J-Lo

In the beginning...



My mind is now clear. Always happens after a big turkey meal.

When couples marry, each bring a tradition from their own families to blend with their new partner. The Thanksgiving table for me signifies this.

To those of you in the know (meaning if you have Chic**** attached to your name, you will understand), a green shimmying addition to the table spells T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G. In fact without it, the holiday will seem lacking. The first time I encountered this is during our first year of marriage.

It was green. It was cold. It shimmied. It wobbled. It took some time to get used to the flavors. Year after year, it will appear alongside the turkey and the gravy. In fact, even when we were at someone else's house it appeared (more likely hitched a ride in the car). It was pretty ubiquitous during this holiday and at times made certain appearances during Christmas.

I am talking about the (in)famous Lime Jello. No, not Jello Green Giant or Green Jello Surprise. Just Lime Jello. With pears in heavy syrup (not in light syrup or in fruit juice -- HEAVY) and pecans.

Over our 14+ years together as a married couple, I have become to appreciate the significance of this particular dish. Not quite a salad or a side dish. It is a palate cleanser between bites of gravy-covered turkey and just-as-gravy-covered mashed potatoes. It is comforting in its dependable materialization at the table. Is there an analogy of this dish to life? There might be but I will leave it to your interpretation.

I can't believe I'm singing the praises for Lime Jello but I am.















Lime Jello in its glory!

Gone Missing

It is snowing and Lauren is home eating vanilla ice cream and watching TV. Are you crazy? you ask - questioning my mothering skills. Don't blame me! Blame the dentist (specifically the oral surgeon) or at least his assistant. Confused?

This morning, Lauren got her H tooth pulled out since the #11 tooth had already erupted. H tooth is the baby tooth. Did you know that baby teeth have alphabetical designation and the permanent ones have numerical? (Just learned that today when the assistant was taking an X-ray of Lauren's snaggly tooth.) Anyhow, for awhile now, Lauren had been walking around with 2 teeth in the same spot. I likened her to a shark (sharks have rows and rows of teeth so that when one in the front falls out that back one moves in and eating recommence without delay).

Lauren was given nitrous oxide ("laughing gas")although she did not laugh at all -- just looked sleepy), a topical anesthetic (cherry flavored) and a shot of Novocaine. That part made me cringe a lot. Bleech. Fortunately, Lauren didn't feel it at all. She felt heavy and floaty at the same time. Then the oral surgeon (with mask and headlight on) took a shiny pliers and yanked that baby tooth out. (Could have done that myself with a needle nose pliers - but noooo, had to go to a professional). The whole procedure took about 20 minutes tops. The assistant gave us handfuls of gauze and told us to settle the bill with the receptionist - telling Lauren that she will be back with a "prize". The prize was a quart of vanilla ice cream. They probably have freezer full of those stuff in the back!

When I got my 2 molars out, I remembered lots of yanking and breakage and more yanking. I didn't get vanilla ice cream as a prize. I got zilch and, oh, a prescription for 2 kinds of painkillers that promptly made feel nauseous. I think I got the wrong doctor.

On the way home, Lauren was thumping on her left upper lip. She said that her left nostril was also numb. With a white gauze in her mouth and a slightly fat lip, she was a vision.

Rockin' Pix from Rock Climbing

Getting briefed by our instructors Mimi and Alexi.














Cady persevered on this hard wall.


















Aidan made this look too easy!


















Iza trying out the wall.



















She desperately wanted Webkinz and her friends and sister came through brilliantly.















We went to Cheesecake Factory for Emma's birthday dinner and got what she wanted: Oreo cheesecake all to herself!

















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Emma is 8!

Yup! She's eight. Just yesterday she was 7.

She still likes pink but anything shiny and glittery is priority. She is a ballerina who is totally into Webkinz.

For her birthday party, she wanted to invited a few families for an afternoon of rock climbing. So everyone even the parents got to climb. All had fun despite of a sore muscle here and there.


















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