blizzard 2010

If you've been anywhere near the news, I'm sure you heard about the snowy conditions we've experienced up here on the east coast.  

snow = beautiful

snow = childhood joy

snow = major pain

snow = crippler of hopes and dreams

I should be in Colorado right now but my flight out this morning was cancelled . . . for a while I thought I wouldn't be going at all, but managed to get the last seat on a flight out tomorrow night.   Not quite what I'd planned, but it made me so thankful for even a couple days with my family after imagining I wouldn't be there at all.  The snow also caused us some driveway problems and some oil truck problems, but those are stories for another time.  When you're still living them out, they're not as fun as retelling them later.  We can wait until the pain isn't so fresh. :)

Anyway, our snow adventures afforded some photo opportunities.  

Letting Moose out in the morning to a world of white: 

Walking through the woods on a snowy afternoon.

We parked on the street as our house is at the end of a shared driveway . . . here's a shot I took walking back home after seeing Matt off to work.

And our favorite shed door. Frosted windowpanes.

Hoping you are safe and warm across the country - and the world!

Christmas!

Happy Boxing Day to you and yours.  We are in the midst of that storm they keep talking about . . . so I guess it's a great time to settle in and get some pictures up from Christmas.  The frosty winds may blow, but we're snug for now!

On Christmas Eve we went to our little church's family service.  We enjoyed the live nativity and Christmas carols, so familiar and welcome the day before Christmas.  We took a couple pictures on the way out the door . . . in most of them I looked ready to go into labor.  It must have been the top?  Sheesh.

Not to be left out . . .

After church we had lovely little dinner, just the two of us and some pork tenderloin. :)  Of course this was followed by our traditional Christmas pj's and a picture so the Andersons could see how much we love them.  

Then we went to sleep and waited for Santa to come . . . 

And in the morning enjoyed a wonderful Christmas together.  

All three of us. 

I'm so thankful for Skype . . . we had fun chatting with both sets of our parents.  I caught up with my brother for a second, who was all alone in Houston since he works for a church and had to be around for Friday and Sunday.  He's headed to Colorado to meet my parents tomorrow but until then, I've been enjoying his Christmas card. 

We had breakfast with the family I nanny for and then headed out to . . . 

the city!  Since it's our last year just the two of us, we were free to jump on the train and head in for dinner and a show.  We saw West Side Story and it was a good choice!  Such a great show, and it goes off Broadway in a couple weeks.  Matt's friend sent us his keys so we could use his apartment while he was home for the holidays, and he is a great source of ideas on where to eat and what to do.  Dinner at a restaurant near his house was excellent.

We caught a train back to Long Island this morning and arrived in Stony Brook just as the snow started to fall.  And fall.  And fall.  They are predicting 15-20 inches for our area and I'm not sure whether to be excited or afraid.  It's really coming down. We've got the car parked in our neighbor's driveway since our driveway is a million feet long and gravel and not plowable.  I took this picture as we walked home from the car . . . and then slipped and fell a few feet later.  Whoops!

I took the following from inside the warm comfort of our own home.

Snug as a bug, with a load of firewood ready just incase we lose power.  There's enough cookies in the fridge to keep us fed for a day or two.  :)

Moose's Christmas Visitor

We had the privilege of dog-sitting for Divot, a friend's bulldog, for a couple nights so that they could go into the city.  It was pretty hilarious.  Divot is a bit older and breathes really heavily when he gets excited - almost as if he has doggy asthma.  Also they ate each other's food the first night and it made Divot sick so he threw up in the night.  But other than that, he was a gentleman, and didn't even get on the couch.  Matt was in doggy heaven but I'm not convinced that two dogs are better than one.  Moose is kind of used to being an only child.  But walking the two of them was so hilarious.  And the SNORES.  Oh, my. 

you're welcome

Moose's face is so . . . pliable.  And he's so tired all the time he'll sit and let you do anything.  

Case in point:

 (facelift)

Come on, tell me that's not hilarious.  Man, it makes me laugh to see those pictures.  What a sport.  Love that dog.

Also, remember a month or so ago I was writing about Moose's hilarious cartoon snores?  He was churning out some good ones the other night on the couch, but when Matt pulled out his computer to document, Moose stopped.  But I guess Matt really wanted to capture the action.  I was harshly awakened in the middle of the night by Matt turning the light on and tromping around the room.  I was VERY confused as to why anyone would want to do this.  He very calmly explained that he had told me he was going to turn the light on and since I didn't say anything, he just did it.  Also that he'd pulled the blanket over my head.  So I was suffocating and burning my retinas.  Anyway, Matt hadn't been able to sleep for a bit because Moose was really sawing logs so he'd decided to just get up and video it.  He used the program on his computer so he had to walk over to Moose's bed and shove the computer in his face.  Despite the Very Bright Light that he'd turned on, the video is pretty dark so you can't see his cheeks flapping in the breeze, but if you turn up your sound you can hear "snoooooooore . . . putt putt putt putt putt putt."

