Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?: December 2006

Merry Christmas to All, Part 1

We actually had two Christmas dinners with family this year. The first one was actually on Christmas Eve at Jenny's mom's house in San Jose. As with Thanksgiving, Jenny did a good chunk of the cooking. Russell was back in a Baby Einstein phase at the time, so we spent most of the time before opening presents watching these way-too-old videos. (Luckily, he's now in a Teletubbies phase.)

The good thing is that the boys didn't get many presents so there wasn't much junk to haul home. I even left a couple of items there that we really didn't need--shhhh, don't tell anyone.

Like herding cats, getting the boys to pose for a picture poses a huge challenge

Inspector Punky examines the room for evidence of Christmas presents

After watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Russell attempts to jump over the Christmas tree

Russell yawns after opening his Christmas gift of scarf and hat, as his grandmother observes

Roast sirloin on a bed of baby green arugula

Green beans with sun-dried vegetables

Herbed potatoes

Picture of the Day

Christmas greeting from Punky and his giraffe friend

Russell and Punky Named "Brewsters of the Year" by Time Magazine

Time Magazine's First-Ever Brewsters of the Year: Russell and Punky

Even though you don't read Time, most of you have probably heard of Time Magazine's cop-out for the upcoming "Person of the Year". Instead of naming a particular person, they named "You" as their "Person of the Year". This inspired me to create a magazine cover with Time's "Brewsters of the Year", Russell and Punky.

Lions, Tigers and Bears (Oh My)!

For the first time ever, we attended a birthday party that both adults and children could enjoy equally. Jenny's friend Louise held a first birthday party for her twins at the San Francisco Zoo on Saturday, and I can say without hesitation that I really had a good time. And so did Jenny, Russell and Punky.

Arriving at the zoo about 30 minutes early, we immediately headed for the lion and tiger dens. Luckily for us, the lions and tigers had just been fed, so they were stll indoors in their cages. The cages were barely an arms-length from the viewing area, so we were able to look at the big cats up close. At times, they animals stared directly into our eyes and that was certainly a big thrill for Russell, who is a huge lion fan. Punky is more of a tiger fan, so he preferred watching the Siberian tigers.

After prying Russell away from the lions, we walked to the party room which was large and inviting. In the back, there were play tables with Play-Doh, toys, coloring books, stickers and animal cutouts for the kids. For us adults, there were plenty of yummy hors d'ouevres, hot food and holiday treats (plus an open bar). For the more daring, zookeepers brought in various animals for the kids to touch, including a snake, an armadillo, a ferret and a iguana. The kids loved it. Jenny and I loved it. No meltdowns. Nirvana.

Punky observes a large polar bear walk into the party room

Afraid at first, Russell later did not seem to mind the polar bear sitting at the arts & crafts table

Punky grabs a sticker as Russell looks over his shoulder

Russell munches on a slice of cheese as Punky looks for that perfect shade of red

Russell surprised me with his open attitude towards touching a snake

Russell adjusts his antlers

Punky enjoys coloring the Little Mermaid

Before heading to the birthday party, Russell stood in front of the lion cage for 20 minutes

The lion lets out a roar--one that Russell and Punky often imitated that day

Pictures of the Day

A common method used by parents and teachers to rein in out-of-control behavior in children is the "time out". Tonight, Jenny illustrated this technique to me with the Brewster Boys. Orignally, Jenny was only punishing Russell, but Punky followed his brother in a display of solidarity.

Russell and Punky sit in the fireplace nook as part of their "Time Out"

The Brewster Boys with their hands against the wall, showing Jenny that they are unarmed

Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours

It is still two weeks before Christmas, but the holiday spirit is in full swing at our house. We've been spending the past two weeks shopping, gift-wrapping and exchanging Christmas cards, and I think the boys are beginning to understand the importance of the Christmas holiday. Russell couldn't wait to open all the gifts under the tree (he's already unwrapped his own), and Punky kept muttering "Happy Birthday" as he walked around the tree.