Hey, it's Christmas!

We hope yours was groovy!

As promised ... VIDEOS!

As this week is the end of things in the school/kid-related arenas, Norah and Mia had things going on. Mia sang in a choir on Monday, but for some reason we weren't informed about it and so we missed it (we're a bit peeved about that, you can be sure). Then, on Tuesday, Norah had her dance recital for Little Gym. I've posted videos of her dancing in her recital before, and this is more of the same. She's very funny, because she knows what to do but seems like she doesn't want to stand out, so she looks around to see what the other kids are doing. I wanted to yell, "Come on, Norah, you know what to do!" Then she went into the gym and played on the various gymnastics props, so I filmed some of that. On Wednesday she had a little choral presentation at her pre-school. She did the motions in the first half of the first song and then quit. But she did sing throughout, which some kids did not do. Her best friend stood in the back row and looked grumpy through the entire "concert" (you can see him, very briefly, in one of the videos). Then on Wednesday night, we went out to Mia's horse therapist's place for a Christmas party. There was a band singing Christmas songs, so I videotaped them dancing along to the music. They both had a grand old time even though we forgot jackets and it got mighty chilly out there in the desert!

I hope you enjoy these, even though they're not very exciting. That's just the way it is with kids, isn't it? But they sure are cute!

I promise, soon there will be videos, but for now, it's another quote (threat) from Norah!

This week was presentation week for Norah (in school and at Little Gym), so soon there will be plenty of video up here, so swear I! However, when Norah came home from school today, she said, "May I have some peanuts so I don't whine anymore."

This confused me, as she hadn't actually been whining. But you can believe I hurried up and fetched her some peanuts! She might have started at any moment!

Sorry, but it's even more stuff that Norah says!

I just can't shut her up! Today, while we were driving home from her school, she noted Mia's red shirt, on which was written "Santa's Favorite." I told Norah what it said, and she nodded. Then she said, "She was born for that shirt."

What she meant, I believe, is that it's Mia's shirt and not Norah's because it's too big. I think that because she immediately said something about getting that kind of shirt when she's a bigger girl. She has no idea about time, so she always says things in the past tense - "When I was a bigger girl, I would wear that" - that sort of thing. So that's what I think she meant.

But I prefer to think of her believing that Mia was so perfectly suited for the shirt that she was, indeed, born for it.

Yes, it's more stuff that Norah says!

Krys took Norah out to look at Christmas lights last night. Near where we live an entire street decorates the heck out of their houses, so Krys took Younger Child over there. While they were strolling around, Norah said, "This is a classy neighborhood." Yes, she cares about those things.

Tonight while I was making dinner, she wandered in with a bowl and some of her fake food in it. She said, "I made dinner for my elegant self." That totally cracked me up. She's so very elegant!

I need to start wearing a wire ...

I'm sure people who see kids often know they say the darndest things. I keep meaning to write more of what Norah says, because she cracks us up. Apparently last night, for some reason she got into a discussion with my lovely wife and Spanish came up somehow. Yesterday Norah heard someone speaking Spanish on the radio and she correctly identified it as such. I was fairly impressed. Then last night she was chatting with Krys and she said, "Chris speaks Spanish because he's black." Chris is a kid at her school. We're not sure why she said that, but we believe it's because Dora the Explorer is brown and that's why Norah knows what Spanish sounds like. Krys told her that she, Norah, also knows some Spanish. Norah didn't quite know what to make of that.

Thanksgiving at the Burgas house!

Yes, I've been away. Last week my parents were in town, and my mom must always be doing something! No rest for the wicked! We went to Tucson for a few days and checked things out, and then my mom and lovely wife went off and shopped for a few days over the weekend. Krys always claims she doesn't like the crush of holiday shopping, yet she always manages to go out the weekend after Thanksgiving. Hmmmm ...

Anyway, I thought I'd post some photographs of the week. Enjoy!

Here's Norah at the Pima Air and Space Museum. You're allowed to sit in some of the planes, fret not!

Here I am with the two kids under one of those weird helicopters that carry stuff. Whatever they're called.


Right outside our room, we had a rough spot of desert in between us and the gold course. The first night, a whole grip of javelinas wandered by. They're kind of neat, but they stink. I mean, as bad as skunks. Pee-yew, as Norah would say.

This is a statue of Pancho Villa. In downtown Tucson. Why is a statue of Pancho Villa, whose claim to fame (in the United States, at least) is that he invaded New Mexico and killed American citizens, standing in a plaza in the middle of downtown Tucson? Only Tucsonians know for sure!

Here we are at Thanksgiving dinner. Look at those cute kids!


We had a nice time, and the kids enjoyed seeing their grandparents (even if Norah was a bit scared of Granddad). It's always too bad that they don't see the kids more often, but that's what happens when you're 2000 miles away. Que sera sera and all that. But we'll see them again soon! We don't know when, but it will be soon!