New things

All of my cousins in Canada are older than me....unless Keresztpapa knows something the rest of us don't. They teach me all sorts of (mostly) wonderful things. They taught me a new game over Christmas - Duck, Duck, Goose.



Az apam was not happy about this - he called the game a 'risky scheme.' He broke his collarbone playing this 'game' at the age of 9.

The most wonderful time of the year

Of course, the best part of the Christmas season is getting to see all sorts of people I don't see often enough.

My Christmas started seeing az anyam's family. First, her immediate family.

Then the cousins. Az anyam finds az apam's family to be huge, but her's is fairly expansive as well.

It wasn't all family - Heather Neni stopped by while I was in Toronto. The nice thing with friends is that you get to pick them.

You don't get to choose family.

After that I got to hang with az apam's family. More on that later.

Merry Christmas to All

I had a grand old Christmas. It was so grand that I finally slept through the night Christmas Eve.


I enjoy the whole event. The dressing up. The hanging with family. The presents. Especially the presents.

I got to wear my friend Ben's old coat. It got lots of comments from the ladies. Especially the ladies.

There was one lady in particular at Christmas Eve, Olivia. She took good care of me in that mass of cousins. There were about 186 cousins. Add in the aunts, uncles and assorted old people and you get a whole mass of humanity. She read to me and fed me (which really irritated az anyam and az apam since I wouldn't eat for them).

At the end of it all I slept like Rumpelstiltskin after a long day.

The more things change

Being a Strada, my nature is conservative. Not necessarily in a political sense, but from a "boring is good" sense. When on the road, I like to make my life consistent with the way I live it at home.
I like to watch kepek on the szamitogep regardless of what other plans az anyam and az apam had for the computer.

I also respect the local customs. At home I tend to dance to the music. At Mama and Papa's, I feel playing an instrument is more appropriate.

In the mornings I like to make pancakes and am just as finicky about eating/not eating.

I enjoy reading books on my own and having them read to me.

I also enjoy eating pizza and broccoli. I fill my mouth so much that I can't even close my mouth.

Out in the Frigid Tundra

I'm here in Toronto. It's cold. Like Antarctica cold. Like I'm attending an Al Gore speech cold.


The weather is bearable as long as I'm dressed for it. I have to wear a hat under my hood. Could always be worse, I could be in Oymyakon or even worse Montreal.

I went outside to help Papa shovel some of the massive, copious, bountiful amounts of snow we have outside. First he gave me a small shovel to use. That didn't go so well.

Then I switched shovels with Papa. I was a mean, red shoveling machine.

Posts in need of bran

Blogging will be irregular to non-existant over the next two weeks as I celebrate National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month.


I had a wild time celebrating National Veterinary Technician Week. I'm still trying to get over it and that was two months ago.

You are never really done

I got to see Peti Bacsi again over this past weekend. We had a lot of fun running around the house. We played repulo. I enjoyed it immensely.




I had to explain to Peti Bacsi that we aren't done until I say we are done. I am very persistent and effective.

Stepping Stones Museum neither steps nor is stoned. Discuss.

I went to the Stepping Stones museum recently with az apam. My interests at the museum have changed dramatically over the last year. What made it more dramatic for az apam this last time was that there were very few people so I could play with whatever I liked.

When we first started coming, I was all about the water and the balls. This time I hardly spent any time in there. I focused on bigger boy activities - riding the bike, playing with the tubes, etc.

Christmas the GE Way

GE, being a large multi-national that is part of the Military-Industrial-Media Complex, celebrates Christmas in a unique way. No, not layoffs....well not just layoffs....OK, GE celebrates Christmas in several unique ways. One of the ways is by renting out the local arena and having a big kids' Christmas party complete with ice show.

I went with my good friend Kai. There were all sorts of cool activities. There were choirs singing. Lots of Christmas characters. Face-painting. Balloon animals. The balloon animals were really cool.



Kai and I did what any two year old boys would do when given balloon animals. We swung them around and hit each other and each other's balloons.

The coolest event was making cool hats with flashing lights on them. The reason it was the coolest event is that I got az anyam to wear it.

While we're on the subject of tannenbaums

Last Friday night, as I had mentioned, we went with Leah's family to the Fairfield Christmas tree lighting.

The Christmas tree was kinda, sorta cool. There was a school choir singing - they were adequate. There were Christmas carols being played out of a loud speaker. That was AWESOME. This video is a little hard to see, but Leah and I danced, danced, danced.

A good reason for not posting

I haven't had a chance to post the last two days. I have been sleeping in.


