It is that time of year that I need to pack us up for the next 7 weeks (and it all has to fit into the minivan with 6 people and 2 large dogs) while at the same time helping my high schooler study for exams, bake lots of cookies, craft handmade teacher’s gifts, and somehow stay cheery and in the spirit of the holidays.

Its time for me to check out of blogland.  Dont know if I will be back until February.  Hasta Luego.  And Happy Holidays.

Best told by Callum.  The good news: we are all going to be fine, our government subsidized health insurance works (the care was excellent and human), and we now possess yet another family story that will be told and retold and embellished throughout the years.  The bad news, a dead rabid bat and lots of shots.

Henry just turned 14.  Hopefully, his only addiction in life will be his obsessive love of chocolate.  I don’t usually enable him but, its was his birthday.  Above are all the chocolate elements that made up his birthday cake.  It was good but you needed a tall glass of cold milk to choke it down.

Now, I would like to write a little something about Henry, like about how smart and kind he is although his brothers and sister would dispute that. But for his age he really has a lot of compassion and empathy for people who are on the short end of social justice.  I am proud.  But I wont go on and wont write his birth story here.  He is 14 and doesn’t really like a lot of attention from me and my uncoolness.   I wont dwell on him anymore.  But as he must know, I love him.

Huffington Post does a funny roundup of ludicrous signs from protests throughout 2009.  Worth a look.

One might ask, “how was your Thanksgiving weekend?”  And I would answer, “Eventful.” First some photos from Thanksgiving.

We definately had some nice moments, we always do when we go “South”.  El Sur is Patagonia and it really is beautiful.  Lots of sky and amazing light.  And rabid bats, that bite.  More on that later.  I am tired and time to go to sleep.

It was a week so jammed  with friends, food, new places, and beautiful weather I wont even attempt a comprehensive post.  A few observations.

• I think they may have sandblasted and renovated every building in Manhattan.  Every neighborhood has been gentrified.  Every park was beautifully groomed and maintained.  We are talking about places you would have gone in a million years like Alphabet City.  Its just beautiful.
• I played hostess to my European friends who were touring NYC with gusto.  I decided to take them up to the top of the Rock.  Highly recommend it over the Empire State Building.  Nicely done, we had no lines, one elevator up and an admirable try at a museum exhibit giving context for the experience.  In hindsight  should of asked if anyone was claustrophobic in elevators or prone to extreme cases of vertigo especially in skyscrapers.  One of the girls couldn’t breathe for the duration of the 60 something floor ride up to the top.  The other girl checked out the spectacular views from the inside core of the building.  Great host I am.
• Had beautiful fall weather, just perfect for walking around town.
• Had a session with a seer.  I am always willing to give a psyche the benefit of the doubt.  I want to believe there are people operating at that dimension or frequency.  This lady just wasn’t one of them.  Her insights were things that could be true of anyone and even anything:  You have been hurt in the past, who hasn’t?  You have a son, actually three.  There are going to be changes in your future, An animatron gyspy at an arcade can tell you that.  Weird enough, while she underwhelmed me, she freaked other friends with unexplainable knowledge of  their lives.
• While in danger of appearing to be a full on freaky Yankee Fan, I have to say it was so cool being in NY when the Yankees won.
• I would love to live in NYC sometime (sin hijos)

A sight from the Highline, very cool city park/walk

O y Mo: This is a photo GM took with cell at 1:45 am and Mo had about 2 more pitches to throw before wrapping up the 2009 World Series

The Yankees are still the best franchise that ever played baseball.  By a lot.  Congratulation Yanks.  And thanks.

Thank you for the best season of baseball I have ever experienced.  While this might not have been the most exceptional group of players to have played together, and maybe not even the best collection of games played, it was magical.  It was magical because Owen, who is at the great age of 9, learned to love baseball and the Yankees.  We all can watch a good game and as a family affair, its hard to beat.  But this season, Owen became extremely knowledgeable and fanatical.  He listened or watched almost every game, preformed a thorough postmortem of every game by studying the box score and watching all the recap video at MLB.com the next morning.  If the Yankees didn’t play that day, he would see if the Red Sox lost.  This season its been a blast to be a Yankee fan and all the more special watching Owen discover what it is all about.

I have a sad little story.  After watching or listening to close to probably 100 games, do you know where I was when the Yankees became World Champions after beating the Phillies in the 6th game ?  I was in a Town Car with three sleeping women heading back to NYC after a day in Connecticut.  Some of them were snoring.  The driver had recently immigrated to the States and wasn’t a fan.  So I listened to the last 2 innings in the car, by myself.

It wasn’t the listening to the radio that bummed me out.  I am a big fan of the Yankee broadcasters John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.  It wasn’t like last innings were super exciting, either.  It was just so anti-climatic to be basically alone when something you have been watching closely unfold for over 6 months, finally reach its ultimate goal.  Alone, I said in a timid voice “Yay!” and had a big smile on my face.  I really wished I had been with GM and the kids.  One consolation was that soon after the last out, our Town Car drove right by Yankee Stadium and I opened the window just in time to hear the din of a happy crowd and the melody New York, New York.

Owen has a shrine in his bookshelves that was recently refurbished with newspaper clippings of the days around the World Series (which I hauled back in my luggage)

He also scored a new hat commemorating the win, and to the right of the Jeter Bobblehead is an official Yankee wrist sweatband

Halloween was on a Saturday this year.  I don’t like it on the weekend, the only worse day would be Sunday.  Halloween and school related activities (parades, carnivals, classroom parties) in my memory are forever one of the best days of the year.  Everyone enjoyed it just fine.  This year we had the added fun of torrential rain showers just as we set out to Trick or Treat.  Didn’t stop us from hitting hard the few houses (expats) that were offering treats to those willing to do tricks.

Owen and Henry predictably were New York Yankees, Owen was Jeter.  Callum was a hobo, a word that is enjoying a renaissance as a result of an episode of the Simpsons.

And Georgie was a Peacock.  She was adorable and she knew it.

Not really, just feels like it.  Definately neglect.   Between a week long trip to New York with girlfriends, the critical fail of my laptop and thousands of photos from mutiple birthdays, Halloween, and the Yankees continued domination to edit (without my laptop) I have be ignoring my little blog.  I am back (without my very sick laptop:() and have some catching up to do.

Thursday was Cal’s 12th birthday.  Today he is having 4 buddies over for a sleepover.  He is outside making water balloons as we speak.  He is a cutie and will always be a needy, cuddly but wonderfully funny and ironic teddy bear.  I think Cal enjoys his birthday as much as anyone.  Loves being the center of attention in a sweet self-conscious kind of way.  And yes, in the last photo,  those are almost industrial grade fireworks being shot off the cake, inside the house.  It very much de rigueur for birthday cakes in Argentina.

I think Owen's zeal has more to do with the Yanks being on the brink of a World Series than Cal's Birthday, and clearly the dog is not impressed by either.