Christmas, several months later

Remember Christmas last year? Me too, and since I finally got the pictures off our camera I thought I’d share. Because it’s my blog and you should care about whatever I say.

We took the train out to my parents’ house in California. It was nice – we’d gone together once before, before the Bwun’s time. He absolutely loved the train. It left Utah around his bedtime on a Friday night and he had a lot of daylight hours on Saturday to walk me up and down the aisles. He also learned how to wave. The Bwun was a big hit with the other passengers.

The three of us had a lot of fun adventures in California visiting friends and family, but I didn’t bring the camera with me most of those times. Sorry.

Here are the pictures I do have.

Instead of a pine tree (real or fake), my mom does this fun minimalist bubble tree.

The Bwun's stocking: Ikea stuffed animals and a bouncy ball with a light inside. The Romgi and I kind of stole the ball from the Bwun. It's a pretty cool ball.

The Bwun's stocking: a dinosaur. It is a great dinosaur.

The rest of us opened presents while the Bwun was asleep, and once he got up it was tricky to convince him to open his presents. Too young, I guess.

This was before the Bwun got a haircut. He really needed one.

A piggy bank from Aunt Kendy! (Duckie bank?)

A wooden train from Ma & Pa!

A baby iPod from Grandma & Grandpa!

A dinosaur from Aunt Kendy (lower right), and a set of 3 Little Pigs houses and pigs - plus wolf - from Grandma & Grandpa!

The 3 pigs, plus a Bwun who finally woke up enough to enjoy life.

Train ride home. The Bwun had been wolfing down Wheat Thins.

Weather changes: Just outside Davis, CA...

Past Sacramento...

In the Sierras.

The Romgi and I took shifts with the Bwun. Mine usually included being the Bwun's pillow.

Donner Lake. Brr!

I have no idea.

My boy on the train. I'm glad he had fun.

What did you do for Christmas?

And now, I have to go change a diaper. Lately the Bwun is trying to reduce the Romgi’s stress level by only pooping when the Romgi is gone and can’t change diapers. Unfair. Thoughtful, though, I suppose.

Stink!


Decorating

We (mostly I) rearranged the living room to make way for a photo backdrop for the mustache party. Now there’s a big, beige, empty wall right when you walk into the apartment. What should I do with it? For the moment I’ve started hanging my giant crossword puzzle, but I realized that it’s so big the Bwun will be able to reach it (and tear it to shreds). Besides, I’m too short to fill in any of the top spaces. The thing is 7 feet tall.

How have you decorated empty spaces in your home? Any ideas for mine?


Sad day.

I got so caught up in posting pictures of our trip and finding cool things I want that I forgot to tell you: my pet rat died last weekend.

He was rather old, for a rat; it’s been just over two years since I got him. The past few weeks have been hard because the poor little guy’s health was really deteriorating. By the end he was so weak he couldn’t eat or drink at all. I know, he was just a rat, but it was sad to see him suffering and then finally pass on late Friday night.

Sniff sniff.

We still have the Romgi’s rat, who seems to be perfectly healthy still. The two were about the same age, so we’ll see how the Romgi’s rat holds up. But I miss mine!