Merry Christmas 2006

Caleb as Rudolph













Caleb as Santa

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve 2006
Spent most of the day baking away on my Christmas baskets, this years specialty item was almond truffles! I am amazing even myself (cheese popcorn was a total flop though). Went to the Christmas Eve service sang all the songs but it felt pretty shallow...Christmas Eve without Dave P. just isn't normal, but as we (Petrescue Kids and Brenda and I) keep reminding ourselves that it is a new and different definition of good and normal. So I am not prone to talk in terms of a "Merry" Christmas but it is still a joyousday worthy of our celebration. It is awe inspiring to think that Dave and my Macon are celebrating it together in His presence.
Tmorrow Caleb and I will do our morning thang and hang with the neighbors a bit and then head over to SkipBo's around noon. To all who read this before the day may you have a blessed and joyous day celebrating the birth of our King!
FYI cards have all been mailed! Late I know but way better than years past

No the kitty was NOT a present for us...nor will there be, but Caleb is darn cute and comfortable around animals which is cool.

Caleb the elf helper!

Caleb at Skip and Bonnie's in his
new bathrobe, driving his cool new car.

Scenes from my neighborhood (aka The good, the bad, the ugly)

I know it has been awhile since my last update and as always I apologize. Life is has just been whizzing by me at warp speed! I just turned in my report cards for first semester and am now turning my attention to decorating the house for the holidays. BUT before decorating can begin I have to so a major clean up job. I have my regular school day until the 22nd but most of my tutoring will end next week. I have about 2 full weeks off and then another week free of tutoring. During that time I will be packing up yet again and getting ready to move. In reality I won't really move until February but I am packing up and will live in a temporary house until my new place is finished. The place I have found is currently a dump with a capital "D" it has been used as storage for the last 15 years. But the potential is great and the landlady is very kind and willing to work with me to put the place in order. Honestly I like fixer upper kind of places so this should be fun. She gave me a great rate for Maadi standards and is willing to sign a loooong contract so it will be home finally! I will keep ya'll up to date on the process as I have never done such a thing before.
I am bummed about leaving the countryside but am glad we had the time we did and enjoyed it. We can always come out and hang and play now that I have a car so that it cool for the Cabester (Caleb).

Speaking of the little guy he is getting into the Christmas spirit oohing and ahhhing at the lights and terrorizing everyone's tree. This year I am blocking the bass speaker hole before he rediscovers last years fun of hiding my ornaments there. Still not up to his 75 word vocab that the baby bible says he is suppossed to have but we add a word every week or so. So far the English list consists of "MaMa" (addressed not only to me but to every older female whose attention he wants, I am not taking it personally) Cold, baby, up, out, car, hot, and "yeah!". In Arabic "de and da" which is this and that, mum (food) embru (bottle) and a few others that I am not cognizant of. He talks non stop mind you ...I just don't understand. I am hoping that I can get him into preschool for a couple hours a week this next semester to get him socializing more with other kids his age. He is very comfortable going to a few houses that I leave him at regularly but things like Friday school we have not parted well so few hours in preschool should be a real interesting feat...for the teachers.