Yesterday I slept in until 7am. I awoke because az anyam and az apam were worried about whether or not I was alive. Today I slept until 5:45am. Everybody in the house is much, much happier.

We have not had to resort to grouchy, couch dwelling in the morning.

O Royal Tannenbaum, Wie treu sind deine Blätter

I went to the Fairfield Christmas Tree Lighting on Friday night with az anyam, az apam and Leah's family. It was an awesome event. My young mind didn't grasp that it was actually foreshadowing. When I awoke there was a Christmas tree waiting for me in our living room.

That was just the beginning of a most-excellent morning. Fortunately, I got up really, really early so I had lots of morning to make excellent. After I had enjoyed the tree, played with some toys and had breakfast, az apam turned on Sesame Street for me. He then plugged in the lights for the tree. It was then that I noticed the ajandekok under the tree. Even though I had forgotten to put out my shoes, Mikulas still left me some presents.

So I turned off the TV, layed down in front of the presents and told az apam, "Mate nézi az ajándékokat." I then laid there and watched the ajandekok. Fortunately, az anyam woke up shortly thereafter and I was allowed to open the ajandekok.

From Mama and Papa's Mikulas I got an elephant and a zebra. I love playing with these animals, especially in the tub.

From Nagymama and Nagypapa's Mikulas I received some more of the Little People nativity. I have almost the entire little town of Bethlehem. These are almost too fun to play with - I try to mix them with az anyam's nativity. She doesn't appreciate that.

Matthew Strada, All American

Someday, I'll have my name in the big lights, just like that other All American. This will be challenging enough with my parents standing in my way of playing organized football, but I'm plotting and scheming my way in. I plan on having such mad skills that they won't be able to turn me down.

I've been using traditional and not so traditional methods of training.



With Pák Bácsi (az erdöben Pák Bácsi) I worked on the kicking and holding aspects of my game.



With az anyam and az apam, I worked on my all-around, all-American athleticism.

To Skype is not Tripe

As I mentioned earlier, az anyam and az apam have finally joined the 20th century and started Skyping. It's been amusing talking to the grandparents and aunts and uncles.

In Cleveland, I finally had the chance to Skype with my cousins, Sari and Sandor. That was awesome. It was mildly amusing at first.



Once we got the hang of it, I really got into it.

I went to the animal fair

Whilst in Cleveland, I went to the allatkert with az apam, Nagypapa and Peti Bacsi. There were all sorts of animals I'm not used to seeing - giraffes, tons of fish, gorillas, even Mr. Rhino. It was almost overwhelming, as soon as I got to one exhibit, I couldn't wait to get to the next one.



The only way they could get me to stay in one place was to hold onto me. Not that I minded that.

What did they have to go and do that for?

Az anyam and az apam decided that with az anyam's health so good, the economy booming and az apam's employment status strong, it would be a lovely time to expand Strada, Inc. Here's a picture of the expansion plan from about four weeks ago.


Expansion is expected to be complete on June 11 of this year. Today, we got an updated view of development. Seems like progress has been solid so far.

I think The New One looks a lot like me.

Home for a rest

We had quite the exciting week last week. We drove to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. I enjoyed being in Cleveland and had a smile for much of the time. Unfortunately, not everyone is as strong as I am. Az apam needed some serious rest since he's weak.

I had to put him down for some naps. First I tucked him in and then I read him one of my favorite books - Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb.

To fool with a tool is cool

Az anyam and az apam drove Peti Bacsi and me to Klivland yesterday. In preparation for this trip, I checked out our cars. I practiced on my truck first.


After az apam saw the way I wielded the tools and I worked on his cars, he determined it would be best to rent a small, smoke-filled car rather than driving his Mate-enhanced cars.

Growing up is hard to do

As I get older, I find the Man (and the Woman) keep trying to find ways to keep me down. Lately, I've been noticing it in clothes. So much structure and rigidity in fashion nowadays. Yuck. I can see az apam trying to fight that fight every once in a while, but even he has been pretty much beaten into conformity.



Az anyam and az apam tried to get a tie on me the other day. That was the last straw. The tie did not last long.

Then on the way to Magyar Iskola I decided to put my coat on my own way. If that's not the way society tells me to wear a coat, so be it. Then I don't belong to society.

eBay's Saviour

I like where I live, but I don't like being so far from my extended family. I only get to see them every once in a while.

Az apam got a new monitor with a built-in webcam and we are now Skyping. I've already gotten the chance to Skype with Emi Neni and Mama and Papa. I tried Skyping with Nagymama, but the webcams didn't seem to work.



The Skyping is cool - talking and singing with video is a lot easier and cooler than just using the phone. A much more fun way to keep in touch.

