The Curtis Clan - Winter 2010
Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox
10 Years of “Cats and Dogs Living Together”
Christmas time and the Winter Solstice are special times for us, as it marks the beginning of our relationship together. Our first date was on the 22nd of December 1999, attending the Christmas Concert at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The songs of the season, mistletoe and “White Christmas” are all pleasant reminders that the best Christmas gift we ever got was finding and choosing each other. It was the eve of pending new century (or looming Y2K apocalypse for some) and we choose to be together and in love. Earlier in our lives, we doubt that anyone, including ourselves, would have placed us together. Besides the age difference, (when Randy was a Senior in high school, Bethany was in 5th grade), we were different in many ways we thought were important but turned out not to be so consequential. Sure, there have been bumps along the way, including more stupid arguments about little stuff than we care to admit. “Easy-going”, “laid-back” or “non-controlling” are not phrases that are applied to either one of us without sarcasm. Still, ten years later and we still think the best Christmas gift we got was each other (cue Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and wipe a tear of sentimentallity from the eye). From the vantage point of a decade together, the 2000s/Aughts? were a great decade for us, even if the country as a whole will unlikely look back on them as fondly. We hopes the “Teens” go as well for us.
Chirstmas Time is Near
When Jane asked what she wanted for Christmas this year, she repeatedly answered “Nothing. All I want is my family”. We’re not sure exactly where she learned to give this “correct” answer but suspect the PSR religion courses she started in fall had something to do with it. Depending on how you interpret the sincerity of it, it is either breath takingly sweet, an advanced Machiavellian manipulation of her parent’s hopes or a non-soluble mixture of both. Cate’s answers varied between more pedestrian thoughts of doll clothes to ignoring the question and discussing something else.
11 Days of Sagemis
From the 24th of December to 3 January, there was a Sage family gathering every day for 11 days. Although most were not an FFF (Forced Family Fun) event, we only missed one day of gatherings without other members of the Sage tribe (Christmas Day). Enjoyable yes but it crams a lot of family together time and left little of the treasured, groovy “no deeds to do, no promises to keep” time. Hooray for the January Doldrums!
We changed things up on Christmas Eve by attending the 5 pm mass with the girls instead of the late one. Afterwards was the first gathering of the Sage tribe for a dinner at Gramy’s with the traditional chicken soup with all the in-town family (St Peters Sages too); followed by a reading the Christmas gospels (in case we weren’t paying attention at mass earlier) and singing carols. When the rest of the family headed for the Midnight Mass at 10, we went home to hang our stockings with care and send the girls off to bed in a much less tired and hence happier mood than if we attended the later mass (i.e. this is how family traditions change).
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Jane and Cate with treats for Santa
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Note: Cate’s dress is one that both Bethany and Gramy wore at her age. Alas not Jane as the dress was found buried in a cedar chest just recently and would no longer fit her.
What Santa (and the family) brought the girls was books and more books plus gift cards for more books to be named later. The also got LOTS of American Girl doll clothes; Mary Poppins, Jane and Michael dolls; dresses; jammies; robes; a remote control truck and an air hockey table. Admittedly, the last two items were as much for the giver (Dad) as for them, satiating long unfilled wishes for them. After a leisurely morning and early afternoon with just the immediate family, we hosted a gathering of the Curti (Nana, Rhonda and Doug) and friend Bob for a nice lasagna dinner.
On Boxing Day, Bethany’s brother Micah and wife Tiffany came to stay with us in our guest room, while the Indianapolis contingent stayed at her folk’s house. We hosted dinner at our house for all who cared to attend so that the six ambulatory cousins (2-9) could play together with minimal adult oversight while watching the under 1 year olds. It was nice time to show off the mostly finished basement and also provided a goal for getting the girls playroom side in order and carpeted the previous week.
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Jane and Cate in Basement Playroom
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After morning church on Sunday the 27th, the tribe had brunch at Gramy’s followed by a group portrait afterwards. The original intention was to update earlier version of the sibling group portraits with everyone in white shirts and jeans outside but the weather switching it indoors. The beige background made for a less satisfactory formal result but did provide for another goofy pointing picture.
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Sagemis Group Protrait
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We followed the group portrait with the gift exchange for the cousins with the family having opted to skip the “pick a name from the hat” exchange for the adults. The Advent Angel did pass out Life magazines to nearly everyone from the week of their birth, except for the few who were born during the magazines publishing hiatus for a few years. Given the Webster Groves Library mailing address, there was no real secret of the mystery gifter. Sage pizza that night topped things off nicely.
