OMG -HOW much did you say?

Christmas shopping > Jr.Gopher#1 > obsessions >
Legos
Soccer
Legos
Soccer
Legos
... ...

Possible gifts:
soccer jersey > german national team > OMG!
are you serious? That's more than a ticket to see the Red Wings play here in town.
And I can't even find them in kids' sizes.

Hmmmm ... link to sales in US ... OMG!
The Euro IS NOT that high against the dollar! And they don't even have Özil's number in the white home colors (and Real Madrid's jerseys are just ugly). I don't want to explain to Jr.Gopher#1 that #8 hasn't always been the same person.

Sort by price ... OMG
Do you seriously think I would buy a vuvuzela for my child? Yours, maybe, but not mine.

Found in kids' sizes ... guess it doesn't matter how expensive it is, since the sizes offered don't even appear on the chart...

sort by personal aesthetics ... why can't I find the 2006 jerseys? They were nicer looking. And, while I'm at it, why can't I find the women's team - not sizes, but die Frauenmannschaft? Power of popularity? The US Women's team has its own page, right? I live in a country where women's sports isn't hidden in the back closet ... we've got representa... uh, yeah, that page has one item: black training pants. And, seriously, who designed the US men's jerseys they had at the World Cup this year? Lord, how ugly...

I guess over-priced Legos might be higher on the shopping possibilities.

Partial techno-fix

So, apparently Jeff @ In the Loop is going to see this because they, like others, have a little search-o-matic thing-y that finds blog posts where people mention their show. Hi, Jeff!

This, however, is a follow up to my earlier post, with the link to the story about the 3 Wise Men bringing gifts to the Jr.Gophers. So, here you go, Mom. Still looking for the other interview. God, doesn't that sound so impressive? I'd have thought STFU&GBTW, with his award-winning oh-so-public profession would be getting interviewed on the TV/radio/on-line. Of course, that would be for his personal abilities, not his odd personal opinions.
.

8' x 10' = 20' ??

St. Johns Abbey & University is just a bit north of here in Collegeville. The main chapel there is rather pretty. We stopped to see it on the way home from the Gopher Family Annual Independence Day Camp-Out. This is a video of them trying to get their 20 foot tree through the front door, which is 8 x 10 feet. Sideways? Of course. But, a 20' tree is going to have a diameter larger than the door. Hmmmmmm......

Christmas 2008, part 2

We've survived Christmas.

The boys are very happy with their bounty from the Three Kings (die Drei Königen). Santa Claus doesn't come to our house. We needed to have some sort of explaination for why Santa comes to some children, St. Nicholas comes to others, and why Baby Jesus brings gifts to yet more (esp. in Germany). I was inspired by a friend about how to limit the presents her kids got, and decided that they only got 3 - if it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for you. We just took it a step further, and decided that the Three Kings were also the ones bringing the presents - we have yet to explain about Santa. We figured this side-steps any argument with their frinds about Santa being "real", since we're in effect not discounting anyone's gift-bringing totem.

Michael got his first bicycle from Oma & Opa Tobias. Wow! The other presents sort of paled in comparison. A video (Der Kleine Icebär), a model post truck (for the not-in-the USA family, the photo in the pictures is the logo for the U.S. Post).

Gregor got some Legos, a Brio train that is battery powered, goes forwards and backward, and has a headlight. The puzzle of the US States was interesting, but within 6 hours, was down to 46 states.

Peter & I had a pretty sedate Christmas. I spent most of Thursday cooking, a pleasant situation. Coffee cake, apple cake, and the ham and dinner. I haven't really had time to enjoy cooking something other than wham-bam-here's dinner. Of course, I could use my new/replacement cookbook.

Peter took the boys sledding yesterday; a treat that didn't last long, due to the cold (yes the temperature was in double digits, but the windchill wasn't). Today was much nicer, weather-wise, but it was a bit too warm: the snow was melting, and will probably be completely un-sledable icy tomorrow.

The boys are finally coming down off their 2 day sugar buzz. I haven't eating so much good-tasting fat in a long time (Cheetos are certainly high in fat, and while tasty, just don't match home-made cake).

We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas (or other holiday of your choice). There are pictures from ours at the other post today. I'll be posting some links to videos on You Tube sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Christmas 2008

Procession in for Christmas Eve Mass.



Children's Choir, Jr.Gopher#1 5th from left, @ St. Albert's






Christmas Eve, finally getting around to decorating the tree, after the plagues and academic crises were satisfactorily passed.

We decided to put the tree downstairs in our playroom/den. We figured it would provide an immediate forum for playing with the presents, rather impossible had the tree been upstairs in the front room (i.e., dining room)



Initial aftermath of Christmas presents. Jr.Gopher#2 got a box of Legos.




A while ago:
I want a car for Christmas.
What kind of car?
A car with eyes.
A car with eyes?
Yeah, like in Cars (i.e., the movie)

2 weeks ago:
What do you want for Christmas?
A car.
A car, like in the movie Cars, with eyes?
No, mama, (in a tone of voice that said ... jeez, mom, duh, of course not). A real car.
A real car? Here I'm thinking, wow, this is early, I wasn't expecting this request for another 10 years or so ....
Yeah, a real car, one with doors that open.



From Opa & Oma. Definitely the hit of the day.
















Yes, he really climbed on there all by himself.




















Well, the best 2 presents at the same time.
















Sledding today. Temperature 36 and balmy. I do mean this sincerely, it was really nice weather. Sledding yesterday was much shorter & colder. We were at Powderhorn Park, which is about 3 blocks from our house.


After the first couple of trips down the hill, Jr.Gopher#2 decided that he wanted to carry the sled up by himself.

Who am I to complain?



After wiping out at the bottom of the hill.
















Jr. Gopher #1 can be such a ham for the camera. He had a blast all afternoon. Although when he stopped having fun, it was a total melt down because he wanted to win, a status defined by going further than Mama or his brother.



First time down the hill, to get a feel for it. This was the only time #2 wanted company.

price of christmas cheer

1 partridge: $20
1 pear tree: $200
2 turtle doves: $55
3 French hens: $30
4 calling birds: $60
5 golden rings: $350
6 geese laying: $240
7 swans swimming: $5,600
8 maids milking: $52
9 ladies dancing: $4,759
10 lords leaping: $4,414
11 pipers piping: $2,285
12 drummers drumming: $2,475

grand total 2008: $86,609

last year: $78,100