Whatever would posess...

...a person to cut ALL of their hair off in the middle of December. A person who lives in the Northern Hemisphere, with the recent average temperatures hovering around twenty degrees Fahrenheit? It's almost too cold to enjoy the snow. no snow packing activity is possible, but there is sledding! (Even though I have yet to do that with my children yet this year, sad as the case may be.) Not having entirely the appropraite gear to not feel the less than freezing temps is the main problem.

Fortuitously, my Secret Santa from work gives me this wonderful hat. It completely keeps me warm, is totally "my thing" in today's market/looks, and has allowed me to comfortably have short hair during the winter months. So...

I cut it off. I cut it all off. My hair is mostly gone. I actually think my hair is much shorter than two of my three make children. It's called something like a 'pixie cut,' but my cut just stands straight upward in the air. It waves, heck, it SHOUTS hellooo! Most likely, and I am hoping that, it is just the after shock from the difference from the weight of long hair to none with such shortness. See, it has been nearly a week since the haircut and the seemingly-shocked coif is *still* standing straight up. My awesome husband, being the wonderful person that he is, thinks it is great. He tells my I look "fey." In other words, other worldly or elfish or the like.
Too bad that the time I have been considering a hair cut (since Spring) does not factor into the amount of time it takes for the hair to adjust to the cut. If it doesn't calm down the slightest bit, I might just have to highlight it hot pink or something to compliment it. Hm. So: maybe you should look for pictures!

I might have just been better off with a trip to the tanning booth (I know, god forbid!). However, this might be the first time I am having a serious bout of seasonal affective disorder or something...

Boys and "Theatre"

We braved the wintry weather mix yesterday to go to see the Beauty and the Beast at the Cohoes Music Hall. It was a Rotary fundraiser event so we HAD to go with Dan's Dad (just joking). Dan did not go because he really doesn't like musicals, except Spamalot, that is.



There was this handy stage step that was ideal seating for munching the yummies that were offered pre-show as well as well as for a great photo-op!



The boys were able to meet Santa again. However, this time they just knew it was a Santa's "Helper" as it was getting closer to Christmas day and "his beard wasn't real." Gavin gave him a chocolate chip cookie because he might be too busy with the kids to eat. What a sweetie!



The boys especially liked seeing all the costumes of the players. It was a good time and I really enjoyed sharing a bit more of my history with my sons: How I did musicals in high school, traveled to NYC to see Broadway and off Broadway shows, inspecting the sets and costumes... I was practically in tears when the "Be our Guest" number was done! The energy was AMAZING and I loved it!!





The theater manager gave me his card and told me that in the future if the boys and I ever wanted to volunteer there (seating, handing out programs) then we could see the play for free and get to meet the cast afterward back stage!

So, apparently I may be a late-blooming or closet stage-junkie, who knows? :)

Beauty and the Beast and SNOW!!!

Well it has finally snowed!! The house is quiet, not only from the muffling of the snow, but all the children are outside enjoying the wet, fluffy white stuff!

My nose has miraculously cleared over night from the freezing weather and I could not be happier! My allergies might just be gone now for the season(?). I can only hope :)

Tonight we are going to a play in Cohoes: Beauty and the Beast. Dan's Dad, me and my three boys are going. Since it is a musical, Dan and his mom have no real interest. I only hope the weather does not turn mushy with rain instead of snow... With luck we will have a quite uneventful ride there and back.

Loving the snow either way! You can't see me doing the Snoopy Happy Dance, but just imagine it ;)

Dec 5 was Dan's birthday!!

It was not anything like breakfast in bed, but we went to a Breakfast with Santa this morning. IT is something the Saratoga Hospital throws every year - not something we go to each year, and this is the very first year I was able to go since I was not working on the Saturday it was held. My growing up sons visited Santa and had their photo taken. Nthing like waiting in line for a quick word with the man of the hour after lots of greasy bacon, syrupy and fluffy pancakes and scrambled eggs!



My dear husband is a whole 39 years old now! Next year is the big four oh and a party will definitely have to be thrown :)



Part of his present was chocolate fudge with chunky peanut butter smeared in the middle.

My nephew Liam!

Sorry the first is so blurry - Liam definitely does NOT like my camera's red eye reduction red light blinking before the picture is taken. He cries EVERY time :(

But he is a lovey dovey! He has Pete's head and Hannah's eyes.

This is dedicated to my nephew Sharon!

