And to all a good night

Thanksgiving and visitors

Yeah, I know it's almost Christmas.  Shortly before Thanksgiving, first Natasha, and then Zoia, came down with a nasty bug that resulted in the TV being on all day for a whole week while they lay on the couch and I tried to come up with new and interesting ways to get them to drink something - anything.  

The illness, and then another one, is still making the rounds through our family.  It has been a long, long, LONG month.  So apologies, again, for the blogging hiatus.  This post is brought you by a sore throat, wooziness and general head-to-toe achiness that has had me laid up in bed for the last day.

So Uncle Jamison and Aunt Michelle came to visit for Thanksgiving.  It was nice to have family in addition to a few friends for our festive meal.  We cooked a 20-lb turkey and enough food for 30 people (we had eight adults, three little kids and two babies).  This year I tried brining for the first time, and also made an herb butter to rub under the skin.  Michelle volunteered to apply the butter.  I told her she might consider a career in midwifery.

The turkey was pretty tasty.  I think I might actually like turkey - this is the first time I've ever said that! Must have been the brine.  And probably the butter.

M&J dutifully did their part in entertaining and helping with the kids.  Michelle played human Barbie doll and story reader at the same time.

Jamison fed the baby and had many tea parties with Zoia.

We also found some time to hang out as adults.  We went to a wine tasting.

We conducted scientific comparisons of fraternal forehead wrinkles.

And we taught M&J how to eat khinkali properly (if you don't look stupid, you're not doing it right).

Oh yeah, and there was a little sight-seeing.

It was a great trip!  Hope to do it again soon.

Update

The last three weeks have flown by.  We've brushed some goats at the zoo ...

... taken walks with Babushka ...

... played by a lake ...

... learned to arrange flowers ...

... played dollhouse with our cousin ...

... and bought lots and lots and lots of fabric ...

It would have been better, had I brought my sewing machine with me.  I'd be spending this time sewing instead of shopping ... (also, not pictured is the walk-in closet full of a two-year supply of things like tamari sauce, red lentils, laundry detergent and toilet paper). 

Christmas/Nativity 2008/2009

Jeremy was here Dec. 22-Jan. 12, during which time we celebrated Christmas several times over, jumped into a freezing cold lake, and went skiing. Photographic evidence follows ...

The Polar Plunge is a Richart family tradition. Every year, folks from all over Nebraska drive in to either jump into the frigid waters, or to smirk at those who do from the comfort of their warm, dry clothes. But before people can plunge, the Richart men have to cut a hole in the ice. This year, it was nine inches thick, and required the help of a chainsaw.

Richart family and friends gather on the big day, ready to jump.

I was there too ...

I jumped ... and have never been so cold in my life!

And of course, there were presents.

Grandpa Richart got a hat with a built-in flashlight; very handy.

And there were many rousing rounds of Bananagram (an excellent game which I have recently located at my local A.C. Moore!)

Then Jeremy and I spent a few days skiing at Timberline in West Virginia. We had a very cozy condo right behind one of the ski lifts.

I skiied.

Jeremy snowboarded.

He did some of this, too.

And there was this bra tree. Weird.

Meanwhile, back at the Herbst ranch, Pop decided it was time my brothers learned to tie their own ties.

And then we took a few photos.

Merry Christmas!