Lola's first Christmas morning wasn't too extravagant, but was fun. We bought her a little bell piano and a tiny copy of The Velveteen Rabbit at Goodwill and a new pair of warm and fuzzy pajamas. The other present she had to open was from my aunt and uncle in Minneapolis. It was this really fun cuddly book, which she loved to feel and put in her mouth.
We spent half of Christmas day at Jeron's grandma's house and the other half at my parent's house. They provide a nice contrast to each other. Jeron's family always gets everybody together and has a loud and rowdy time. My parents like to keep things quiet, so its nice to get a little bit of both. A couple of Jeron's cousins stayed with us over the weekend, which is always a really good time. They enjoy playing music, so on Saturday we hosted a jam night. I have to say, it may have gotten a little bit out of control. Quite a few people showed up, which made it kind of difficult to play the music. It was fun while it lasted though.
On Sunday we hosted another party, this time for the members (and close fans) of Jeron's old band Allette (formerly known as The Homeschoolers). We looked at pictures and old video footage of performances and antics around town. It was fun to reminisce and enjoy each others company.
On less of an upbeat note, we've been dealing with a couple of deaths in the family. On Sunday my mother's father passed away after complications with a stroke, and on Tuesday my father's brother who lived in Alaska passed away as well. We had a lovely service for my grandpa yesterday and it was great to be able to spend some time with a side of the family that we rarely see. My uncle wanted his body cremated and his ashes scattered from a plane over a lake near where he lived, so I'm not sure about any sort of service here for him yet.
A quick update on my last post: I have been having several problems with my new phone. When I call a number the dialpad disappears and is replaced by a rather scrambled looking one. This makes it impossible for me to check my voicemail. I found a fix online that seems to be working for now. I was also having trouble using speed dial - the screen would freeze every time. Jeron suggested I shut the phone down and take the battery out and that seems to have worked as well. He is having his own problems with his phone. Things don't seem to sync up quite right in his computer as far as contacts are concerned. He thinks he may have lost some contacts, but can retrieve them through a voice prompt. Its quite complicated and frustrating. No winner has emerged in the phone debate just yet.
I'm trying to finish up for good with work. I've hit a few snags along the way, and am just ready to be done with it all. Maybe next week. For now I'll enjoy the new year. We had a little money left that we had budgeted for Christmas, so we will be enjoying beer, soda, and chips at our little party tonight. Sounds good to me! One last picture of Lola, just because its so darn cute. Oh yeah, and she learned to sit up on her own!