Sharon is so cute, with his little voice and confidence of conversation. My three boys absolutely ADORE him! Every time he leaves a message on our answering machine, we all smile. We still have a message of him on our machine from a month ago because it makes me actually check my messages more often to hear his adorable voice!
"Hello. This is Sha-wone."

This is dedicated to my sweetie Soren!

Here are few pictures of Soren for Kathleen, my sister. We were at the Haviland Cove beach on this day.
Of course he is much older now; I can hear his squealing laughter on the phone and it makes me want to hop in the car and drive to see him!!

more pictures of past fun!

We got a new car during the cash for clunkers dealio. The boys wanted a last picture of themselves with the van. Rael and Gavin took about 50 more juszt of the car, it's parts inside and out. Sometimes Gavin still says he misses "our old
car." Probably b/c they weren't told to pick up their trash when they were in the far back of the van.



And here's another of my sweetie Soren after returning from the hike up Buck Mt. Rael sure loves little ones; he thinks they are SO cute with their tinyness!



And here's Grandpa with his newest grandson, Soren. What an adorable face!



Ont he way to the hike, the boys laughed and had so much fun. It's great how well they get along!



And there's Sharon's protective mom, Kathleen, following a bit too close(?) behind us. :)



I can't wait to see my sister and her family again. I'm currently planning a March vacation in an rented RV again. That was certainly THE way to travel!!

Happy Thanksgiving - a day late!

Profuse apologies for not posting all Autumn. I have absolutely no excuses other than the regular homeschooling, traveling, socializing schedule that we try to keep up around this house!

I'll move onward from here with posting some of the great photos of our activity from the Summer. (I had to first look back to see what I posted last!)

My sister and brother-in-law Hannah and Pete had a bouncing baby boy. They named him Liam. He is so adorable. I was able to spend lots of time with him yesterday during the annual Haley family Thanksgiving gathering.




This evening we're going over for the post Turkey day sandwiches that are soooo deliciously yummy, but not nearly as filling as I can still breather afterward!

I am working this coming weekend - an entire forty hours in a single stretch - so hopefully I will have lots of time to dig up more photos of the fun that we had since September :)

My boys at WAR!

Busy vacation - I am ready for one that is a little less combative and a lot more sedentary.






It seems I was a bit too busy to take many pictures whilst vacationing in Slippery Rock, PA during Pennsic War... I know that *I* had fun. I am certain that the boys did too...

Sister and nephews are visiting!

My sister is here from Florida visiting. It is very much just as hot here as it is a thousand miles south, believe it or not. My sister is nearly melting, probably has something to do with a small human needing to be constantly held, fed, nurtured and loved... <3
Amazing how such a little guy did it and was able to sleep through most of the hike.

Sharon in Gavin's booster seat being silly for the camera.

Aww, cute cousins, for sure! If only you cold have heard the silliness between Gavin and Sharon in the middle seat of the minivan. (btw this was the last trip with the ole van as tomorrow we will be getting a NEW car!)
The littlest one napping on his Auntie's chest. What a big boy he has gotten in the month since I saw him in Florida! Chunker cheeks :)
Just adorable!

comparison

At the hospital where I work there is a bulletin board near the cafeteria where people can submit items for sale or rent. Houses, furniture, animals, practically nearly anything you can name.

Often I see cabins for rent in exotic places. Well, places that are fairly distant to good ole upstate New York, at any rate. Apartments or cottages are often for rent in Florida, Myrtle Beach, lots of sunny locales. At one point, I even saw a four bedroom, two and a half bath house in Daytona, Florida that was for sale for $38,000. Although I bet it was quite a fixer upper!

I have been working lots lots lots this past week, have been walking by the board a few times a day as I have been doing many extended shifts that extend over at least two meals or more, plus snacks. I will try to refrain from discussing at length the cafe options other than: they offer the same meals for lunch and dinner on the weekdays, but change them from one day to the next, but there are identical offerings for all the lunches and dinners for the entire weekend - what gives?! Whoa, anyway, back to the point here...

On another subject that will lead back to the bulletin board, Rael is lacking a bike. Gavin has claimed Rael's bike, as Gavin just has to keep up with his older brothers. So Rael has been trying to keep up with his brothers and their friends on one of those teeny tiny two-wheeled scooters. Honestly, Gavin uses "Rael's" bike because Rael no longer rides it; his knees hurt when he did as it really was a bit too small for him. So...

