It's Two Days After Christmas! You Know What THAT Means!

Happy birthday to meeee.

Yes, I am indeed turning 34 years old today. It's kind of weird to be marking such an advanced (ha) age in the home of my parents, surrounded by all the things I remember from when I was, like, Cubby's age.

I was all set to sleep in this morning, reminding A. that he would be getting up the with kids. HAHAHAHA. Apparently, I've learned nothing in my 34 years.

I don't sleep in. Ever. And I especially don't sleep in when there's a two-hour time change and my body thinks it's after 6 a.m.

So I got up at 4:30 a.m. I could have stayed in bed, but I get bored just lying there. And frankly, I need the half hour or so in the (very) early morning when I'm traveling with my children before they get up so I can have my coffee and just . . . not talk for awhile.

Later my brother will be arriving with his wife and two daughters; the older one is two years older than Cubby, the younger just three weeks younger than Charlie. I can't wait for the cousins to meet up and circle each other like dogs before joining forces to create bedlam in my parents' home. It's going to be loud and frenetic and completely insane.

So for now there is silence and coffee and sleeping children. Later there will be lots of family and food and shouting. Not a bad way to celebrate a birthday.

Upstate New York to Tucson Is a Long Way

In case you weren't aware of that. And it is exponentially longer with two little kids.

Not that I can complain about those kids. They were amazing. Even Charlie, who used to be such a misery in the car that I thought twice about driving longer than 20 minutes away from the house. He slept a total of maybe 20 minutes yesterday, but he did not cry. It was amazing.

Even in the car on the way from Phoenix to Tucson--the last leg of the trip and an interminable two hours--he would not fall asleep. It was dark for part of it, he was so tired he was staring vacantly into space, but as soon as we got off the freeway and into the city, he perked right up and started babbling about the lights.

Cubby whined some, because it's kind of hard to sit still for ten hours when you're three (or thirty-three . . .), but he was good too. I continue to be amazed at how they never really live up to my worst expectations.

I love those kids.

And now we're here, with ten days of merriment and good weather ahead. The best Christmas present ever.

I'm Dreaming of a Desert Christmas

We're leaving Christmas Day for Arizona. My father has instructed me to pack swim suits for the kids, so they can swim in my parents' heated pool. It took some doing to locate swim suits--those not being items we have used or will be using for some time--but I did.

My mother sent me an e-mail saying she was going on a liquor run. She was already planning on getting me gin and tonic, but she wanted to check if there was anything else she should get.

It's going to be 65 degrees (or warmer) and nothing but sun the entire ten days we're there.

I'm anticipating a very merry Christmas. And I wish the same to all of you, my lovelies, wherever you may be.