so little time...

so many relatives.


it's been a busy week(ish). over the weekend Oqui and I finally got the tree, gutted the house, replaced the garbage disposal (more to follow on that. I'm sooo proud of him), shoved as many chairs as could possibly fit into this house, battoned the hatches and prepared for the storm that is my family.

we still...haven't decorated the tree.

and, more importantly (I think), nobody lost a finger.

Christmas Eve found forty of my closest and least obnoxious (ha. ha. ha.) relatives crammed into my house. total chaos. one aunt brought a lollipop tree...she's going to die for that. there were children shoved in corners, grannies shoved in closets. uncles crammed in boxes and wrapping paper everywhere.

it was glorious.

Oqui spent the majority of the evening in the kitchen grabbing random passing children and saying, "hey, kid! who are you?" in his best Bob imitation. good natured are these children, thusly noone got kicked in the shin. I spent the rest of the evening on lollipop patrol. stealing everyone I could find...including the one I found stuck to my couch.

again...good thing these kids are cool or I probably would've lost an eye, thieving their candy, as such.

it was a great time. the only thing I love more than the communion of family members...is the look on oqui's face whenever he sees a kid, a puppy, a favorite aunty and I banter or a gazillion people having fun and sharing laughs in our home.

I suppose it was even worth the bickering the pre-party prep provided (I almost killed him).

I further suppose it was even worth opening up our home again the next morning for Christmas breakfast.

yeah...we're gluttons for punishment.

so within 18 hours we entertained 60 people in this 1,700 sf house...and did so without any breakage. the kids went home happy, the adults went home in one piece...and the dogs were wonderfully well-behaved...impressing the entire clan.

so much so, in fact, that I didn't have to pay through the nose for the dog-walker because the pups' great-grandparents agreed to come over and let them out for our day-long journey to Oqui's mom's.

sorry wiggles wags and whiskers...granny's got this one. they came equipped with their own treats (how cute is that!?!?!?! they went out and bought treats for the mutts!!!), did my dishes and I'm willing to bet my grandfather rewired something while he was here. If I flip the basement light switch and hear helicopter blades...

rest assured my Grampa will get it.

it was nice to head down to oqui's mammy's where we did nothing but open gifts, eat and cuddle. heavy on all three, as a matter of fact.

bayl had a good christmas. she ran amuck with the blood relative spawn, got more than she needed (always does)...including not one but TWO I-homes (I'm thinking her dad and I probably should've coordinated a bit on that one)...and as usual, did it all with a social grace that still amazes me.

who raised this kid???

tonight will find the Matty-kins here for his pre-mexico send off. love this kid. love 'im...

and oqui and I liquored up, hopefully high as a kite on something (chocolate count?) and the fireplace roaring (insofar as a cheapy gas fireplace is capable of doing so).

tomorrow will probably find me, once again, alone in the house, lonely as can be, and missing the noise, clutter and clambor of a gazillion people around. today I've got an improptu trip to meet Kim (of cross racing infamy) planned. she says we won't hang all day.

I beg to differ. two women, one kitchen, both addicted to sweet things.

I'll be lucky to make it home in time to see Matty and Oqui passed out, spooning on the couch.


while I've been having a fantastic time...this holiday was not without its downs.

I had a good long cry over my lost sister. lost niece. the father I haven't spoken to in over a dozen years and the father oqui can hardly remember. I miss Kaiya. I miss Danette. I'm upset that I have another sister I've never met. I KNOW on an intellectual level that in a family this size...

you're bound to lose one or two...but I'm really not willing to accept that I have two sisters with a 10 mile radius...

neither of whom I have a relationship with.

this. will. be. fixed. even if the sister I grew up with continues to refuse to speak to any of us...I can always make right with my father (maybe) and gain access to the little sister I never knew. She's about my Monkey's age...maybe too old to ever really know and trust me as a sister...

but certainly not too old to establish a relationship with her same-age niece.

the cry Oqui and I had together over this...solicited by a cheesy christmas movie...
really solidified for us how important family is. we vowed to continue to raise bayl right...and make sure that any other peanuts we're fortunate enough to have feel the same love.

the pity is though, between us...we can't provide a single legitimate grandfather for them.

hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and continues to do so!!!!

Suki

ps.

for christmas we got:
-a Bongo board
-an extra bike tower for the car
-a new set of UBER NICE kitchen knives
-garbage disposal
-more gloves than we have hands
-down filled slip on booties (PERFECT for climbing) for me
-a new frying pan (to be used wisely)
-BEAUTIFUL hand-made artisan glass ornament
-welcome mat
-TP
-hats, scarves, mittens
-cookies, money, cards
-electric blanket, massage oils, hair towels, bath salts, heating pad
-quality time with too seldomly seen relatives.