Christmas Progression

These Two Are a Lot of Fun To Hang Out With

Yesterday flew by as it is wont to do when I am surrounded by the people I love.  My daughter was struggling with her annual Christmas illness.  She could healthy all year long until the holiday season when for some reason she inevitably finds herself under the weather.  Luckily she inherited her father’s ability to rally and after a slow morning she accomplished a lot.  I think her mother liked the opportunity to play “Mom” again, complete with chicken soup. 

Our son is still up in New Hampshire and probably could have benefited from his mother’s ministrations as well.  His afflictions were self-inflicted though.  He has apparently lost the ability to speak, sacrificed to the demon – alcohol.  He claims it was due to all the yelling with his friends to be heard over the band playing in the bar he was in Friday night.  My wife nodded sagely at the text we received from him explaining this.  I’m guessing she was ascribing this behavior to another talent passed on from the father (myself).

We did get out to see, This is 40, the newest Judd Apatow movie.  It supposed to be a kind of sequel of Knocked Up with the focus being the crazy sister and her family this time.  The fact that the sister is played by Apatow’s wife, Leslie Mann, probably helped in that decision.  It was kind of a family reunion as the children playing in the movie were their real life children as well.  Paul Ruud plays the husband.

The movie had some really funny moments but overall was extremely uneven.  It jumped around trying to figure out what it was going to be about.  First it tried to be about a woman’s challenge of turning forty, then paternal issues, then problems at school, and even some Megan Fox eye candy scenes for no reason whatsoever. Apatow has become so successful that no one is telling him to cut scenes that should have been cut to make the movie keep up its pace.  Of course, it could have been he didn’t want to go home at night and explain to his wife and/or daughters why he cut their scenes.  I can completely understand that.  It was still fun watching with my wife, daughter, and son in law.

We returned to the house for a completely outstanding pot roast dinner (the height of English cuisine and a personal favorite).  My wife has the ability, with an almost magical application of understated spices, to lift this normally mundane fare into something really special.

My daughter, rallying again, and son in law headed out for the evening to a Christmas party in Connecticut hosted by a college friend.  It was kind of cool letting “the kids” borrow the car again to party on a Saturday night while we waited at home; kind felt like being parents again.

My wife and I (well more me than she) decided to watch the Santa Claus movies starring Tim Allen.  These are guilty pleasures but we still thoroughly enjoyed them.  We watched the first two with a bandage changing spliced in between. It was a quiet night but waiting up for the kids return again transported us back to a time long gone but cherished none the less.

Not So Much

Me, Walking Around with my Phone
My Wife says I Never Put Unflattering Pictures of Myself on the Blog
She Doesn't Read it Very Often

My Daughter Caught Gathering Strength Yesterday

Success!!!!!

Heading Out to the Connecticut Party