the sound of music: a swedish tradition

a few years back, my coworker mentioned that many swedes

have a tradition of watching the sound of music on christmas eve.

oh how i loved hearing that...as it's one of my favorites!

i grew up watching this movie at least once a year and it's

become one of our family's favorite musicals too.

{mama mia and dreamgirls didn't make the cut}. 

eating chili, tracking santa and new pjs are our only real traditions

on christmas eve, so i thought why not add this one to our list.  

poor scoutie said he couldn't remember the movie {for shame}.
he's been learning to play do re mi on the piano and remembered
the song came from this movie which made him really excited.
 

c made a roaring fire in our fireplace {it's been in the 40s/50s at night},

and we settled down with a tub of popcorn on the couch and enjoyed

watching the von trapp family and all the beautiful music.
{i made a note to pull out the songbook which i've had for years}

we all were transfixed on the movie.

finn seemed mesmerized by edelweiss, and i'd like to think it was not only
because the children and the captain sing it so beautifully, but because i often sang
to him at bedtime when he was small. he loved that song...requested it often.
he no longer asks for bedtime songs {just a back rub or a massage}, but scout will
ask for an occasional song...and that night, he requested my favorite things.

after the movie, we sat and talked about this time in history and how scary it must
have been for all those people in the countries who were occupied by germany.

we talked about what freedom is, what it's worth and the risks people take for it.
that even today, people are fleeing their homelands to find sanctuary from dictators,

wars, etc. how lucky we are to have been born in a country where we have so much
freedom. 

as i went to bed, i thought about how five years ago, our entire family wouldn't have been
able to have that conversation, and how wonderful it is to have kids a bit older.
with age and maturity, they have a deeper understanding of concepts and ideas.
oh it's a beautiful thing to see this develop in my children.

the swedes have a wonderful tradition in watching the sound of music on christmas eve,

we'll be watching christopher plummer and julie andrews for years to come as well.

if you want to enjoy a little edelweiss, click here for the movie version of the captain
singing and his children accompanying him.  

~ i have to share that finn didn't enjoy our traditional chili dinner this year.
he begged for sushi early that afternoon and since i was going out to pick up some

staple food items, i picked up sashimi and california rolls for him.  he was in heaven.

the joy of a new life

word can not express the joy of new life.
- herman hesse


i received a very happy announcement last night.
my dear friend charlotte's baby boy arrived!
my heart couldn't be happier for her and her husband shawn.

we were just together on sunday for several hours.  we talked and
walked to get a coffee and wondered when he'd make his arrival.
he came a week early and well, JOY is the perfect word to express
his arrival.

meet aidan oliver lantz, born 12/22,

char and shawn won't ever forget this christmas,
the year they received their best present ever.

millions

like so many, i'm a sucker for a good holiday movie.

i grew up the 1960s clay-animation rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
the original miracle on 34th street, home alone and countless others.
i've introduced my boys to  all of them and together we've all grown to
love a few newer films.  one of my favorites is millions.

it's not a traditional film by any means.

it's british, with actors you've probably haven't seen or heard of before.

{something i enjoyed}.   

i'd go into detail about the story, but i fear i won't be able to do it justice.

i will just say it's refreshing....unsually clever, witty, and best of all heartwarming.

one of it's secrets is the casting.  alex etel plays 9 year old damian, and WOW,

he's one of the best child actors i've seen in a long while.

he will steal your heart. 

if you haven't discovered the gem of a movie, it's time:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366777/

~ c and i discovered this film back in 2004...the year finn was born.
we watch it every year around christmas and it never grows old.  

this year, our boys are about the sames ages as the two brothers in the film,

which made it even more fun...especially since scout was old enough to watch

and understand.  he was completely enthralled as he watched damian find millions,
and then try to do good with it...despite the obstacles that stood in his way.    

christmas lists 2015

just before our trip to baja, i asked the boys to put their
christmas list together so i could sent to santa.
scout had his to me within the hour. 

scout's list:
- bayern munich keeper gloves
- legos star wars AT-TE
- legos republic AV-7 anti-vehicle cannon
- beyonders (book set)
- spirit animals (book set)
- soccer goal
- a poster of thomas muller, his favorite soccer player

easy enough. 

finn, on the otherhand, said he didn't really have a list.
he continued saying what he wants can't be bought. 
{i really started to like where this was going}
he said his wish lists includes a visit to spaceX, jpl ,
spending a day with elon musk and/or robert zubrin.

