Fa-la-la-la-la

We found the boxes containing Christmas decorations and ornaments. I allowed the girls to unpack them while I made dinner. This happened in ten minutes. How can four little hands leave such a path of destruction behind?

Rebekah's box of ornaments or the ones that Rachel didn't want. Poor little one. She even gets hand-me-downs (or handy-downs as she calls them) when it comes to Christmas decorations.

When it came to putting them on the tree, she didn't seem to mind though.

Rachel was thrilled to go through the box and pick out all her favorite and special ornaments.

She is becoming very particular about where everything goes. Maybe next year I won't even have to go back and move them around after the girls go to bed.

Finished tree with ornaments and our two beautiful princesses.

Side note: Too bad the converter we bought doesn't work with the lights. The tree just doesn't seem the same without the lights on. Maybe next year....

Rebekah's Point of View

Rebekah is in that stage where she really doesn't need a nap anymore. If she does nap then we are both up until 11:00 or even midnight. This said, you can probably guess that I will do just about anything to keep her awake in the afternoons. This is a very difficult feat as we drive to Delhi four days a week to pick Rachel up from school. (I say "we drive" but have to admit that I don't drive in India. Nemlal drives and Rebekah and I ride along.) The drive can take anywhere from 40 to 90 minutes each way. Today the method to keeping her eyes open was my camera. These photos are Rebekah's point of view of our drive home from school.

Starting with a picture of Rachel being her normal nutty self.

Rebekah's self portrait

The setting sun from the freeway.

The always present sippy cup.

The toll booth man.

Rebekah's favorite sparkly shoes. She insists they go with every outfit.

Almost home....

Yes, we can see home out the right window but it still takes ten to fifteen minutes to get there as this is India and there is always traffic.

Being Thankful for It All

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for.... a wonderful husband, beautiful, healthy children, amazing immediate and extended family, good friends all over the world, and the adventure that Dan's job has allowed us to live for the past 16 years. There are days that I get caught in the moment and tend to forget so many of these positives. Life in India is a roller coaster to say the least. I have developed a love/hate relationship with the country. Most days it is more love but every so often those "grrrrr get me home days" creep in.

So, along comes the holiday season. Halloween was all about the kids. I was nervous about having seven families with a total of seventeen children at our place, but it went off with a bang. Friends included us in their Diwali celebration showing us the traditions and joy of this important Indian holiday. Then along comes Thanksgiving. A truly American holiday that I have always loved. Growing up, Thanksgiving was full of aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. We would eat at lunchtime, then play games, watch football, and pull out the leftovers at dinnertime. Great memories. When we lived in China, most of our friends were American. This meant that Thanksgiving was similar to the way we would celebrate it in the US. Close friends with good food, getting together, being thankful for everything God has given us and creating more precious memories. Our first Thanksgiving in India comes along without any plans. Sadness sets in while thinking of the four of us eating fried rice at home just like any other mealtime. An American friend, who was feeling the same way as I, came along and and bam....let the celebration begin.

We used the clubhouse at our complex which opens onto the playground. We rented a bounce house for the kiddos. No Indian celebration seems complete without a bounce house.

I ordered a turkey with the fixings from the club at the American Embassy and everyone brought their favorite dish. Yummy!! We even had apple pie and a gingerbread house. There were families from all over the world....America, Canada, India, Denmark, UK, Germany, Australia, Sweden and probably one or two more that I forgot.

I think Rachel and her friends put a little of each type of dessert on their plates.

The kids had their own area to sit and eat.

And...the men found a corner to sit in and discuss "man stuff."

I am so thankful for where we live, our friends and neighbors. Every time I am on the hate side of my relationship with India, one of my friends comes along with a smile, an offer to join them for dinner, some much needed advice, and/or a shoulder to lean on. I couldn't ask for anything more.