Happy New Year

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on chronicling our vacation from Christmas Eve to New Years day.  Fortunately, I have notes in my journal so I can go back in fill in details for a few subsequent entries so I'll start with New Year's and work my way back.  Tani's godfathers Manel and Jordi drove up to Allentown Wednesday (12/31) afternoon.  Melissa, Manel, and Tani went swimming in the JCC pool while Jordi and I watched all the fun from the side.  I had planned to make dinner for after the swim, but our power had gone out at noon and still wasn't back on at 5 pm when we got back from the pool.  So we hung out a bit at home by candlelight and then decided to go out for dinner.  We were going to get Chinese but Jordi and Manel noticed the Panera in the plaza and we headed over there.  Tani enjoys Panera - a few Sunday mornings I had taken him there so I could get coffee.  The first time I had gotten a pastry which he didn't like so he ate some pretzels and graham crackers I had brought along.  The second Sunday morning we went to Panera I got a pumpkin muffin.  Well, he loved it.  I had given him about a third and planned to eat the other 2/3 myself as I can eat faster than him.  I had cut my portion into pieces and when Tani saw me gobbling them up, he grabbed a few more pieces for himself to add to his pile and then continued eating leisurely.  On our next visit to Panera he knew what he wanted and shouted cake! cake! at the person serving us.  Fortunately New Year's Eve was dinnertime and it had been about a month since we'd been there so he wasn't asking for pumpkin muffins and was content with grilled cheese.  Manel and Jordi had brought a sticker book with them for Tani which kept him busy for a little while while we ate dinner.   We had a very nice visit and then they headed back to Mechanicsburg and the power at our apartment was restored.  On New Year's day we went to the mall and I bought an iMac which I love.  We then headed to our friends Paul and Rebecca who were having a New Year's day party in honor of Paul's birthday.  Their son Noah who is a few months younger than Tani had some pretty cool toys.  The one that made the biggest impression on Tani was a police car where one can push buttons which makes the lights flash with a siren sound.  For the next several days Tani was saying "I pushed the buttons, lights came on, woo-woo-woo-woo".