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Another Curtis Family Portrait
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Randy unleashed
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On Monday morning, we took the six older kid cousins skating at Brentwood Ice Rink with mixed results. After warming up, Cate took up where she left off at the end of the summer, skating around with no help far away from the boards. She counted the number of times she fell at about a 16 but didn’t seem to mind. In contrast, Jane fell only once but regressed from her summer form insisting on using the boards most of the time and only at the end skating without holding on. Clear proof that fear of failure can prevent success. That night, we headed off to the St. Peter Sages for the annual dinner and Rob Your Neighbor Gift exchange.
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Jane Dad and Cate at Brentwood rink
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On Tuesday morning, Micah and Tiffany took Jane as a delayed Birthday present. After bowling they went to the St. Louis Science Center, where they witnessed a show about the science of Peeps. They watched the peeps expand in a vacuum, blow up in a microwave, melt in boiling water, and get smashed after being frozen by liquid nitrogen. Great fun! The winner at bowling (Micah) bought lunch at McDonald's, had trouble recalling where one was so he asked the “local” that was with them. Amidst her directions was the "It's by the Zamboni." After a couple of minutes of silence as Micah and Tiffany tried to figure out what she was talking about, Jane then said, "I think I said Zamboni, but I mean gazebo." They found the McDonald's and it was right by a gazebo.
That afternoon the out of town Sages left except for Katie who stayed with her Aunt RoRo for a couple nights and one with us. We took all the girls to their first hockey game having gotten a deal on the tickets by joining the Junior Bluenote Club ($20 for 2 tickets and a bag of promotional paraphernalia). The girls enjoyed the cheering and unraveling the “LETS GO BLUES” mini-banners they got. Their enthusiasm waned as the game wore on but we stayed until the end.
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Jane and Cate in their Blues shirts from Nana
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Lets go Blues!
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Randy worked on the basement office floor for next two days so that the rooms would be ready for a New Years Eve slumber party of the girl cousins. It’s another Pergo faux wood floor placed on top of the DRYLOC flooring system like we installed in the main part of the basement earlier in the year. The room still needs a drop ceiling and trim installed but it feels far more inviting and warm with the new floor. Bethany’s offer to let Randy decorate the room, which she has come to call his “man cave”, without her input has perked up his desires to finish it off. During the day, Bethany and Rosemary took the girl cousins to see Disney’s animated the Princess and The Frog, though Cate was frightened early on and spent most the movie crying in her mother’s lap (this is the same kid that had no problem with Oz’s flying monkeys or the Cernabog mountain demon in Fantasia…Go figure.).
The girls had a great time New Year’s Eve watching movies with Cousin Katie on the “new” basement TV (our neighbors the Kennedy’s having sold us their old non-HD CRT TV and entertainment cabinet when they upgraded to a large LCD flat panel at Christmas). Cate and Katie made it all the way to midnight plus about 10 minutes, though our “early to bed, early to rise” Jane gave out at 10:30 or so. They slept in sleeping bags on top of the futon.
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Girls slumbering into 2010
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Erin & Karl's…er….Carl's Wedding
On Friday, New Year’s Day we traveled to St. Peters for Bethany’s Cousin Erin’s wedding to Carl Volgliardo. They asked the six older Sage/Curtis/Shaw cousins to be in the wedding along with a couple of others cousins. Cate was one of the Flower Girls and Jane was one of the Program Girls. It says a lot about the confidence of a Bride willing to share the spotlight on her special day with a bunch of scene stealing kids. It was lots of fun to be included and we particularly enjoyed the low-key rehearsal dinner of pizza afterwards, reminiscent of our nuptials.
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Jane and Cate model their wedding dreses with their similarly clothed American girl dolls
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Uncle Barry escorts Cosuin Erin down the aisle
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The next day was filled with the wedding with the cousins looking cute in matching dresses and bow ties.
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Wedding girl cousins
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The Sage & Brusse tribes
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An alternate reality show possibility: Erin and Carl Plus 7).
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The reception was a wonderful affair with good food, lots of dancing and lots of fun.
