Fa La Laaaaa

There are some people who just shouldn't sing Christmas (any) songs, and there are some songs that people shouldn't sing...unless accompanied by a choir. With the names Mormon and Tabernacle preceding.

Allow me to take a moment, and give you some examples.

Number one: Anyone who at any point in their lifetime would come when called "Gomer". As in Pyle. Several times on the radio station (thank you XM Channel 4 Holiday Traditions, I LOVE you!) I shake my head when I hear Jim Nabors (aka Gomer Pyle) singing. It sounds as if he hase a big furry animal caught in his throat and just ate a huge bite of ice cream to push it down. It is truly terrible. Jim, I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't deserve such punishment. I'm also fairly certain that growing up somewhere there was a Jim Nabors Christmas Album (vinyl of course)...I can picture it now, it was all white...as a connoisseur of Christmas music I don't think I even listened to that one. I must draw the line somewhere.

Another one, is Deck the Halls. Unless you are in a group of -- well, anyone, please don't sing this song. Case in point is Willie Nelson. No one person should ever be Fa la la la la-ing on their own, and Willie, you are no exception. At least get some cowboys to chime in to help you out a little bit.

So what do I like to listen to? Very few Christmas songs can be done poorly (sorry Gomer) which is probably why just about anyone who has ever tasted the flicker of celebrity seems to put out a holiday album, but among my top faves have got to be Silent Night, White Christmas, and Once in Royal David's City -- King's College Choir version.

I think it's time to go start a playlist as I begin to pack as Noll Down South returns to our roots for a little while (and shows these Southern Belles what winter is all about).

Frosty Paws

Contrary to news reports across the nation, North Carolina has not been buried under 12 feet of snow to disappear forever like the mystifying Atlantis. Most of the state is green and albeit it a bit on the frosty side this morning, only saw a few minutes of sleet. No big deal. Now granted, there are western areas of the state that probably look like a postcard of Santa's wonderland, but I just wanted to let all of you know that here in the Noll part of North Carolina we are cold, snow free, and looking forward to a Christmas in the mitten of our country where while we would love to see some snow, will not ask for it as to reap the benefits of a 5mpg and 2 1/2 drive home from the airport last year due to said 'flake wishes'. So, while it would be a special treat, it is not a requirement. I'm just saying.

Whether the weather

10 minutes of light sleet... The world is falling apart. Who am I to complain, vacation is going to start two hours early because of it. Felix Navidad.

Whew.

I must wipe my brow a minute before I sit down and type a post about nothing. Just felt like I needed to give you something to look at before you forget all about this.

So, we've been busy with birthday parties and Christmas parties and programs (photos to come soon) and homework and shopping and all that is good and well with the season. I love the pre-Christmas holiday sprit, but wish it could be extended throughout other holidays as well so there wasn't so much pressure to constantly celebrate -- school things, neighborhood things, this/that and the other things.

And in the midst of all of this, Greta is wrestling with the awakening concept (thanks to a school lesson on Kwanzaa) that people come in different colors. And, ever the "organizer" and "controller", let's just say we will need to be talking up Black History Month in our house a little bit....

Meanwhile, Clara is beginning to learn that all is not right and equal in this world either, and that candy canes are really good, and a teeny tiny piece of a candy cane is NOT equal to the candy cane her sister gets to eat so LOOK OUT world -- Clara will not stand for such injustice. Literally. In fact she is sure to sit or lay down and let her opinion be heard.

Chris and I will enjoy a very brief outing tonight to his work Christmas Party which is always pretty nice. The sitter is our neighbor Sarah whom we all love, in fact I shouldn't really call her a sitter. Since she had her first child 2 years ago she has resinded all sitter responsibilites and payment, and now we just help each other out, although I must say we need her help more often than she needs ours. She has more friends I guess.

Anyways, we are also trying to convince Greta that -- wish as she might-- Santa is NOT going to bring her a trampoline this year, but after 2 birthday parties at the gymnastics academy she is hooked. Neither Chris nor I want her to get into gymnastics, but she sure is loving the trampoline.

I will try to post some recent pictures soon, and be a better poster.

I'm not for rent....

but the magic in me is amazing. It seems I have suddenly developed some stunning form of magic that courses through my veins. At this time, it seems like I am only able to complete this stunt on children under the age of two, and because I haven't learned how to control it, it is only seen at certain times of the day. For instance, diaper changing time, pajama time, or any other time we need to change into or out of something. POOF -- I work my magic. Need to put on a coat? POOF! Magic. Shoes? VOILA, once again. Magic.

So? I will let you in on my secret.

It seems...

that I have the magical powers...

to take a young child who is perfectly capable of walking and standing upright, etc...

and turn them into what could only resemble a cooked noodle.
Soggy bread.
Jello.
You get my point?

Here we are, one minute walking and giggling and moving away until it is time to put a coat on to and POOF: Bones O' Yogurt. It's like I have to actually pick her up with a shovel in order to make sure I actually get all of her in one fell swoop so that nothing is dangerously dangling to the side (like a head) that might accidentally get cracked into a doorway (only once...maybe).

Time to change your diaper, time to put on your pajamas, socks, wipe your nose, mouth, etc.etc. etc. Limp. I amaze myself.