Early in the morning... strap shoes on my feet...

When I get up early, az anyam and az apam are a bit discombobulated. I end up needing to amuse myself for most of the time from whenever I wake up until 5 or 530 when they start to show signs of life. Puzzles are good at filling the time.

I also enjoy my train set. I enjoy putting it together, but I usually get help with that aspect. Then it's time for playing. That's the part I enjoy best.

Hot Stuff

I had an awesome new experience Sunday. It was a cold and blustery day and we had spent some time working in the yard. Az anyam brought me some foro kakao. WOWZER.


It was like nothing I had ever tasted before - the perfect blend of chocolate, sugar, milk and just a sprinkle of caffeine. It had quite the effect on me.

Swimming, Shwimming

The weekend is coming - that means one thing - Uszolecke. If it were next weekend it could mean two things, but it is not yet next weekend, so only one thing.



Uszolecke tends to start out decently. I'll be excited to be in the water again chasing the kacsak. I throw the kacsa and then chase after it.


Then I start to get cold, tired and hungry. Az apam may have dunked me under the water. I get a bit miserable. I csügg az apám ajkán not-so-szótlanul, mint a gyümölcs a fán. I show my displeasure and hold onto his neck like my life depends on it.

You should be dancing

I have a dream.

I want to be like this guy.

Not like this guy.

Holy Moly, Life's a Rollercoaster

I woke up a little after 4:00 this morning after letting the folks sleep in yesterday. I've been challenging to put to bed as well. I've been mixing it up pretty well. Gotta keep the parents on their toes.

I've been giving them an easy time on the baths lately to compensate. I've taken to doing the backstroke again.



I enjoy just lying on my back soaking in the tub.

Bakin Brownies

What preceded yesterday's and today's earlier posting was the following.


Az anyam and I had gone over to Ben's house Friday afternoon. We were already in a Friday afternoon stir crazy mood when we got to bake brownies with Rhonda Neni.



As a wise man once said, "The waiting is the hardest part." It was brutal to sit and wait for the brownies to be done.

6:30

We are all happy.



We feel like laughing.

4:15

We are all grouchy.



We need to laugh.

Don't worry about the pulyka, Nagymama

There are pulykak all over the allatkert. They've b een cute to watch over the last few years. However, during my last trip to the alletkert, with Ted Nugent as my inspiration, I decided to appreciate them in a more interactive way.



By the time Thanksgiving rolls around I should have actually caught one or two or three.

Tony Bacsi would be proud of my pulyka stalking skills.

The Csucs

Then it was time for the highlight of the night - going Trick-or-Treating door to door.

I went with Nicole Neni and Loren Neni and az anyam and Charlie and Leah. It is such a cool tradition - you knock on the door and the people give you chocolate and sweets.

It must have been magical candy. It keeps disappearing from my pumpkin. It's like for every piece I eat, three pieces disappear.

Magis

Every time I turned around on Halloween there was another event or another exciting person. First, we went to downtown Fairfield where the shops were giving out candy. It was mostly weak candy like lollipops and hard candy, but it was quantity over quality.


I did the trick-or-treating in Fairfield with Leah. She was dressed as Princess Leia. People's expressions were great as her mother would call after her, "Leah! Leah!" Her parents really aren't as Star Wars nerdy as this story makes them sound.

The highlight was running into one of Papa's old friends:

I got to give him a bug hug and hang out with him a bit.

Halloween is SOOOOOO COOOOOOL

Last year, I enjoyed Halloween in a minimalist sense. I went to a party at az apam's work place and a party in a park and that was pretty much it. This year I enjoyed Halloween in more of a maximist sense. It was a full-blown, several day bacchanal.


It's going to take several days for me to get through everything that happened over the last few days. It started early last week carving pumpkins with az anyam. I got to draw the faces and then az anyam did the actual carving.

I also got to wear a kesztyu and supervise. Az anyam went a little overboard - not only did she do an awesome job on the big pumpkin, she carved all the little ones.

The house looked really festive. It looks pretty good from this angle, but it also looked good from my angle inside the house.

Keep on Truckin'

Az anyam rotates my toys in and out of hiding. She does this to even the wear on them so that they stay good for a consistently long time. Not really....she actually does it so that I really appreciate them and get excited for them when I re-get them. It's like having a birthday on a quarterly basis.

Last week I was quite excited when I found my ride-on dump truck in the closet. I had az apam get it right out so that I could frolic on it. It was almost awesome, but something was missing and I immediately knew what it was.

I jumped off the truck, went into the closet and found a baseball cap to put on backwards. Then I was just like a real dump truck driver.