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Jane poises with her Prince (he pointed out he was a Cadet which was different but she didn’t care)
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Dancing cousins
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In addition to the standard Wedding fare of (father/daughter dance; mother/son dance; bouquet and garter toss; Duck Dance; Electric Slide, Copacabana, Shout, etc.) there was a traditional serenading from the Sage Family Singers which you can check out on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cUsmTRt2C4).
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Serenading of the couple by the Wedding Sage Family Singers
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Snow Day
It was pretty cold that following week and St. Louis got about 4 inches of snow which along with the sub-zero wind chill, caused school to be canceled the last 2 days of a 4 day week. Jane and Cate did enjoy playing in the snow though. The usually game Dad missed out being on the fun being on a trip to Atlanta’s regional archives, where they surprisingly got MORE snow then in St. Louis.
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Jane and Cate in the snow
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January Doldrums
January was spent rather uneventfully. Randy put a dropped ceiling in his basement office. It’s a LOT more challenging when one ignores the minimum drop and instead bases it on the thickness of the light fixtures. The room looks pretty finished and he’s very happy to have his own space and has decorated in a manner of begrudging acceptance from Bethany (actually her disapproval generally has encouraged his design choices). Bethany likes to refer to it as his man cave but Randy prefers to think of it as his Fortress of Solitude.
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Randy’s Fortress of Solitude
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This is the 2nd year that Bethany led Jane’s Daisy Scouts for an hour, one Thursday every month. Since she’s the troop leader Cate has been an official member for the whole time. Since it doesn’t appear that any of the other Kindergarten mothers are going to step up an organize a troop for Cate’s class, it looks like the situation will continue.
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Computer School Daisy Scouts 2009-2010
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At the end of the month we went to a Curriculum night at the girls school, where showed off their class work and prowess in the gym. Though some of the kids climbed the ropes to the ceiling, it doesn’t appear to be in the Curti genes. Dad tried to inspire them to the rock-climbing wall with minimal success.
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Dad on the Steger climbing wall
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February Celebrations
On 6 February we woke up early, hopped in the van in our jammies and had ice cream for breakfast at Serendipity in Old Orchard. It is a “National” such day, which proves Congress is doing important things. Bethany’s pal Elisabeth joined us in her jimmies (they were passing out free mugs with coffee/hot coca for those still in their PJs). Oddly, there are no pictures of the adults but some of the girls.
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Ice cream for Breakfast Day |
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We considered taking the girls and Lilly to Soulard’s Dog Parade and Weiner Dog Races the next day as the weather was in the upper 30s but decided to bail. Lilly was in heat which have led to a little TOO much interaction with the other dogs.
Valentine’s Day Weekend
The following weekend was Valentines Day. On Friday, Randy, Jane and Cate went to their Third annual Daddy Daughter Dance at the Webster Rec-Plex. Neighbors Adeline and John joined us. It also marked the start of the Olympics in Vancouver, which Bethany loves to watch. Like much of the country our evenings for the last two weeks were spent primarily watching the taped goings on in BC. Bethany is a huge fan (favorite sports to watch on TV) and the wholesome family aspect swayed the rest of us.
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Jane, Cate and Adeline at Valentines Dance
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Jane, Dad and Cate are ready for the dance |
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Despite a snowstorm, on Valentines Day we had Fortel’s their special Heart shaped pizza (their Tomato is tops).
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Fortel’s Heart Pizza
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On Monday (Presidents Day off), the girls insisted on playing in the 3 ½ inches of snow which seemed pretty lame after DC got 36 inches earlier in the week (Snowmagedon). They had fun with Lilly but have pretty much have out grown sledding on the very mild slope in the back yard. They’re not ready for the Deer Creek Suicide Hill yet.
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Jane and Cate poise Lilly in the snow
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Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday came and on Thursday, we went to the 1st Annual WGCS Family Pizza Bingo Night. It was fun but the level of gamenship wouldn’t pass muster with the any serious bingo-ers (they would continue on one card until 6 kids had won).
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The Curti Women at WGCS Pizza Bingo Night
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On the 19th, we hosted a cocktail party with the neighbors to shake of the hibernation blues. Bethany’s Gin Bucket Punch was a hit and no one overly indulged (mostly a good thing). Former neighbor Charlie and Joanne came to, so it was nice catching up with everyone. No picturing though.