I suffer for your entertainment.

traditionally speaking

Matt and I are staying put this year for Christmas.  Poor Mattchew only gets one day off for the holidays.  This is sad, as we both LOVE Christmas and LOVE traditions and LOVE our families.  But the bright side is that we won't be battling the *cheerful* holiday airport crowds.   This is the first time in eight years I won't have to fly for Christmas.  However, I am hopping on a plane soon after Christmas to meet my family in Colorado for my cousin's wedding.  So, traveling.  I guess that's tradition #1 - you must spend hours in airports.

Our families have lots of traditions, some which we've continued to do in our own new little family  

My family dresses up their dog, Tucker.  

Two can play at that game.

What a versatile Halloween costume.

We put up our tree the day (or the weekend) after Thanksgiving.  

  

The Andersons open one present on Christmas Eve and it's always pajamas.

Christmas in the Nagle's house, Kenya 2008

Last year Matt and I got PJ's from my mom but I haven't heard if we get to continue that tradition or if I've got a little more Christmas shopping to do to keep the ball rolling . . . Carol?  

I've also continued in the traditional way of making favorite treats to eat and give away.  My favorite job is assembling the cookie platter - whether that be from a stocked fridge in my grandma's basement or cutting through masking tape in my mom's freezer . . . it's always a grand show of two dozen kinds of cookies.  Yes, my mom and grandma really do make that many, and yes, my mom tapes her cookie boxes shut to keep us away.  I've only made a couple types of cookies but that is really in our best interest.  Self-control is not a strong point.  

Last year Matt and I decided we'd start a tradition of Christmas in the City, since we live so close to NYC and all.  

 (also I just happened to bump in to the Pioneer Woman)

:)

But this year Matt is on call two of the Saturdays before Christmas and I had a church thing on the open Saturday.  We could venture in on Christmas Eve but that really doesn't sound that fun.  CROWDS.  Crowds are the enemy.  Also COLD.  An even mightier foe.    

 So, I'm wondering, what are your traditions?  Any that we should adopt?  This is our last year of just the two of us (+ doggy), so I think it's a good time to start establishing some rituals.

it worked!

Last night I was ushered four boys through the wet and noisy assembly line that is bath time.  Fortunately 50% of the gang can complete start-to-finish on their own, with me flying around in the wake, picking up towels and hollering about dirty clothes.  When I brought the younger two downstairs to check on their nutritious little chicken nuggets roasting in the oven, I was pleased to see biggest brother doodling away at the kitchen table with wet, uncombed hair that signified a freshly-showered kid.  Except his pajamas were on inside-out.  Since he is 9 and capable of turning clothes right-side-out, I just let it go, thinking he was tired of the Bakugan print and wanted a break.  But he actually had a reason for the ritual.  He explained that he had learned about a myth on the school bus that if one wore his pajamas inside out, he'd see snow the next morning.  Liking that he had correctly used the word myth, I encouraged the practice, and wouldn't you know . . . it worked!  This morning we had a little dusting!  It continued to flurry as the kids got ready for school and waited for the school bus, resulting in an enchanting drive to Target for me once all four were picked off/dropped off at school for the morning.  It's not enough to cover the grass, just enough to feel Christmasy.  

What else have we been up to in the Yezerski world?  Just regular life, which is not really glamorous or entertaining enough for blogland.  But I was looking through the pictures on my phone and thought I'd share the past week or two with you.  

We had a doggy wrapped up like a burrito at bedtime.

 We had a chilly trip to the the boardwalk.  It wasn't that cold, I'm not insane, but I thought it was funny that when I tucked his hands into his jacket, they actually stayed there.

We saw a turtle crossing the street on that trip.

Somebody was caught with his tongue hanging WAY out during a nap.

SOMEBODY went poopy on the potty for the first time!  MY, what a celebration.  All four boys gathered to appreciate the evidence before it was flushed.  A sticker was given, phone calls to parents made.  Such pride I have never seen.

We rise pretty early, as Matt is normally out the door by six.  Well, most of us rise early.  One of us does not like to face the light of morning.  

I've finally done a little holiday baking.  Ode to Ohio - the Buckeye State.  You inspire the most delicious of Christmas traditions, and for that, we thank you.

Tomorrow we are having our small group over for a little potluck dinner, so I will have to share our Buckeyes.  They are disappearing at an alarming rate as it is.

