. We usually started by driving to the grave of my Great-Grandmother ("Big Grandma") and Great Grandfather D'Agostino, where my mother would say the same thing every year ("She outlived him by 30 years!"). My Dad stopped the car and we all said a prayer before moving on. Next we visited the grave of my Great Uncle Joe, his was always easy to identify because there was a beautiful angel statue at the site. Last, we stopped at the grave of my Dad's parents - My Grandparents Sabatino and Santa D'Agostino. My Grandmother Santa passed away before I was born, before my parents were married, and when my Dad was only a teenager. So I never had the pleasure of knowing her - and from everything I have heard about her, it truly was a pleasure. My Grandpa Sam, as we called him, passed away in 1986 so I did have the opportunity to get to know him for several years before he died, including a special trip to Florida with him and his wife, who we called Grandma Rose in 1984. At this grave site, no matter how bad the weather, we almost always got out of the car. We walked down to the gravestone, and stood for a few minutes quietly saying prayers. As I got older, I appreciated this tradition and took it more seriously, I know when I was younger I probably just wanted to get back in the car and on with our day. I now wonder what my Dad was thinking as he prayed by each family member's grave. And I think, in some way, they could hear us, and it made us feel as if they were still a part of our holiday.

Christmas Memories - Part II - Christmas Breakfast

Today I am remembering Christmas Breakfasts from years past. Again, this is a tradition that started as far back as I can remember, and I'm sure even before that...All of my mom's family members would gather at my Nana and Grandpa's house mid morning to exchange gifts and have Christmas breakfast together. My brother and I and my parents would wake up early, open gifts at our house from Santa, then get ready and head over to my Nana's house, where we would meet up with all of my aunts and uncles. For about 10 years, it was just my brother and I, and then as my Aunts and Uncles started having children of their own, my cousins were there too. There was always a variety of donuts, muffins and pastries, as well as ribbon candy (it became a family joke) and my mom's coffee cake, which she made very year without fail. As more cousins arrived on the scene, it turned into a chaotic (read:loud!) morning, but one filled with love, laughter, and the excitement of Christmas. Again, I am glad that when Tim and I met, this tradition was still going strong, and he was able to celebrate a Christmas morning breakfast at my Nana's house. About 7 years ago, after my grandparents moved out of their home and into a small apartment, the breakfast tradition continued at my Aunt Sue and Uncle John's house. It has since moved to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Sara's house, and this past year it moved to my parents' house, where it will be held again this year. Last year Tim, Ryan and I made the trip up to Massachusetts for Christmas and finally at the age of 33, I didn't have to go anywhere on Christmas Day, as we stayed at my parents house for breakfast and dinner. All of my younger cousins doted on Ryan, there has not been a baby in the family for a LONG time, and he loved every minute of it. My grandmother lives in a nursing home now, but she was able to come and stay not only for breakfast, but also dinner, and spend some quality time with us and her only great grandchild.

This year, Tim, Ryan and I will have our own Christmas breakfast celebration together. I plan to make my mom's famous coffee cake, and Tim will be making apple cinnamon pancakes. We will stay in our PJs all day and let Ryan play with his new toys, listen to Christmas music, and enjoy the day, creating our own new memories.

A few days ago, my mother asked me if I thought that I missed out on something all those years that we had to "get up and go" on Christmas, not able to stay at our own home, and instead going here, there and everywhere (Breakfast was only the beginning of our day of family visiting!) Honestly, I didn't know anything different, and I don't think I would have had it any other way. I would not have all these great memories of spending holidays with our relatives, the people who mean the most to us. Especially now, living so far away from everyone, I cherish those memories and hold all of those Christmas traditions close to my heart.

The whole crew - Christmas Breakfast 2002 Me and Nana - Christmas Breakfast 2005 Me and my cousins - Christmas Breakfast 2002

Four Generations - Christmas Breakfast 2008

Nana and her Great Grandson, Ryan - Christmas Breakfast 2008

Ryan and my cousin Sean - Christmas Breakfast 2008

Christmas Memories - Part I - Christmas Eve

This Christmas will be a little different for me. For the first time since I moved to Baltimore in 1998, I will NOT be traveling for Christmas. We will not be seeing my family, or Tim's family, or any extended family at all. Instead we will celebrate the holiday with our own little family of 3 - Tim, Ryan and I. We are looking forward to spending the day in our PJs, making a big breakfast and just relaxing and enjoying each other. I know it might be a little lonely, as we are used to being with no less than about 20 other family members on Christmas, but I have to admit it has made my December much less stressful. I am not worried about illness or weather affecting our travel plans, packing, getting to the airport on time, flight delays, traffic, etc. I have been able to just enjoy the season! And thank to Skype, we will still see our family members on Christmas :) So this week I have decided to dedicate each day's post to a different Christmas related memory....Starting with Christmas Eve....

