Thursday, January 28, 2010

Christmas in Budapest part 1

Here begins our Christmas adventure. I don't know how long it will take me to tell all the stories, so be sure to check Barclay's blog for his version & more pix. I'll try to post different pix than he does, but it takes a while to upload, so...here goes! Enjoy! ;)
Here is our tired fam between flights in Prague. We came. We saw the airport. We got a coffee mug w their national flag on it. :) This was the beginning of our 1st Christmas with "just our little family," which was really nice. (Yes, parents & brothers & sister-in-law, we missed you!) ...and that would be a worn out Langston napping on Barclay's chest. Zora had just woken up from a lengthy nursing/napping session.
The Great Market. Really neat. And a good pic. (My husband takes good pix.) There were all kinds of vendors in this *pretty much* indoor building. One could purchase local baked goods, fruits, veggies, dairy products, meats, etc. all on the bottom floor, or go up to the second floor for scarves, shirts, bags, toys, post cards...all kinds of stuff. Fun, touristy times.

Poor porky. Zora kept saying, "Pheg!" as if the little porker could hear her. DeWayne, I thought of you when I saw this. Outhouses, hog killin', chicken hockey, "bought" milk,...I hope you tell the kids about these experiences someday. :)
Lots & lots of piggie parts. This reminded me of that Beatles song..."have you seen the little piggies in their starched white shirts?...for all the little piggies, life is getting worse..."
Daddy, Zora & the Hungarian Christmas geese. Birds were everywhere. It gave new meaning to the phrase "have all your ducks in a row." While B. bought the kids a couple of Christmas gifts, I entertained them by getting their pic drawn by one of those cartoonists at the mall. It was a pretty cheap thrill.


Here we are at the "Tropicarium in Budapest," just as the pic says. :) The main reason we came here (on Christmas Eve, no less) was bc they offered a "shark feeding" session...(see: diver w the metal glove & shark swimming away from him below) which both my boys were pretty thrilled about. Also, as B. mentioned on his blog, according to the website, we could've "fondled Ray." Some folk did. (Poor Ray. How dare they do that to him. Ha! Translations kill me sometimes.)

This is what I end up doing pretty much where ever we go right now. I think Zora has moved back several months in the "I need to nurse" category. She was actually down to only 4 feedings before we moved here. Now I don't even count 'em. We'll have to readjust when we get home...and when those 2-yr. molars finish cutting. :)
My boys have a serious reptile fascination. Barclay used to really want a snake. Then we had kids & the whole idea of a "pet" kind-of takes a back seat. Maybe someday we'll get a pet. Although living in a city w dog poop everywhere & where people allow their dogs to fun around leash-less as they follow several yards behind them has somewhat turned me against the whole dog thing...
Langston is surprised to see a fellow gator...from same swampy area where he was born! Two of a kind!
What a good big brother. He even rides w her to the ball.
Silly Langston. It was Christmas Eve, so he was helping St. Nick check it twice. :)
The loot! Christmas morn & our tiny tree! Notice that the stockings are the kids socks! ;) Filled w candy & a tiny toy a piece.A family pic (via the self timer) w us and/in our Christmas stuff. I'm in my new p.j.s & everyone else is sporting a new Budapest tee.We tried about 5 times to get a good pic of both kids & their booty. Here's the best attempt. :) As usual, they got mostly books, workbooks, coloring books, sticker books, etc. But Z also got a tiny Hungarian purse, a Pooh, & two babies. L. got a car, an airplane, a pretend watch (he can get a real one if takes care of this one), & some craft supplies. OH! And I think that B. mentioned that we got so much stuff on the airplane (to entertain the kids: a comic, a pack of colored pencils, an airplane, a puzzle, a pack of cards...per kid) that we used some of that stuff as stocking stuffers, too. They have shared all their gifts pretty well. It was a fun Christmas & MUCH less stress than our ordinary ones.Langston taking a lick off of his giant 'pop, which he did not finish...even over the course of the two weeks!