Whilst passing by the board this last week, I noticed bikes for sale. They were posted with really crappy xeroxed photos, but their descriptions and prices were right. One mountain bike with 24" rims was listed for $25! Another smaller mountian bikewas listed was twenty bucks. It was also a mountain bike, but it was a girl's purple bike. After walking past the board all week and thinking, looking, thinking, I ask Rael what he thought.
The conversation went something like this:
"So, Rael, I saw a picture of a bike at work today. It's for sale and I think it might fit you."
"Really?!" Grin.
"Yes, but the only thing is, is that it is purple..."
"Well, uh... I like purple!" Bigger grin.
"OK, then I will call the person and see if it's still for sale. Alright?"
"Yeah, sure!" And then Rael happily skips outdoors.
Shortly after, Dan comes in.
"Honey, at work there's a bike for sale that I think would fit Rael."
"Yeah...?"
"It's listed for $20, but it's a girl's bike." The look of pure horror that came upon my dear husbands face was amazing!
And then in come Rael for a drink of water as Dan replies with "You can't let Rael have a girl's bike!!!"
And Rael says,"Uh, whoa, whoa, whoa, Mommy... Wait a second! Does it have flowers on it?"
"I'm not sure Rael. But if it does, we could easily spray paint over them."
A moment of thoughtful silence is followed by "Oh. Okay then!!" as he goes again out the front door.
Dan says, amazed, "Wow. I guess that's the difference of public school and home school..."

I thought it was really funny! :)

Florida in July?!!

What could possible compel me to visit a locale that is hot and humid, that is often wet with large and strange insects and many small lizards, that gets even more so in the summer? Me, a person who loves the kind of weather that if it never reached higher than 80 degrees F would be quite content? A person who had just returned from a visit there less than three months ago? What could possibly make a die hard northern latitude gal visit one of the most southern states of the eastern coast in the hottest part of summer? Oh well how glad I am that you asked! :)

Looky here:

My sister Kathleen had a bouncing baby boy! I already love him beyond description! And, by golly, I am so glad I decided to withstand the summer heat of Florida to visit her and her new arrival and family!

He is just so beautiful. I might just be a tad bit biased (ok, a lot so) -- he is gorgeous, so easy going, and vocal. He successfully tries to hold his head up already, not mising a beat with wide open eyes. His name is Soren, and it is pronounced SORE-un. It is a Norwegian (or similar) god of clouds and storms, I think - basically the equivalent of Thor, god of thunder! :)

Above is a self shot of me and both of my youngest nephews. Sharon is such a great big brother and not very jealous for a three year old. He loves to caress Soren's cheeks and tell stories of what "Fogut" will do when with him when he's just a bit bigger.

Doesn't Katleen look great below? she's merely three weeks postpartum. Here we are at Sharon's morning swim lesson. Sharon wants so badly to go on the big water slides, but first he needs to actually learn to swim. He sure loves the water like my Gavin. I am certain that it will be no time at all before he's swimming like a fish.

Below is another of Sharon and me. He had just woke up from a three hour nap with his mom and baby brother. He is amazing, so quiet and calm upon awakening. He had gone right over to the book shelf and retrieved several books to the single living room rug. After asking me for a cookie and me recommending he have an apple or banana, he returns from the kitchen with an apple on a plate. This also goes on the living room rug where he commences an hour of bites and page turning. He sits and looks at the books whilst eating a bite of the apple every so often, resting it on the plate between bites. I am not certain if this is a regular routine for him, but he did it with such quiet confidence and enjoyment, even refusing my offer to read him a story on the couch. What a little man, I just had to take a picture with him :)


Below is Sharon at the BEST frozen custard place I have been in a LOOONG time! Rita's in St. Augustine that is right on the A1A(?) strip. I am *so* very glad that I do not live near it, otherwise my love of good ice cream would make me gain about twenty pounds in two weeks.
Here, Sharon's concentration is quite absorbed with his own vanilla cone.

Kathleen was awesome. A bit stressed and tired. I hope our late night chats didn't make her even more tired! But it was great to connect again and wish we could do it more than we have the chance to.
Looks like a very happy family below: a proud mommy and her boys, eh?

She has every right to be. I really can't wait to see them again! I'm off to peruse flights for Sharon's February b-day, or if I reserve another RV now, would it be cheaper...? :)

Give your kids (if you have them) hugs for me right now!

First sunny day in awhile...

Rael here fishing for minnows at the Moreau Lake state park. He caught some HUGE ones, well, when compared to the typical size of minnows!

Connor here making a nest of dino eggs in the sand.

Father's day at Sprinkles ice cream shop.

On the previous sunny day a couple weeks ago, the boys and two neighborhood friends decided to sell cookies and lemonade and kool aid. They had a lot of fun :)


More photo will come off the camera soon enough...