We looked outside yesterday and No snow. the elders of Cleveland don't recall the color of the ground on this day. Even rarer still is both I and Alla home on a weekday. to celebrate this combination. we got another kid. Nathan came for the day. with the 2 hell raisers together, we need significant play room. Chabad house, god willing, has lots of slides and we had there. but one of the lights explodes and glass is all over (we are told about this as we arrive) and we settle for 2 play rooms full of toys. the kids get to run around non stop and i get a bit of reading of under Tuscan skies.
about 2 hours of running later, outside slides included, we take them home.
the running around continues and i sit to continue a puzzle i started the night before.
the night before- I decided to do a puzzle, it's been a while . i took out the Simpsons puzzle, opened it and D'oh. it had a little vial of glue inside that broke and pieces were stuck together, not in the form intended for puzzles. with the puzzle being salvageable, I had to select between African trees or a dragon. since we need some white to supplement the snow. i choose the white dragon puzzle.
we find with the cousins together it is easier to handle them, since you only have to convince Nathan to do something and Mattan will join. Nathan is much more agreeable and now they both eat soup and watch something. time for bed and we are jealous. we place Nathan in bed, he asks for a blanket and places his head down... so easy. Mattan does everything but sleep. I take Tal to sleep and get 2 hours myself. Mattan remains awake.
very difficult day, i get up and do a bit more puzzle. Nathan wakes later all smiles and the boys begin to fight over a fish. its a bath toy with a string, you pull it and the fish eats the worm string.
Nathan takes it and Mattan, who never plays with this fish decides that he wants it now and the anguish begins, "my fish" and other such sentences. i try to divert the attention, they dont want the crab, but for a while a tiny dinosaur is a good replacement.
Alla thinks Inna will owe her one for the day and i laugh a bit, what can you owe for few hours of kid sitting , but i plan to send both Mattan and Tal there for a week in return. inna is now enjoying the cold snow of the Rockies and missing the unexpected lack of frozen-ness here.
Building of train tracks and magnet mall begins and soon followed with destruction of same structures. the sky, water are done and the clouds begin to form on my puzzle.
bath time, and again, Nathan just goes in, while Mattan still clamors about the fish. results of no nap time, but finally relaxes after a shower. the Fish is still a cause of aggravation and when it falls under the couch, i "send the fish home" for the night. the puzzled kids are still concerned but then Nathan grabs a Thomas trains and immediately Mattan attempt to claim the train as his own. a truck distracts him and now they both ride along.
Alla's phone buzzes and i catch a glimpse of a text message from Colorado. "a bath too, I owe you one". apparently this day off is worth more than i thought, perhaps we can get two weeks back...
its time to go home and now the kids are all hugs and kisses, waiting for the next day together, forgot all the toy fighting .
we sit for dinner, main course is potatoes and ...fish.
how was your X-mass?
happy holidays
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