Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!

It was once again a fantastic holiday with family. 

We started the celebrations on Christmas Eve, balancing our Polish Christmas traditions and our Swedish ones between my sisters and Anna's brothers houses...luckily they live right next door to each other so we could easily go back and forth.  My mom was there so that made for a full family of18 people and it was just so awesome to have her there with us.  She enjoyed the kids most of all, and left with a cheetah stuffed animal to hold...she said it was her favorite gift.  

On Sunday we all gathered for Christmas dinner at our house.  I made a crown port roast (first time!) which was delicious, with roasted veggies, and a fresh bitter salad.  We followed it up with a flourless chocolate cake and peppermint ice cream.  We played so many games, sang Christmas carols and Swedish drinking songs, and really just had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas.  

All of our Favorites!

There is nothing as good as Christmas Stockings.
Even Thea knows that!!

 

DIY Jammies

Hannah Andersson had plain white pajamas for sale this year.

The Thelemarck's took advantage of this and we all decided to tie dye our own pajamas.  The boys wanted black with pink.  Every family chose their own colors.

And here we all are....tie dyed and wide eyed.  

 

First Step, Last Step

 

Lefou, I'm afraid I've Been Thinking

Kuba's last play in Troupe this season was Beauty and the Beast.

He played the role of Gaston and he was the main antagonist in the play.  Gaston is arrogant, a bit of a chauvinist, and is determined to convince Belle to marry him, not matter what.  Gaston's original las name - LeGume - is a pun on his "pea-brained" insight and views on women.  Kuba played the role so well. 

 He loved being the villain 

Holiday Card

This image was just so stunning to me that I decided to use it for our holiday card. 
We added a photo of Kuba and a poem about reaching by Mary Oliver.  

We sorta loved it.  

Where Does the Temple Begin, Where Does it End? 

There are things you can't reach.  But you can reach out to them, and all day long.

The wind, the bird flying away.  The idea of God.

And it can keep you as busy as anything else, and happier. 

The snake slides away; the fish jumps like a little lily, 

out of the water and back in; the goldfinches 

sing from the unreachable top of the tree.

I look; morning to night I am never done with looking. 

Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around

as though with your arms open.

And thinking: maybe something will come, some

shining coil of wind,

or a few leaves from any old tree'

they are all in this too.

And now I will tell you the truth.

Everything in the world 

comes.  

At least, closer.

And, cordially.

Like the nibbling, tinsel-eyed fish; the unlooping snake.

Like goldfinches, little dolls of gold

fluttering around the corner of the sky 

of God, the blue air.  

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year at home with family.

It was grandma's first time home after going to the nursing home.

I was super anxious about how she would be, worrying she would be sad and not want to return. 
My anxiety kept me from being fully present and enjoying the holiday fully. 
And in a way I was right.  She was very anxious herself and didn't want to return that evening. 

It was all I could do to not breakdown from overwhelming compassion. 

And yet, the holiday was celebrated and we did the best we could to make it beautiful and delicious....even though the underlying pink elephant was Grandma's happiness.  

 

Last Meet of the Season

 

Circo Tempesta

                                                                                                                                               Yet another awesome performance by Kuba in Circo Tempesta.  

He played the strongman and he was fantastic!   

Pine Never Looked So Good Before

We are laying down new wood floors upstairs.

Pine flooring.

We got a deal on a pallet of pine and decided to go for it.

It's been the catalyst for an entire upstairs renovation project.

Peter and Anna have been super busy redoing electric, tearing down and building new walls, laying down floors, and we are getting closer and closer to a newly renovated upstairs.

This was facilitated by Peter urging us to build a room for Kuba.

He was right.

 

F O U R T E E N - Take 2

 

(the above video is from 2019!! - but I just happened to find it and decided to post it here) 

FOURTEEN

 

Kuba celebrated his fourteenth birthday today. 

He continues to be a feisty, passionate, enlivened being.

His fourteenth year was full of the strangeness of the pandemic still, yet he was able to do lots of theater with Very Merry. What is new and apparent is a surge in a desire to get straight A's in middle school. 

He is very motivated to do the work.  He's physically grown so much this year that he is nearly 6 feet tall and almost taller than Anders. He pushes us to be inspired, to laugh, to enjoy life and to practice being here now.  Happy Birthday to such a bright, beautiful light.  

Halloween Night

Luckily we have the barn and this is the second year in a row that Anders had a Halloween sleepover party with his friends.  They ate a lot of candy, watched a lot of movies, and played a lot of video games.  Word on the street is that some didn't fall asleep until 4 am.  Yikes! 

Halloween 2021

 

Kuba designed his own costume again...a mousetrap!

Here he is in all his glory, 

and here he is with his group of friends as they head out 

trick or treating.  

Rowing - Year 3

Anders completed his 3rd year of rowing this fall, balancing both rowing and being on the Volleyball team.  The boy is amazing.  Here are a few of them post race chowing on doughnuts!