Matters of Life and Death, The Christmas Edition

So I'm putting the kids to bed, with Cousin Talia here for a sleepover. The super-sneaky tactic to stave off the final GO TO SLEEP NOW is to ask existential questions. This evening's discussion went as follows:

Cecilie: Mommy, is Santa ever going to die?
Me: no...Santa is a magical sort of elf, and so the rules of normal humans don't apply
Cecilie: oh, so kind of like God, or Jesus: non-stop kind of guys.
Talia: like Obama!
Lars: hey.... but Jesus got dead! I saw it, in the Walters Eye [sic] Museum.
Me: um, yeah, but Christians believe that then he went to live in heaven.
Lars: so he's just... living up there?
Cecilie (all exasperated): Yeah Lars, that's what that Easter celebration is about.

Go ahead, Dear Reader, accuse me of dissembling. What else do you do in the face of preschool queries on the relationship of God and Man, Santa and Obama?

Friendsisms

The day after Christmas, I had the privilege of taking Cecilie and BFF to Grandma's house where they would be whisked off to see the Nutcracker - they were both beaming with the magic of Christmas and brand new American Girl dolls.

Cecilie's new doll is "Felicity" and BFF noted that that was the one she wanted if she hadn't gotten the "Just Like You" doll'. BFF had seen the movie and proceeded to say that it was kind of sad as Felicity's grandpa got a cough and died. Cecilie was stunned as she asked to verify: "He just started coughing, and then he died...?"

I felt the need to step in, and informed the girls that in the olden days ("Felicity" is a Colonial doll), sometimes a cough might in fact lead to death as there weren't many doctors and hospitals. BFF was totally with me and added with wisdom beyond her years: "Yeah, the olden days, like 1993..."

At this point, they decided to play "through the dolls" and proceeded to talk about how exciting it was that their owners would take them to the Nutcracker. I focused on driving for a little while, but soon enough my ears perked up as I heard this exchange:

BFF: "...hey, we are dolls, how can we even talk?"
C: "I don't know, we better look it up in the Bible..."
B: "Yeah, that is a good idea, it has a lot of stuff about God and fairies..."
C: "...but not a word about dolls."

Wedding wisdom

We spoke about weddings today, Cecilie and I...

It always starts with a request to tell about my wedding. Today I managed to turn it to her thoughts on the matter, and I asked her if she was going to get married. She told me NO, that was not going to happen and when I asked why, she told me that she was afraid.

"What are you afraid of?" was my follow up.

"I am afraid I would miss my mommy!"

Christmas card?

Fuhggeddaboud it...

If you haven't received it by now, you probably never will. It is a crying shame and we are ever so sorry...

For each of our 9 married Christmases, the ritual of clementines, glogg and Christmas cards has been a real high point of the season for us. But this year, this year.... This year our spirits were more than a little depleted, before December even started, so what little festive cheer there was had to be marshalled and totally focused on the tasks at hand: making a special Christmas for the kids and a big Nilsen family visit. (Not necessarily two separate tasks, but you get my point.)

But in the tradition of old fashioned Christmases, maybe a few stories can cheer up an otherwise glum point in the proceedings. ("A story! A story!" I hear the small children cry.)

Cecilie blows her mum a raspberry at the dinner table, and Kirsten whispers (so that the whole family doesn't notice Cecilie's atrocious manners): "What is THAT about?"
"It's a poem, that my father told me about."

She's a Dylan in the making: a poet, didn't know it!
"Just a little something I learned over in England..."

One day during Christmas, mum got home from work, and Cecilie leapt on her excitedly and exclaimed 'Mommy! The most magical thing happened to me today!' When mum enquired what that might be, Cecilie whispered 'I... ate.. chocolate cake.' (We blame Auntie Eileen's influence on tiny Cecilie for this primeval urge.)

Christmas in New Orleans

Was thinking to myself that Cecilie maybe needed to learn about empathy - maybe take food to the food bank, give toys to the needy, something like that. I have this crazy idea that since we are not going to have our most affluent Christmas, it might be a good year to learn about those who have even less than us.

So this morning we had a conversation about the hurricane in New Orleans. I asked her if she knew what a hurricane was, and she said "Oh yeah, that's when the big winds come and knock your house FLAT, flat to the road." Then, we talked about how those kids wouldn't have much Christmas. We talked about not having decorations, not having clothes or toys or food etc. Her response? "Mommy! We have to have them here at our house! If they don't have a house we can have them here!" I was stopped short (having just had a little toy donation in mind) and said "But Cecilie, I don't know where the people from New Orleans are" and she exclaimed "They're here! I'm sure they're here in Washington! We can find them, Mommy! And then we can have them here at our house! WE have Christmas decorations!"

