Let There Be Light!

Merry Christmas friends near and far. Here is a holiday lesson:

It's far easier to drape a two month old baby in Christmas lights than it is to drape a two year old toddler in Christmas lights. Damn you, emerging human self awareness! When Daddy says put the lights on you, DO IT or elf on the shelf will come down at night and smash all your smart mouth Thomas trains. Yes, the lights get hot. And your two year old point is? Does Annie Liebowitz have to put up with this garbage? Cecilia knows blog posts are so few and far between (Finn donned a monkey suit for halloween for god's sake and that hasn't made it yet) and she got right in there and worked it out with the camera. Good start to her first Christmas. Now that I see her commitment to the craft, I may work up an Ice Angel shoot. Keep posted.

P.S. ever wonder what a little boy looks like saying cheese through terrified, clinched teeth? Finn answered that above.

Oh, Baby!

Finn and Cecilia got to return to the place that started it all, Princeton hospital's maternity ward (is that term still current? Sounds a bit suspect). The Burkmar's welcomed Will into the world this week and let me tell you, he is a BEAUTIFUL baby. Not in the "all babies are beautiful due to the miracle of life blah blah blah" way, he is just flat out good looking. He was dominating the little nursery. New parents were cutting their praise short on their kids to talk up the Burkmar baby. I'm not posting pictures because I imagine they have already signed him with an agency and I don't want to pay infringement fines. Finn loved all the baby action, but Cecilia slept right through it; being born is like SO two weeks ago. Totally.Over.It.

No pictures, no pictures!

The insatiable hunger for blog content weighs heavy from time to time. Carol McQuaid, not J.D. Salinger reclusive but also a rare Westerner who believes that a taken photo captures a bit of your soul, brought a wonderful dinner and gifts for the kids. Of course I pressed her for a few pictures. She is still only a few months off her son's beautiful wedding (or if you are talking to Shelley, Carol's beautiful son's heartbreaking wedding), so I thought she would still be up for a quick photo shoot. Apparently, she needs to be draped in a Merlot-colored strapless silk dress to take more than a few shots.

Finn was another problem all together. If paparazzi haters Sean Penn and Lindsay Lohan had a baby, it would be Finn right now. That said, if they were Finn's parents he would be living in Malibu, recovering from his first rehab stint and named something gender neutral and geographic like London or Bronx. And he would wear little vintage Rolling Stones concert shirts bought for $125. He hates my picture taking. Every photo is interrupted with hand waving and "no Daddy, no Daddy." For god's sake, your lucky someone wants to take a picture of you eating bread, bud. At some point in the non too distant future, you'll be a broken 40 year old looking at your reflection in the 606 bus window wondering if anyone sees you at all. So be grateful for the attention, once your sister regularly opens her eyes you will be hearing the heavy footsteps of father time. Crow's feet land on every face, pal.

The American Dream: Football, Family, and Pulled Pork

We had a wonderful time hosting our family, and by hosting I mean unlocking our apartment so Hosana, Tebby and MIL (Aunt Cathy Cron) could whip into a cleaning and cooking fury. After a great lunch, we walked over to the Blair football game. Harrison came down to represent current Blair to all the Blair alumni in attendance. We also made an attempt at some family photos- Matt, Lisa, and Emmet did well (Matt's trucker Pton hat can be masked by a Santa hat sticker) but Finn had an attack of the hissy fits. Looks like someone doesn't like to share his lens time. It was great to have some many family members together on a beautiful fall day- we had family in from North Jersey, Connecticut, Idaho, North Carolina, and South Jersey. What a great way to welcome Cecilia into the fold.

Grandparent Bliss

Three grandchildren under one roof. Life is good.

Dorm Dinner

Ever wonder if you could have had a dinner party in a dorm room? Well, we did that last night. Mr. Bracken was a force of nature in the kitchen and we all had a fantastic meal. It's not clear whether or not Kristen filed a restraining order on any of the members of the inquisition, but it would have been warranted.

Thursday is the New Friday

Like most college students I know, things kick off for the Finnster on Thursday night. On Fridays he skips school and stays home with Mimi and Pop Pop. Tonight we have extra special guests, Finn's godfather Kevin Bracken and his "lady friend" Kristen are visiting from Sun Valley, Idaho. On Saturday the Bracken/Reavey army comes storming into town to celebrate the the Blair vs. Lawrenceville football game. This will be a blue-bloodbath of course, and I expect many a torn Brooks Brothers shirts and Nantucket Reds when these two rough and tumble boarding schools fight it out on the gridiron.

In anticipation of an east coast weekend blow out, Kristen and Kevin took Finn on his first beer run to a package store and bar somewhere in Lawrence. I'm not sure the patrons, many of whom appeared to be dodging palimony and child support payments, appreciated a photo op right there in front of the Franzia display. In fairness, one smoky-voiced patroness offered Finn a Slim Jim. In true New Jersey style, Finn walked outside and promptly fell over. A sign of times to come.