English Emma Blooms

love from Aaron, Emma and Joel!

Aaron's birthday started earlier that he had hoped as Joel woke at 5:00 am in the morning - still on English time even though he did not reach his own bed until midnight.

Joel organized a party for Aaron.  All the stuffed animals he invited showed up.  What a celebration we had as the sun rose over our back yard!  At 8 am Joel came to get me up and we showered Aaron with his birthday presents.    I gave him a book about Edgar Allen Poe... and some chocolate straw things.   I also got Aaron a Jewel concert movie at the hotel we had stayed at in San Diego. Joel got him a shirt and a book on how to teach your kids how to play golf.


By the time we had gone to church and come home from our lunch at India Garden, we were all completely exhausted.

But still we try to carry on.

Just being dramatic for a minute.


I actually like being stuck in the house with the snow outside. The muffled noises make me feel cozy. I love shovelling the driveway in the same way that one might enjoy playing tetris.

This snowfall gave me the chance to drive Aaron's car that he promised never to ever let me drive.


He drove off the road into the ditch at the bottomg of the our yard he had to let me steer the car while he pushed it out of said ditch. ha ha ha! I had anotherchance driving it a couple of days later. It seems that his new acura does not have very good traction or rear wheel drive



Also, Joel loves the snow. He likened it to playing on the beach in San Diego. He is easy to please!

Joel told us at dinner: " My eyes are dripping because I am sad about Solomon'

Solomon is gone but he had not only a good ten years with us, he had some good last days with us too.

This week he attended Joel's "teddy bear picnic".

Last week he and Joel played together in the snow.

Joel has picked up some of my toilet habits. I don't know how it happened. Maybe through me yelling at him to get me a book when I am otherwise engaged.

Solomon is still here. Also, today Joel did not go to time out! Not because he rebelled against it but because he did nothing that deserved a time out! WOW! This is the first time this year... Aaron had a three-day weekend because of MLK day. I think that Joel would be pretty happy if Aaron never went back to work again.

so, Solomon is doing well... He loves his walks, he plays with his toys, but he can't breathe at night. Apparently, according to Aaron, I get up in the night several times with Solomon. I have a given him a pillow (Solomon) to prop up his head to aid his nighttime breathing. All night I have nightmares that he has died. It seems that the tumor in his nose causes him aggravation and nothing more.

Anyway... today, on MLK day, we went to circuit city to their fake sale and then to Trader Joe's for some food. Joel napped, I took Solomon out. I made a delicious soup for dinner. I read about how our meat comes to the table from birth to slaughter... all the chemicals they are fed... the hormones, the antibiotics. Apparently in the 1930s, it took cows 5 years to get to their slaughter weight. Now it takes 14 months because they are fed a cornmeal blend instead of grass, and have animal protein and fat added to it. There's something to think about.

Aaron spent a whole morning reading books to the stuffed animals at Joel's tree frog's birthday party

What else....

I'll leave that as the thought of the day!

Joel and I left the house as cowboys today in our matching black hats.

Joel produces art daily. Here are some of his more recent stuff.

The painted pictures are ones he made as Christmas presents.

A face:



Light hitting TV set through window:

Snow:



Squares with polka-dots:

Some Green Lines:


Blue bear portrait: Blue bear is his favorite. Jocelyn, Joaquin (who was 2 weeks old) and TJ gave him blue bear when he was born.

heart mommy:


The devil right before God kicked him out of heaven:

Joel says he looks happy because he was having fun being naughty.

You have been good!

What is most special about Christmas to Joel is TIME WITH DADDY! He craves it and needs it more than anything. I suppose that if I worked all day and we were apart he would crave time with me too, but as it is, I am sure he has more than enough!

Here are some pictures of happy times this month.











As I write, Aaron is wrapping presents for me in the basement. Of course, all I really want for Christmas is play time with him too!