Christmas In Ohio

We spent Christmas in Columbus, Ohio, with Auntie Alli, Uncle Dave, Gramma, Granpa, and Auntie Alli's high school friend Spencer. Despite the cold and the rain in Ohio (we certainly are becoming accustomed to the mild winter of Columbia, South Carolina), we had a lot of fun. Here are the highlights from Christmas in Ohio:

• Seeing Auntie Alli's and Uncle Dave's wonderful new home in Columbus.

• Visiting COSI, the science museum in Columbus, which had some fascinating and fun-filled exhibits. Auntie Alli, Justin, and I even braved the unicycle on a tightrope high above the entrance hall of the museum, which is supposed to demonstrate gravity at work. Milo especially enjoyed the hands-on exhibits and experiments at COSI and Auntie Alli seemed to like being shrink-wrapped.

• Milo and Calder on sugar highs as a result of each ingesting a ton of chocolate.
• Playing with Cousin Lola, Auntie Alli's crazy Boston terrier. Lola actually pulled Milo ten feet across the living room during a game of tug-of-war.

• Soooo many hugs.

• Watching Calder's walking skills really take off.
• Milo drinking chocolate milk from a tiny chocolate cordial cup.
• Doughnut and ice cream runs with Uncle Dave.
• The mountain of presents under Auntie Alli's Christmas tree, which mainly were for Milo and Calder.

• Calder entertaining himself for an hour straight with the ukulele that Auntie Alli gave Milo as a present.

• Milo using a lamp as a spotlight under which he sang and played his new ukulele.

• Milo's many attempts to wake Uncle Dave at various times, including with his "bug vacuum."

• A big, delicious, Christmas dinner with our family and Uncle Dave's parents, Mimi and Henry.

• Wonderful little boys who appreciate the joy of napping during a long car ride home.
• Returning home to our beloved dogs Beacon and Cleo.
  

A Whole Lotta Lights

Tonight we visited the "Lights Before Christmas" at our zoo. The lights were spectacular. Trees all over the zoo were lit and there were many lights forming different animal shapes. The zoo was the busiest we've ever seen it. Milo and Calder enjoyed the view from their stroller, snuggled under a blanket. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so there are no shots of the boys munching wheat crackers under the stars amidst the blinking lights and fake snowfall. Oh well.

Candles and Latkes

Today was the Chanukah show at the Columbia Jewish Day School, Milo's preschool. There was just too much cuteness going on at that show. And, I must say, the three-year-old class stole the show. Not that I'm biased or anything. Anyways, after a cute little parade of two-year-olds shaking maracas and the lighting of the menorah, the three-year-olds took the stage.

Our little candle just so happened to be center stage. Although he may not have known all the words to the song, Milo certainly knew many of the words and belted them out loudly. The phrase "It is Chanukah TONIGHT!!!", both arms shaking vigorously, will be ingrained in the audience's memory, thanks to Milo. More than one parent commented on Milo's stage presence, enthusiasm, and volume. As one classmate's father described Milo, "The kid likes Chanukah, whether he's Jewish or not!"

Following the candle song, the children donned their latkes, with frying pans in hand. Once they placed the pans on the floor, they proceeded to jump up and down in the pans, like tasty little golden latkes, almost ready to be eaten. Yum!

The four-year-olds, kindergarten, and first-graders also sang songs and acted out skits, including the Chanukah story in Hebrew. But those three-year-olds were just delicious.

Christmakah Is Music To My Ears

This weekend we celebrated Christmakah, which mostly consisted of eating lots of good food, lighting the menorah, sitting around the Christmas tree, and opening presents. My boys, all three of them, love music, as well as making music, so I gave them each an instrument. They spent much of the weekend making music for me. I am very lucky.

We also spent both Saturday and Sunday afternoons out at parks in beautiful, sunny, 70 plus degree weather. Only in South Carolina in December!

Milo In The News

Today Milo made the front page of the metro section of the local paper here in South Carolina, The State. The article describes local preparations for Chanukah and features Milo decorating cookies at his school, the Columbia Jewish Day School.

A Happy and A Merry Christmakah To You!

That's the ole Christmas and Chanukah combo, for those of you unfamiliar with the special December holiday celebrated in our atheist household. In the spirit of holiday generosity, my darling husband Justin decided we should chop down our own Christmas tree this year. So yesterday we took a short drive to Sumter, an even shorter hayride out to the tree farm, and Justin, with Milo's eager assistance, chopped down our very own tree. The boys and I had a lovely time walking through the rows of trees, with the afternoon sunlight streaming down on us. Milo and Justin also played a little hide-and-go-seek amongst the trees. And, I actually had to convince Justin that a tree that was over twice his height would not fit into our living room.