So there you have it. My magical-mush-making talent. Not available for kids parties (for obvious reasons) and if you know of anyone who can teach me how to hone my craft, let me know.

Mid - December

As probably one of the most festive rimes of year gets in full swing , we here down south are enjoying a luxurious coat-free day. The blue of the sky amplified by the dark green of the tall pines drenched with the recent rain seems to have cleared the palette for the Christmas countdown.

The true meaning of Christmas momentarily aside, I will say that I will miss the figure/figment/concept/idea/genius that is Santa. This year, out of necessity, the presence (read threat) ofMr Claus has been at the forefront since mid-October. I thought we would ruin by starting so early. I thought by Thanksgiving we would be scrambling for new ideas. Turns out, there's really nothing better than a threat to pick up the phone and call the jolly man himself. Always wondering where I would really take that, so far just the meer mention of 'do I have to pick up the phone' and, well, let's just say Christmas miracles really do exist.

Trying to get with the program and create good, quality citizens we layed excuses aside and attended church last weekend. And, not only did we attend, but we sent Greta to the children's chapel and Clara to the nursery. Lo and behold, the experience was far from the near grueling past experiences before we sent children their seperate ways. While Clara was less than eager to be left, she pulled through without so much as a distant tear when we picked her up, and Greta came away with at least a recognition of what a church is. Phew. And Chris and I actually had a few minutes together without wiping, shushing, getting, holding, rubbing, hugging or doing anything for anyone else.
When I asked Greta what she learned, she said "God".
What about God, was intrigued.
"Just God.". She stated with closure. "I don't know what his name is."
It was all really cute as she continued on with 'who is his family' and adorably honest and thought provoking questions. But I have to tell you that there was a little bit of Laurel and Hardy's 'Who's on First' going on in the beginning as we went back and forth about God's name. ("It's God".
" I know but I don't know his name."
" His name is God"
"Whose name?"
" God".
" But I don't know his name"
Cue hair pulling and maniacal screaming within. I politely changed the conversation tom something a bit less...theological. "So, what do you want for Christmas?" Ahhhh, the true meaning of the season. I will be the first to let you know, attending church a scant handful of times a year does not arm you with the knowledge to discuss anything regarding the true meaning of anything with anyone over 2 and under 6.

The Perfect Background

Since Clara often does not get her fair share of stunning photos, I thought I'd share a few from a quick weekend at the beach about a month ago. They might not be stunning, but I think they are special. You just can't beat a white shirt and jeans against the waves, sand and sky. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, or what you're doing, it's almost foolproof. I think these pictures capture the serious side of Clara. Clara has few gears: hysterically silly, contemplating and serious, or asleep.

Christmas Preview -- Clara Version

I know I know, not as many pictures, not as interesting, not as different. Model she is not. As it is I had to bribe her with Smarties, which to me was pure torture. Not only for the fact that I was bribing this child with candy, not only because I was giving my small child candy, but that I was giving away Smarties. But they were small, and I could just put out a couple and she would think that was it, so it was worth it. The pictures turned out a lot better than if I had NOT done this, in which case, there actually would not have been pictures at all. Look carefully, actually you don't have to look that carefully, but in the last picture you can see the Smartie nestled in her mouth...dancing on her taste buds, mingling with her senses, invading her bloodstream with sugary addicting goodness....

Christmas Preview -- Greta Version

The Great Christmas Preview

Featuring: Greta Lillian

(by the way, I know she'll love this someday because I would, but have you ever noticed how hard it is to spell either Greta or great when you really want to spell the other one? No? Well, trust me, it can be a mental unmatched by man. It takes humongous brain power to get my fingers to type the correct word. I have to double check when I write things for work lest people really start to wonder about me. More.)

Tunes to Start the Morning

The Hamster Dance it is not. And for that I am happy. On the whopping 3 minute drive to daycare in the mornings (if we aren't stuck behind that school bus that is) we can usually get in a snappy little song, or if we are lucky, parts of two songs (and we've been known to sit in the car and dance if it's a really rockin' number), before we have to part ways and start our days. Some mornings, the music is so good that I've been known to keep the station on the entire way to my work. Oh that extra 3 minutes of kids music can just jump start your day. Or put you in a really irritated mood...you have to be careful.

And so, this morning, AFTER I dropped the girls off (which involves not so much as a nod from Clara, but about 50 hugs from Greta and occasional prying off my leg) I got in the car and since we were just a hair early, I decided I would treat myself to a bagel. Since I was concentrating on said bagel, it took me a moment to realize that I have left the kids' channel on (XM116) until I realized: Hey, this song is absolutely hysterical! I mean, I chuckled out loud, to myself, in the car. I wanted to call everyone I knew to play it. (But, seeing that it was 7:16 and most people I would call were no where near in the mood to have a phone call, I didn't. But I thought about you!) So, without further ado, I must let you know that this song (which I hope to find SOMEWHERE to download) is this:

My hair had a party last night,

It musta got into a terrible fight,

Cause when my head hit the pillow it was lookin' all right,

My hair had a party last night.

My hair had a party last night,

When I lay down everything was all right,

It started out friendly but there must have been a fight,

My hair had a party last night.

Priceless. The band is beautifully named Trout Fishing in America. If you find a link to the msuic, let me know! I hope you all can start the day this way.

I have not given up! Stay tuned for several pictures!