and now for my final TRICK: Christmas...a month late

Monday, January 16, 2012

Christmas...a month late

Well, we didn't celebrate a month late, it has just taken me a while to get to the pictures and now i know why, we hardly took any!

We spent a nice 9 days back in Pennsylvania.

We had tons of fun and Everett went into overload and couldn't handle all the people, parties, and commotion. He is used to our small family here in Colorado and he was a bit overwhelmed by everything and had some, well, let's say, issues. He pretty much wanted to be left alone and people weren't permitted to look at him or speak to him on a few occasions. that kid kills me.Check this cutie video of Holden and Blake having fun and Ev freaking out!

Ev really did like the Santa though:)

Why yes, that IS a scary santa that sings in the middle of my mom's living room.

Holden had a ton of fun "taking care of" Blake. He tolerated her...

She also invited herself to sleep over all over town. That girl spent the night at Mimi's,

Grandpa's,

Aunt Kasandra's, and my cousin Danny and Heather's place. She really does get around!

The kids got way too many presents and had way too much fun with all of them!

Everett completely passed out in the middle of my mom's house during our Christmas lunch...35 people...he was next to the buffet....sleeping...for 3 hours!

After we got back form PA up to the mountains we went for some Christmas fun with the Hanou side of the family.

Putting Holden in charge of the camera was a mistake, we have no good photos of Lillian's first Christmas! Severin and Colleen were in town from D.C. and we had some great hang out time with everyone, even though there is next to no snow up there.

The cousins got to share a bath though and it was pretty darn cute!

Everett was just wearing himself out for the entire vacation because he had another pass out in the middle of the house!

I guess the fact that he was sleeping at the drop of a hat means he had fun tiring himself out!
We all had a wonderful time relaxing with family and having Ian to ourselves for 12 days!

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Honolulu by Alan Brennert- 4 Stars
A lovely tale told by a Korean woman who came to America as a "picture bride." We learn of her challenging and oppressive childhood in Korea, her journey away from all she knew, learning the new culture in Hawaii, escaping an abusive husband, becoming an entrepreneur, finding love, becoming a mother, and living a fulfilling life. I previously read Molokai by the same author and loved it, which is why I snatched this one up as soon as I heard of it. I think I enjoyed this one even more! The writing is smooth and easy, the tales are gripping, and the experiences are harrowing which keep you wanting more of this woman's incredible story.

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha- 2 1/2 stars
This book is a collection of vignettes celebrating the awesome things in life. The cold side of your pillow on a hot night, finding money in your coat pocket, popping bubble wrap, when cashiers open up a new line at the grocery store, and watching Price is Right when you were home sick from school. This guy also has a blog where people can submit more awesomness. It was fun to read, but not as great as I was hoping. I will probably read his blog though, because he is pretty witty and definitely made me chuckle and remember to appreciate the small things in life.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson- 3 stars
PAGE TURNER! I read this in 1 1/2 days. The story begins with a woman waking up in a bed, next to a man, in a house and she recognizes none of it. Over the next few minutes she learns that she has amnesia and every night when she goes to be she forgets most of her life. She begins working with a psychiatrist who convinces her to write in a journal, so she can reread it each morning and hopefully begin to build memories. The mysteries of how she ended up in this condition and her relationships with friends and loved ones kept me on the edge of my seat.

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Another winner here folks. This book was AWESOME (and a bit shorter than Cutting for Stone). This was a new perspective on World War II for me. The story follows a boy growing up in a Chinese household in Seattle during the war. He befriends a Japanese girl, which is STRICTLY forbidden by his domineering and emotionless father. He realizes he is in love with her just as her family is removed to a Japanese Internment camp for the remainder of the war. The stay in touch through letters and his enormous risks to visit her . I don't want to give away any more, but you simply HAVE to read this book. The relationships between the children and their families and even the public during these war years was an interesting perspective for me. The twists and turns kept me up till midnight and the ending was wonderful!

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese- 5 Stars
Oh my! I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. It was long and delicious and I did not want it to end. The premise is a nun working at a clinic in Ethiopia dies while giving birth to twin boys. The story explores the people and relationships in these boys' lives through the eyes of Marion, one of the twins. He grows up in the clinic in Ethiopia with amazing adoptive parents who were friends with his parents and gives us a taste of the culture, food, and everyday life of an Ethiopian. He heads to America to pursue a medical career and his birth father. We read this for book club and had wonderful and rich discussions...I wish there was a part 2!

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Monday, January 16, 2012

Christmas...a month late

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