Eat too much. Sleep late. Play with the kids. Go out to dinner with my wife. See old friends. See family. Eagerly await the birth of my niece. Celebrate the birth of my niece. Reflect with gratitude on the ways in which my life is so much fuller and happier than it was ten years ago. Reflect with gratitude on how happy, sweet, healthy, cute, and caring The Boy and The Girl are. Give thanks, in my way, that we're all healthy.
Worry about my Dad. Call my Dad. Read Captain Underpants books with The Boy. Help The Girl negotiate the mysteries of the potty. Give the fireplace a good workout. Make halfhearted attempt to straighten up parts of the basement. Realize that there are more important things.
Watch Little Miss Sunshine. Read a serious book. Polish off and send a few job applications. See my Mom. Hope it doesn't snow much. Sing silly songs at the dinner table. Take lots of pictures of the kids. Make lutefisk jokes. Avoid lutefisk. Find passable substitute for lutefisk. Eat passable substitute.
Wrap presents. Give presents. Receive presents. Angst over choosing, affording, and finding room for presents. Have great fun with The Boy's hot wheels racetrack, which he doesn't know about yet (and don't tell him!). Have picnic on living room floor with The Girl. Read all the new books to The Boy and The Girl. Pay attention as The Boy reads books to us.
Attend party at The Wife's parents' house. Make it home without hitting any deer this time. Find excuses to let The Girl dance. Dance with The Girl. Take the kids to the park.
Find time for The Wife. Let her feel how loved she is. Let her escape the house without children. Let her commune with mocha swirl latte and chick lit. Skip watching football to make this happen.
Meet grad school friend's new girlfriend. Reintroduce grad school friend to glories of East Coast restaurants. Catch high school friend on East Coast tour. Make New Year's resolution to actually try to catch a Kristin Hersh show. Make New Year's resolution to fix upstairs toilet in a meaningful way. Make New Year's resolution to get my pet project completed this Spring.
That's not too ambitious, is it?
Best wishes,
DD
