Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. We sure did! Our first Xmas in Syracuse was very nice! Isabella and I did the traditional baking and we had a great time decorating our new house. We participated in the local tradition of driving thru the Onondoga Lake light display. It was beautiful. Isabella also visited with Santa at the mall for the first time and had a great time at her preschool holiday party. The day of her holiday party we had some visitors thru our yard (some local deer). I, of course, took that opportunity to reinforce the whole Santa is watching you story. Isabella was of course thrilled to see "the reindeer tracks" and quickly pledged to be on her best behavior. Most of the time she was successful and Santa fulfilled her wishes by bringing her a stick unicorn and a toy horse and lots of other goodies.Santa was particularly good to Teddy. He must have ranked high on the Nice list. He was extremely surprised to find a 46" LCD
Flatscreen TV under the tree. But no one was more surprised than I was that I actually decided to get it and then managed to pick it up and hide it in our basement (with the help of Isabelle, my neighbor and partner in crime). Most of you who know the tight wad that I am know it is very out of character for me to make that kind of purchase. Teddy has always managed to really surprise me each year even in little ways and I really wanted to shock him. I did!! I have now officially won the Best Wife Ever award! To top it off I don't have to buy him anymore gifts for the rest of the year, don't ya think?!We also had our first Bulgarian Xmas this year.
We were invited to spend Xmas day with Gabriella, Nick, Nadia, Stoycho and many of our other Bulgarian friends. We had a great time and ate till we were sick. I had never seen so much food in my life. They really have made us feel welcome in our new community and we are very grateful.
After Xmas we went home to St. Louis for New Year's. Isabella could hardly wait to get there to see Grandma and Grandpa and of course, Libby (their dog). I have to admit it was very strange for me. It felt so good to be in a familiar place, but at the same time I felt strangely out of place. It felt like home but I don't have a home there. I have never experienced this, but Teddy has many times and he understood. This was also the longest I have ever been away from my hometown and that added to the weirdness. We had a great time and were so glad to see so many of our family and friends. We even got to meet our new cousin from China, Mahlia. My cousin Julie and her husband Vance recently adopted a beautiful little girl from China. Isabella was so excited to see her and dress her up in Grandma's jewels.We rang in the New Year with The Petev's. Toni and Stoyan served up a great dinner filled with lots of drink and wonderful conversation. While we were there we also tried to taste the St. Louis Cuisine we miss; toasted ravioli, pizza made the way you would expect and mom's home cooking. We would have hit Spiro's for some Saganaki but unfortunately they were closed (Teddy and I almost cried, we really miss Spiro's). Isabella had a wonderful time with Grandma and Grandpa and I'm sure she completely wore them out. They took her to McDonald's for breakfast, Cracker Barrel, Pizza Street, (all are traditions for them when she used to spend the night). They even managed to brave the cold and take her to her favorite place in whole world, the St. Louis Zoo. We were sad to leave but it also felt good to get home and back to our life here.
January has been busy so far. Not much snow and actually we've have some unseasonably warm weather. Bella and I even got to go to our Zoo one warm day two weeks ago. Isabella has been very busy making us laugh. She has been spending a lot of time with her friend Kyra, whose mom is expecting a little girl. So Bella has become obsessed with becoming a big sister, herself. She keeps talking about how she wants us to have a baby so she can play with HER and talk to HER and teach HER things. I told her what if we had a boy, a brother? She said no absolutely not! We could not have a boy! I told her that we don't get to choose. She exclaimed we must have a girl because she wants to be a big sister! I told her you will still be a big sister and she said, No, I wouldn't! I would be a big brother! That little mind never stops. I have also noticed over the past year that she has become very interested in the commercials for restless legs syndrome. No matter what she is doing, whenever one of those commercials comes on she stops whatever she is doing and become transfixed. The other night as we were watching the news a RLS commercial came on and Isabella fell silent (if only I could run those commercials on a loop!) and afterward states, "I wish I had problems with my legs in bed at night. "What?!" I exclaimed. She then repeated, "I wish I had problems with my legs at night." "Why?" Teddy and I asked. She promptly replied "So that I could get some Requip." "Requip, why do you want Requip? Do you know what Requip is?" We asked, laughing. "Yes," she tells us. "It a special bed for people who have problems with their legs at night. Can I get some Requip for my birthday? Please?!!" Through laughter and tears Teddy tells her that she might no like the side effects. We have decided that Isabella's not going to grow up to be a doctor or nurse, she'll be a hypochondriac. By the way she "does not appreciate it when we laugh at her". Good Lord help us!! Yes, that is a saddle on Seamus. All we need is a monkey to ride him!
Some big news for the the Morris family this month! I am an Aunt or would Isabella say Uncle?! My brother Kirk and his wife Carmin gave birth to a boy! Connor Ethan! He is definately a cutie and a keeper! You can check him out at http://www.growingfamily.com/ under 1/12/08, Connor M.. Congrats Kirk and Carmin and Welcome Connor! We can't wait to see you and spoil you!
This month has been very exciting for me! It is Primary Season!!! God I love it, every minute of it. This has to be the most exciting election I have ever seen! Most of you know what a news junkie I am and know that I LOVE politics. I love everything about politics and I especially love to bitch about it! I have been passionate about politics since I was 7 and had my first argument about Presidential Candidates with my second grade best friend Brandi Rutledge. Mrs. Schoonover had to separate us. I would give my right arm to be Tim Russert's assistant. I look forward to every Sunday and watching Meet the Press (yesterday's was particularly interesting). I can't wait to watch the news every morning and evening and I really love the day after a state primary. I enjoy how the media thinks it knows everything but the voters keep proving them wrong. Even as strange and complicated as our system is, it is thrilling to see democracy in action!
Have a Great January. Keep warm. Get out and vote! Show Washington who is really in power. See you after Super Tuesday!
The Countdown begins: 365 days til a Bush Free White House!
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