I've been doing a little crafting, as I decided to make one homemade gift this year.  Of course it took longer than anticipated but I'm happy to say it was finished up before 6:00 am this morning.  (Early risers, I told you.)  No pictures of that yet - do not open 'till Christmas!  I so enjoy this time of year.  I just rest easier when all the Christmas shopping is done.

winter thoughts

I thought that ducks flew south for the winter.  Apparently they take their sweet time doing it, because I have seen plenty of ducks and swans around recently.  It seems like even more than before, because they are clustered together in large groups on our ponds and bays.  I pass them several times a day, and they're always there, preening and bobbing around.  This morning when I walked out our front door I heart a lot of honking and quacking that I assumed must be the general duck populace taking flight for warmer waters, but later I saw a flock congregating for a morning swim.  The real surprise came at the bus stop, when we heard a series of popping that the kids announced as "duck hunters."  I assured them that this was not possible, we are in far too populated an area for that, but the neighbor told me that it was indeed duck hunters.  What?!  If I was a swan, I'd have left for Florida ages ago.

In other, non-aquatic news, it's Advent Season.  One of my friends shared with me a link to a daily advent reading.  (Click Here) They jump all over the Bible, which is a refreshing reminder that Jesus is not just present in the four gospels of the New Testament.  I was reminded of that on Sunday, when I taught the 5th and 6th grade class that I co-lead with some others.  Our lesson was, "He was Promised," and we focused on four prophecies from Isaiah and Micah.  I enjoyed leading the kids as they looked up the verses and searched for promises about Jesus.  Teaching the Bible to children is so very special and rewarding.  It was my favorite time of day when I taught in Kenya, to see what they could pull from the text that maybe I missed.  I heard myself asking the class on Sunday, "If God is faithful to a promise He made 700 years earlier, what do you think that means in your life?  Will He faithful to you?"  It was a question I hadn't thought of earlier, more a gentle reminder that He Is Faithful, through all seasons.  I love how Christmas so effortlessly reminds us of that.  

a weekend visitor

This weekend we had my littlest charge stay at our house while his parents were away.  His brothers stayed with grandma and grandpa but we thought it would be easier if the little guy stayed with us.  He was on his best behavior and he's really quite the charmer.  His blue eyes would melt anybody's heart.  He is especially fond of both Matt and Moose, so I think this weekend was the biggest treat ever in his book.  It's too cold to play outside so I went to the library toddler playgroup three days in a row.  That is a lot of "Where is Thumbkin."  

The kids l-o-v-e-s "Moosey," as he calls him.  I was fixing food in the kitchen and I looked over to see the two of them in a tender moment.  I snapped a couple pictures whilst they were unawares . . . 

Moosey in the above shot is so wistful and hilarious.  I think he's dreaming of a boy of his very own.   

Hooray for footie pajamas!  The little embroidered dinosaur made him act like a dinosaur, complete with stomping and roaring and looking for his tail.

Also, I gave him dinosaur hair.  

A house full of boys, watching Frosty:

Matt was on call all day Saturday but I sure appreciated him being around Sunday.  He was a great sport and played lots of games with our little guest.  He also had his first diaper change experience, which happened to take place during the only hour I left the two of them.  He said it was terrible, like movie-quality terrible, complete with gagging.  I am seriously amazed at this because a) I've changed the kid's diaper a hundred times and b) Matt has done some seriously gross procedures in his line of work.  Rotting food/teeth in peoples' mouths are a million times worse than poop.  Maybe I'll put a box of gloves and masks next to our changing table and he can just pretend he's in his 'sterile field' and get his doctor skills on with our own kid.

christmas cozy

I am loving our house, filled to the brim with Christmas cheer.  It is a very comfortable place for the three of us, and I always want to be here, curled up on the couch with a snoring bulldog by my side.  Which is where I am currently, thank goodness.  

That's my mug of lemon-honey tea, as prescribed by Miss Thang, my organic-home-remedy-loving friend Amye.  Yeth, I'm feeling a bit thick theeth dayth.  (Achoo.)  My little snowman mug comes complete with Hat which does a fine job of keeping the warmth in between sips.  I like my hot drinks HOT.  Behind the mug is our little wire Christmas tree from Kenya, which is actually the first gift Matt every bought me and is a little special memory . . . I saw the tree at a market we were at but was too worn out from haggling for all my other purchases that I walked away.  Matt took it upon himself to talk the merchant down and marched triumphant through the crowded stalls to present it to me.  And here it sits, amongst our other finery.  

That's my book page wreath, all done up for the Holidays.

Matt whipped up this little card hanger one day for me after I saw a giant one in a Pottery Barn catalog.  I like it.  I like him.  I'm also loving our live swags this year, which my mom bought me at and hung, they are so cheerful and fresh.  I hope you all are enjoying little blessings of the season!