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Lilly and Jane at their most enjoyable(?), snoozing
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While at the WG YMCA kid’s Jane hurt her foot and really turnned on the drama the next morning (we were MOSTLY sure nothing was really wrong). We try to coerce her to be strong like the Olympians but that didn’t do it. It was only the threat of not allowing her to particpate in the 1st Grade Poetry Café that evening that convinced her to “hop” to it and get in the car and go to school (such moments make us consider what life would be like with boys instead of girls). She went to both school and the Poetry Café that night. Her teacher Mrs Jauer, had turned the classroom into a 1950s era Beatnik Coffee house and had really inspired the class to write a number of poems. There were lots of soccer poems and several boys did ones on sharks and killer whales and a fine one on BIGFOOT. Among Jane’s poems were:
Nothting Much
“Nothing much,”
I said to my Dad
When I was secretly making a volcano.
“Nothing much,”
I said to my Mom
When I was secretly going to the pool
My Dad found out.
My Mom found out.
I am in Big Trouble.
Tennis
Need a partner
Side to side
Jump up high!
Did I hit it?
No, I didn’t
Partner serve
Back and forth
Back and forth
Back and forth
End of game
By partner
Goodbye
We're sure she had help with the puctuation and spelling but it appears like she did the rest. We think it really openned the class to writing and performing.
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Jane at the 1st Grade Poetry Cafe
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Bethany got to watch the Poetry Café rehersal on Thursday but missed the Friday night performance as she went to YMCA’s Trout Lodge for a Woman’s Weekend with a few friends. Among the activities she took were using her digital SLR camera and riflery (first time she shot) and for a turn on the “Alpine Swing” (“A thrilling combination ride of a brief free fall and swing. Participants are hooked into a cable, wearing a harness and helmet, and are then pulled up by those on the ground until they are about 40 feet in the air. The participant lets go of a release cord and begins to “swing” over a distance of about 60 feet.”). Not the greatest photos since they’re off a cell phone (I guess her friends didn’t have the digital SLR class). Exhilarating, and yes, more than just a little bit horrifying!
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Bethany on Alpine Swing at Trout Lodge
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At the end of February Bethany started a job that actually pays real $ as opposed to being Mom, Woman’s Voices newsletter writer, WGCS PTO Secretary and Kindergarten room-mother and YMCA monitor (yeah, yeah technically the Y pays her but you’d have second thoughts about that if you saw the W-2 form. She does get the free membership though). The job is as freelance Proofreader/copy editor for Demography journal, the publication of the Population Association of America (http://www.popassoc.org/). Obviously she has NOTHING to do with checking over Randy’s posting to this blog (she wouldn’t be employed long, if at all, if so).
Meanwhile on the home front, Jane got the stomach flu and puked about every half an hour for half the day. Not the thing one would normally illustrate except Cate did make a drawing thou. Sibling love…
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Cate draws Jane throwing up
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Karma came the next night as Cate got the 12 hour stomach flu as well.
March
The first weekend in March we got delivery of our long planned TV stand/entertainment center. We’ve planned for it for since starting the house addition six years ago in 2004. We looked at standard entertainment centers at stores for years, had determined that we wanted something that was designed specifically for the space after looking for several years without seeing anything we really liked. We finally saved up a stash of money last year with all of Randy’s overtime, to make it happen. After getting bids from St. Louis Closet Company and Lowe’s cabinet guys, we were astonished by the costs for primarily particleboard cabinets with a veneer of hardwood. Not having anything to loose, we went to Mary Jane Solid Oak Furniture in Edwardsville, IL, which is an outlet for various Amish furniture makers from the eastern I-70 corridor and from who we bought our dinning room chairs when we got married. We designed what we wanted and they quoted us a price that was only 5-10% more than the particleboard options, which made for an easy decision. We had to wait 3 months but it was worth it as the final product is a terrific piece of solid wood furniture. Unfortunately, when it first arrived wasn’t exactly what we thought we ordered. There was an ambiguity in directions regarding glass and wood panels in the doors and the Amish craftsman interpreted it a different way than we intended. The folks from Mary Jane amiably took the doors back and fabricated wooden panels. We can’t say enough nice things about the people at Mary Jane’s and the quality craftsmanship. It was pricey but worth it. With the Redwood coffee table Bethany found in an Antique store last fall, couches and 52-inch LCD TV, the room is finally feeling like we intended it six years ago.
Maybe we can save up and have the Amish build us some nice bookcase to replace the particle board ones in the front parlor/old living room.
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Amish TV Stand/Entertainment Center with Redwood coffee table in foreground
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Playdate - Jane Adeline and Cate
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