And once I again, I find myself learning the lessons. I'm wondering if my girl is old enough to understand charity, and instead she is teaching me to be willing to do so much more. Bless her cotton socks.

What's Lars' vote? MORE MILK PLEASE!

Cecilieisms galore (and Lars starts to add his 2 cents)

This morning Cecilie was enquiring about the state of Lars's health (both kids have a nasty cold, Lars more than her). When told that he'd had a tough night, she shook her head sadly and soberly told me "these things happen, Mommy"

Visiting my Grandma Joan at the Friends House, Cecilie was busy filling up plastic cups of water from the water fountain. When told that she really did have enough now, she insisted she was "preparing for her wedding guests" and that she needed to have enough!

In the midst of these preparations, one glass of water spilled all over the floor. Looking around in semi-dismay, Cecilie exclaimed "Oh dear, lucky the neighbors weren't here!"

At the grocery store, a keen-eyed Cecilie spotted us purchasing some Oreos. The prospect of these treats came up in conversation regularly through the rest of the afternoon. Finally when we got home and were having a quiet moment before getting dinner ready, Cecilie leapt up from the playroom floor and exclaimed with great enthusiasm "Hey! I want a cookie. Let's have some junk food!!!" [Who taught her about junk food? Who taught her it was a great thing? ] So I thought at least I'd seize the opportunity to explain why it is called 'junk', as opposed to good for us, and as I continued to explain, she nodded wisely and said "yeah Mom, I know."

And finally, just to be a bragadocious mother, my sweet girl can now spell her name: "C-E. C-I. L-I-E!!!!!!" [to be imagined in a very loud spelling-bee sort of voice]

Lars may never have to talk, with a big sister like this. Although I suspect I hear the beginnings of "mumumumumumum" when I've been ignoring his complaints too long.

The way things are

Yesterday Cecilie was running around trying to avoid nap time. Upon being summoned by her very strict mother she exclaims: "I'm scampering away!" (I had to look that one up...)

Cecilie is saying she'll have a yellow wedding: yellow flowers, yellow shoes, yellow panties, pink dress...

By the looks of things Cecilie is now doing crosswords, we're not allowed in the bathroom when she's working on them, but she was so engulfed I snuck a shot...

Lars is standing up in his crib (for the first time yesterday!), but hasn't quite figured out how to sit down, so there is a lot of giggling before the lumber is felled.

Chances are he'll skip crawling and head straight for the Homo erectus thing. He does this thing where he is sitting on his knees, plants his hands on the floor, gets up on his feet and catapults himself forward landing on his nose most of the time - you could say he goes both ways (as he lands on the back of his head when he stands up in his crib).

Tonight, while singing grace, in the middle of the meal (Cecilie reminded us... -that's how it goes when you have pagans and Quakers for parents), Lars was just staring blankly at Cecilie. I said, "you don't know what this is all about, do you Lars...?", upon which Cecilie explains: "it's just about Gawd, Lars..." This makes him break out in huge giggles, and she finishes: "You knew that,didn't you Lars?"

The house (oh yes, its still there) is being plastered - the dry-wall guys are in for the final furlong (oh yes, we've heard THAT one before...); well, once they're done there is painting and floor finishing and kitchen installation and a few bits and bobs to go, but who's really keeping track?!? I am not entirely disillusioned, but my hope for a Halloween at the house is kind of slipping by, as always Kirsten is right!

Farmor is leaving, thanks for all your help.

Busted

Tomorrow is Cecilie's big day. Tonight at bedtime I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said "another bike would be nice...", so I rephrased it to be more about what she thought her mum and dad would get her and her prompt reply was: "what, are you going to the store to buy it for me tonight...?" --Well, we're just back from Target, burning the midnight oil and wrapping away... Oh yeah, we've been planning the gift for ages.

Its been a good week for Cecilieism, here are a few other gems:

Saying grace tonight -
C: Dear Gawd, thank you for this happy day. Amen [standard Cecilie prayer for all occasions]
Grandpa in stage whisper: ... what about thanking for food...?
C: ...and thank you for the food and the hands that repaired it, amen!

Sitting on my lap -
C: are you chubby like Grandma?
Mortified Mum: well, what do you think?
C: Well, you are pretty big...

Overhearing mum and dad talking and laughing, and wanting to be part -
"Ha ha ha [fake laugh], that's too funny..."

To me, watching Torbjorn eating Cheetos -
"I am just fascinated by what your husband is eating."

Talking seriously to me-
" I crack myself up!"

To her Farmor: I am so glad you get to meet my friend Lauren, she is swell!