Up until a few years ago, we spent every Christmas Eve of my entire life the same way. We usually went to 4:00 Mass, and then it was on to the best part - the traditional Italian feast of the 7 fishes Christmas Eve dinner at my Great Aunt Louise and Great Uncle Louie's house. Every year Auntie Lou put out quite a spread. We started with spaghetti in oil, and then moved onto the fishes, finishing with tons of Italian cookies and other desserts. We all gathered around one LONG table set up downstairs. And as all good Italian families, she had a second kitchen downstairs where she did the cooking for dinner. My Dad grew up in a tenement house with all of his First cousins, and they are as close as siblings, and more like Aunts and Uncles to my brother and I, than second cousins. The attendees would vary slightly from year to year, but it usually included my Dad's cousins and their families, my Uncle Rich and his family, The Aunts (My 3 great Aunts - Auntie Lou, Auntie Vi and Auntie Lena) and Uncle Louie of course. The food was plenty, the conversation entertaining and the laughs unlimited! And thanks to Uncle Louie, there was never a shortage of little beers (ponies!) or Sambucca. There were years when Christmas Carolers showed up at the door to sing to us, there was the year that my Great Aunt Vi shared with me the story of the Italian "malookies," and countless other stories in between (like my Dad falling asleep on the couch every year after dinner!). I cherish the memories of these Christmas Eve dinners and feel so lucky to have spent so many wonderful years with this tradition as a part of my life. The dinners stopped a few years ago, but I am so glad that Tim and I met in time for him to enjoy and be a part of these dinners for a couple years. Auntie Vi and Auntie Lena both passed on within the last 3 years, so I also feel thankful to have spent so many holidays with them. I am sad that Ryan was never able to experience it, but this only gives me more motivation to begin creating new Christmas Eve traditions for him to enjoy for years to come, so he will have the same wonderful memories that I do...

Meeting Santa

A few weeks ago, we braved the rain and fog to watch Santa arrive in Fells Point on a tugboat. After his arrival, we joined our neighbors and their friends for breakfast at a local restaurant/bar where Santa was posing for pictures. Throughout breakfast Ryan kept asking "Where is Santa!" and saying "Let's go get him!" So we waited in line, all the while Ryan was excited, running to the front to see Santa, pointing and saying "There's Santa!" When it was our turn, however, he was not so brave....There was no actual crying, but no actual sitting on Santa's lap either! It's ok, we had a great time with friends, and at least got to see Santa and admire him from afar!

Winter Whallop 2009!

The weathermen in Maryland have a tendency to...how shall I say it....exaggerate when snow is predicted. People get in a frenzy, buy all up the bread, milk and toilet paper they can, and prepare for the worst. The storm rarely lives up to the hype...until now! I started to hear rumors on Friday morning that a lot of snow was predicted but I brushed it off, thinking it was the usual hype. Well, we woke up Saturday morning at 6:00 AM to a steady snowfall and a lot of snow on the ground already, and the snow had not stopped by the time we went to bed Saturday night! It was definitely a blizzard, and the most snow I have ever seen since moving to Baltimore 10+ years ago. Since it was a Saturday, we had nowhere to go and just settled in and enjoyed the storm! We went out to play for a bit in the morning with our neighbors, Erin, Eric and Ava (2 yrs).. Another neighbor made a makeshift sled using a cardboard box and shoelaces and I pulled Ryan around for a bit - sledding, Baltimore city style! After we played, we stayed put inside the rest of the day watching the snow fall, baking cookies, and watching Christmas shows. Later our neighbors brought pizza over for dinner and we had a pizza party. I took some great pictures last night, but unfortunately my camera was in "Raw" format, and I don't have the software to convert the pictures, so you're stuck with the ones I took today!! As soon as we got up this morning Ryan was saying "Go out in snow! Go out in snow!" He loves it...So we went to the park and played in the snow for awhile, now we're warming up with hot chocolate and hoping for another lazy day. The great part of city living is that we can walk anywhere we need to go, and people are so much friendlier and helpful during a snowstorm. Thank goodness for nice and friendly neighbors! Below was the scene this morning...

Happy Holidays!

Best Friends

Yesterday morning, Ryan and I had the following conversation

me: Who is your best friend?
Ryan: Mommy!

Sniff, sniff! I was not expecting him to say me, and it brought both a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.

Tree Trimming 2009