Friday morning we were awakened at 6am with piercing shrieks -- Katrina. Dave got there first, and found her covered in blood. Another gushing nosebleed. One pajama sleeve was soaked, and there were large spots of blood all over her bedding, pillow and pajamas. Julian's had nosebleeds before, but never with this sort of volume. By the time it stopped and I got her cleaned up, it was time to get ready to go to work anyway. Ugh -- I felt it all day, having to get up so early.
This weekend we put up Christmas lights -- late, but we're one of the few families in our immediate neighborhood that does anymore. Julian told me that our neighbors across the street don't celebrate Halloween or Christmas. I got some gifts ordered, some things boxed up and sent out, packaged some things to return, caught up on everyone's laundry, mostly finished updating my Google Contacts so I could send out Christmas cards, made a few batches of holiday meringues, ordered jackets for all 3 kids, finally ordered some new shoes for Katrina, labelled and washed a pile of new sweatshirts, and various miscellaneous other things. Yet it feels like we didn't do anything!
I've planned for us to go on a one-night trip to the mountains to snow-play and ski, but the skies aren't cooperating. There's very little natural snow right now. Wah! I hope that fixes itself in the next few days!
We decorated the tree also. I let Julian and Katrina place most of the ornaments (Gabriel was playing piano and didn't join us), but I put some of the more fragile ones up high. This is so much more fun to do with kids -- or rather, watching them do it.
Though Gabriel didn't join us for the decorating, he did help me put the lights up. That was always my job when I was a kid, now I can pass the torch to him!
I had to make two batches of these holiday meringues to get them right, and sent some to my niece and nephew (who hopefully will share with their father and uncle if he's there!). These are so pretty, and easy -- I think this just skyrocketed to my favorite Christmas cookie.
One night after dinner, Katrina got a pencil and piece of paper, and began intently writing something. At one point, I walked by her and peered over her shoulder, and she rebuffed me immediately: "Nooo! Don't TALK to me now!" I feel the same way when my head is overflowing with words and I just must write them down and don't want to be interrupted.
Later I walked by her and saw her carrying the paper. This time, she let me look at it. I was absolutely stunned. Usually she writes little things like notes to herself, or to-do lists that contain items like "ask for ideas." But this -- !
GodWe are in God,
Where we die.
How did we die?
We ate too much
candy: that's how
we died
When we visted God we really died.
God is really in sky.
And she was so directed while writing it, like she knew exactly what had to be said, and where to place it. It's almost a little creepy, but I remember my sister telling me that my nephew Aidan went through a phase of being interested in death. I don't sense that Katrina's giving it any real deep thought, but she mentions dying a lot. She told Dave later this was a song.
Gabriel's knee seems to have fully recovered, and after two physical therapy sessions and a lot of muscle relaxants, my TMJ is allowing me to chew mostly normally, but with very limited opening.
No school next week!
12/18/11
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