Yeah, I know it's been a while....

First of all, Merry Christmas everybody!
We're about done here with the big stuff -- in Norway it's Christmas Eve that's the big event, so we had the traditional Christmas porridge at Andor's yesterday afternoon, followed by a kid-friendly Christmas service at Ingvild's church and the big Christmas dinner (lamb ribs, sauerkraut, potatoes, and mashed turnips, followed by fruit salad and coffee and lots and lots of cookies and cakes.) We opened presents too; unfortunately, Ella was too wiped out from her day to be a part of present-opening for more than her very first gift, a new set of penguin jammies from us.
So we're off to Andor's for the Christmas Day dinner (also a biggie) in just a bit after videoconferencing with my family in the States. Inki and Ella are in bed at the moment -- Christmas is exciting and exhausting for both old and young.
Me, though? I'm manic. I've been out of commission since early November, which is why there haven't been any posts here. First I broke my hand in an accident on my new bike on November 6th. Ella was in her bike seat, properly helmeted and strapped in, and came away without a scratch, but I got to spend three weeks with my hand in a cast. And just around the time I got the cast off, the cold that I haven't been able to shake since mid-October turned into a full-fledged sinus infection that kept me home on doctor's orders for a week. So I've spent more time being useless the past month and a half than I manage in a good year, but apparently that's finally over. We were pretty tired yesterday morning since Ella got us up at 5:30 after five hours of sleep and was running full steam until she crashed after church (and didn't so much as let out a peep for fourteen hours), but after everybody left here last night after midnight, I was up till 2 am cleaning, well, everything. I've also managed to rack both the elderflower and blackberry wines we're making while Inki was trying to get Ella to sleep. God, it feels good to actually feel good. For a while there I was wondering what would hit me next -- locusts, boils, or a rain of blood -- but now things are much, much better.
And, Karren, I will try to oblige you with a picture of my new bike as soon as I get it fixed. I mangled the front wheel pretty well when I had the accident, and I haven't had the time, inclination, or energy to get the guys at the shop to fix it for a while now. What I slid on wasn't even real ice but frozen dew, but it was enough to wipe me out. No more biking if the temperature is under 40, especially with Ella on the back.