Holiday happenings

If this last weekend is what the rest of December is going to be like, all I can say is bring it on - I had FUN! 

We started off with the birthday dinner Friday night with the unexpected bonus guests of my aunt (who never tells me when she is going to be in town) and cousin.  This led to the unexpected bonus gift of a Le Crueset Dutch Oven - which I have long lusted after.  Score! 

Saturday started with Chinese school for the Cutest Thing and an unexpected gift shopping opportunity for me.  Followed by the receipt of the latest Cooks Illustrated magazine featuring no fewer than four delicious sounding recipes requiring, you guessed it, a dutch oven.  (See the unexpected bonus gift described above).  Then we had some fun family Christmas decorating, followed by a Christmas party with my mom's group - a lovely group of women (and their husbands - but they don't come to half of the stuff we do) who all have daughters adopted from China - four of whom were in our travel group in 2005.  The crafty mom presented us all with her second annual DVD compilation of pictures from our various dinners / playdates / get togethers / events throughout the year.  It's so much fun to see the girls grow together - and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

And then on Sunday  we got to go to a professional basketball game with the CT's whole daycare class and their families, courtesy of the dad of one of the kids who is the manager or agent or something like that for one of the players.  We took up three rows, and the kids had the best time climbing over the seats to visit each other and eating junk food and cheering and dancing and waving the car flags we had gotten at the door.  At first, the CT was unsure about the whole thing - it was too loud and bright and overwhelming for her.  But after we sat in our seats for a few minutes and she got her bearings, she began to have fun.  I got to talk to some of the other parents, and realized that I had somehow missed out on the creation of a group email list.  Apparently they all get together every couple of weeks or so.   I gave them my email address to add to the list - but am a little ambivalent about it.  On the one hand - they all seem like really nice people and I know that the kids all like each other.  On the other hand, between work and church/choir and family and my mom's group and my book club, my schedule is pretty full.  Oh well - as they say, there is plenty of time to sleep when you are dead.  Right?