I actually really enjoyed cooking our special lunch. We had ham w pineapple, steamed broccoli w cheese, butternut squash (prepared like a sweet potato...they don't seem to have those here), a few other sauteed veggies & bakery bread. It was yummy & somewhat like a what we eat at Christmas...only more healthy & more veggies. :)
Well, that only takes us up to Christmas day! Lots more to go! I'll post part 2 asap.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

almost home...


It is official. We have around 30 days 'til we arrive back in Macomb! I am so excited! Our internet here is *once again* pretty much not working at all and I know how silly this sounds, but I depend on ".com," as Langston used to say.
When we're home, I can pick up the phone or jump in the car, but here I have to sign on to feel connected. (Punny, I know.) Not to mention all the "wedge-a-cational" things we usually google. When L. wants to know if a certain animal eats veggies or meat, how crayons are made (sesame st. has a really cute clip of this, btw), or whatever, we look it up...via the web.
I will be SO happy to: drive, use my dryer (& washer), get back into a work-out mode, cook in a REAL kitchen w my REAL pots & pans & stuff, visit w all my friends, scrapbook, go to the library, sleep in a real bed, put my kids down in their real beds, have more bks. to choose from (B. refuses to read any more "potty bk." or grumpy ladybug), host or go to playgroups, teach my classes at the Y, shop at our stores (I miss you, Hy-Vee, Vitamin Lady, Kid's Kastle...), eat dinner w friends, hang out in my big living room, take a bath in a REAL (albeit pink) tub, flip through my mail (since we only get some of the mail that is sent to us here...& some of that has been opened already!) & even clean my house! Ah! An ode to home! :)
And while I'm pining away about my love for all things dear to me in Macomb, I will say that I'm glad we spent all this time together as a family. I have really enjoyed having B. here w us more & the little travels we've done w the kids...mostly bc we've done so much as a "team." B. has really grown into his daddy-ness. Zora even calls herself "daddy's baby." :) We will look back on this experience & laugh (I might cry a little, too) someday. I'm glad we did all this together...and of course, I'll be happy to get back home together, too.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Jodi Pic-goal

Do any of you bloggy buddies read Jodi Picoult? (My Sister's Keeper was based on her book; The Tenth Circle is another movie made after her book of the same name.) I have a "goal" to read all her stuff (& I know she has a new one coming out this year) & I think I'm only one away from doing so. If you read her, do you have a fav? One you didn't like? And who else do you read? I've got to start a new addiction. :) And I enjoy reading "all" of what people write...however disappointing some turn out to be. (Nic Sparks rocks in some; not so much in others.) I heart Frank McCourt's (3 book) series. Check it out for those of you who haven't. (The movie Angela's Ashes is based on one of the three books in that series.)
What are you reading?

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Zora-isms (at 21 months)



Here is a list of my Zora-bean-isms in honor of her "21 months" b'day.

"Wanna' Fight?"
"Go 'way!"...these two come from the Eric Carle book "The Very Grumpy Ladybug" (aka, "Bug"or "Numpy Bug [grumpy bug]to Zora)

the wannie (laundry)
don't like eht!
don't whan eht!
I nahce ew? (May I nurse you?)
take-a-baf? (take a bath)
hawd ew? (hold you?)
nummy (yummy)

Nan is Leanne
Nane is Langston
ahp et. (open it)
she loves chapstick or aquaphor for her "dips" (lips:)
and "notion" for skin (lotion)
nina or vee-nina (vagina), puh-nus (penis)
She knows LOTS of animals & some animal signs. Here are some Zora-isms for their names: ah-raffe (giraffe), punky (monkey), moush (mouse), ...the rest she says pretty clearly.