mmm, i thought and then grinned. i can't do all that, BUT
i do have a semi-private tour set up for him at jpl this spring {2016}.
he is going to be in heaven!

i asked him to come up with a small list of items that are tangible...
that he could open on christmas morning, otherwise, he'll get random
things he might not like at all.  he gave me a small list that afternoon.

finn's list:
- quantum (strategy game)
- elon musk's autobiography
- the case for mars by robert zubrin
- how we'll live on mars book by stephan petranek
- a gift card to his favorite sushi restaurant
- cell phone {this was a joke} he knows he can't have one yet...
{it's not going to be too much longer though...since starting middle school and
joined the surf club, we've had a few times when we all needed to connect and couldn't}

so that's what's on the gerber boys' christmas lists this year.
though it's more challenging than the preschool days of thomas the tank trains and pixar cars,
their personalities and character traits show through more with their 'wish list'.

as for the big kids in the house.  mr. gerber hasn't shared a single thing.  
he doesn't 'need' anything he'll say {few of us do}.  perhaps, santa will find him something
tennis or surf related that he might enjoy.

our BIG present to each other this year is a new master shower. 
it's 40+ years old and desperately needs a facelift so we moved on to this project. 
the demo is underway and hopefully in the next 4-6 weeks,
we'll have a new bathroom.

i'm so excited! i'm seeing blue mosaic tile in my dreams
{we won't be doing every wall though....too $$}

i'll share before and after down the road.

~ i'm so far behind on blog posts.  i'm not sure where to even begin,
or if i should back post? there's so much i want to record: halloween, our anniversary
weekend away, scout's first year of competitive soccer, finn's newfound love of sushi,
what middle school means for our family and my new book group.  to my faithful
readers, don't abandon me.  i haven't given up on this blog yet....it's just harder to post.
evenings are busier with older kids - more activities and more homework.
{mommies of little ones....enjoy their napping days. you'll miss them so much
in a few years}

cutest elves on the block

my sister-in-law shared this ADORABLE photo of my nephews
with me last week and it truly made my day.  i've always been a sucker
for cute pajamas, and these elf pjs are so cute.
{and even cuter worn by these two darling boys}

i could hardly believe jamison (the littlest elf on the left}
wasn't afraid of santa. a year ago he was in tears meeting him, but not this year.
oh how they grow up so fast.

~ i haven't taken my boys to see mr. c since scout was about 5.
actually, the guy in the red suit isn't talked about much in our home.
at ages 8 and 11, the less he's mentioned, the better.

it's all about keeping the magic alive...

off the grid: mexico

i've been off the grid (literally some days) as the boys and i headed
south of the border for 8 days to soak in the sunshine and each other
during the thanksgiving holiday.

we found great airfares on volaris, and flew out of mexico {tijuana} to cabo.
we rented a car, and left cabo as soon as we could and headed to a small village/town
where there was a hotel directly on the beach called the surf colony.  we stayed here
a week and spent every day in the 83 degree water.  what a treat for a so cal family used
to 70 degree water at the warmest.  no wetsuit was needed...just sunscreen! we also stayed
the last 2 nights, we went into todos santos, a larger ex pat/artist town for a little more
urban experience.  we visited the mission, the hotel California and explored new beaches.



highlights:
- surfing every day
- lots and lots of mexican food {c couldn't get enough of enchiladas con mole}
- lengthy and competitive 'ocho loco' card games
- meeting a family from solana beach (scout even had a sleepover with their kids at their villa)
- shopping at the local 'super mini' for groceries for breakfast and snacks
- the boys fishing in the ocean and finn catching a 30 lb dorado
- spanish lessons for mom and the boys
- scout purchasing a futbol (soccer ball) and playing at a local field
- driving into cabo to watch spectre in english {with spanish subtitles}
- releasing olive ridley turtles on the beach at sunset
- lots of yummy drinks all vacation long {i need to run another half to burn the calories i consumed}
- reading - lots and lots of  it (we read 5 books between all of us)

the trip allowed us to have much needed family time - just the 4 of us - to soak each other in.
with busy lives, it was so nice to slow down and just spend hours in play and conversation,
and to do it in a place that we love so much was a beautiful thing.

i'm excited to go through the photos (and video),  as i  haven't seen anything but a few i snapped on
my phone. c uploaded them all to our home server and i hope to get on tonight and pull some into this post.

in the meantime, here are some photos from google of our casual hotel right on the beach.
(it was a really rough week for me. hehe)