Her babies include: Fred (American, dark skinned baby), Matilda (Polish baby named after Wlod's daughter), Hannah(Hungarian baby named after the most popular baby names in Hungary 2009), Abbie(named after one of our friends' daughters), big Winnie-Pooh & "niney"(tiny) Pooh
she adds "a'" to the end of lots of words: butta' (butter), picka' (pickle), booga' (booger), finga' (finger), Micka' Moush (mickey mouse), diapa' (diaper), ...
Picey (spicey)
she says, "You!" for "I love you!"
and finally...she has the best manners of any baby around. She says, "Pwease" and "tant ew" for so many things, from getting her sippy handed to her to us holding the door for her. Very sweet.

a must see video....potty mouth?! Zora says "fork."

Friday, January 15, 2010

delurking day


It seems that today, in blogland, is a day to "reveal oneself" (above is my "reveal oneself" face...this, of course is why my girlfriends did not hire a stripper for me at my panty party). Readers, just comment to say, "hello! I blogstalk you!" and that's it. :) Thanks for reading & keeping up with our fam.
Note to Bekki: seriously, I was probably watching more of that way over the top p.d.a.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Grandmom & Grandad's visit (& belated Thanksgiving post)


Donna & DeWayne came to visit us around Thanksgiving & stayed for a week. (I'm SO sorry this post is late, y'all! Better late than never? :)
Anywho, we had a good time traveling around Krakow & Kielce with them.
So cool! Critical mass in Krakow one night! There were hundreds of riders & police blocking the traffic. If you aren't familiar w critical mass, you should check it out sometime. Among other things, it's a reminder for all of us to SEE those who bike. Barclay & Langston have ridden in Macomb.
Post-dinner, pre-shopping in Krakow
A fun Polish holiday: Saint Andrew's holiday cross-dress & palm read. Seriously. According to this website...

St. Andrzejki Day Rituals

This is a special time for young Polish girls who want to find a husband. On this night and the next day, fortunes are told and the results are not taken lightly.

I didn't notice any gals asking for palms to be read. And from what I understood our Polish pals to say this is more a fun, funny kids thing now-a-days. This was our waiter joining in the hoop-la. And me enjoying all the funny cross-dressers (I even caught one guy feeling his own balloon boob! Ha! He was standing right in front of me when he did it, so I laughed & said, "Niiiice!")
On the train ride to Krakow
Donna in her element. :)
The Key fam at our "hotel" aka dorm, where the grands bunked with us.
an ordinary morning...
an ordinary snarl...
Look how well that man taught his son! :)
Isn't this great!? They dig American jazz & blues here.
trumpeter in Krakow (look for him out one of the top windows) He plays to each cardinal direction at noon daily.
This was "the crew" who braved the concentration camps tour earlier that day. L to R: Barclay, DeWayne, Stephen (a Scottish dude who noticed by just looking that D. was not Polish & asked to share a cab! He eventually joined the other men on their tour that day & met us for dinner than evening), Robert (an American friend who is also teaching on a FB here in Poland). We were eating at this cute, very traditional Polish place with fur on sleighs & all other kinds of interesting deco.
L. about to "dig in"
We ordered a sampler called "the trough"...that dude was fa' real!
L. playing around in a piece of art. :)
a dedication to all who died in terrorist attacks. Very neat monument in Kielce.
L. & grands at our local pond.
our local Palace: see below as well.

toy museum!


Thanksgiving at Pizza Hut w the grands, Leanne & Wlod, our shepherd. Good food. Great company. And we all told about what we were thankful for post blessing & pre food. It was super nice.

Being silly with a statue in Krakow.
Grandmom was getting her workout in! :)
Don't let the pigeon(s)...attack the lady feeding them! (Little joke for those of you who dig Mo Willems with me.)
Well, that's not all, but those are some of the highlights. Don't worry, Donnie & DeWayne, I have a file of all the pix just waiting to be burned to CD for you. Just give me about 6.5 more weeks. :) Love y'all! Thanks for visiting!