Almost Spring - Almost Spring?

Seems like it takes a sick day for me to catch up on posting. It's also because blogger takes so long to post to - have to switch to Wordpress. Anyway, Shara's home sick today and yesterday. Fever, stomach ache, etc. She's on the mend and should be able to get to the dress rehearsal tonight.
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Here in NE it hasn't been very spring-like. Luckily we get the beautiful daffodils and I know the warmer weather is coming soon. Shara seems to be having a pretty easy time of Alan not living here and she enjoys her Friday night sleepovers but doesn't feel the need to stay over more nights just yet. I don't think she has a sense of too much of a difference in our basic lifestyle. Alan still picks her up from Tina's after school almost every day, takes her to dance, we act the same as always at church and church & family functions, we try to have family night each week...  Other than what Alan does when he's not here, it's pretty much the same. She never saw him in the morning, other than a quick goodbye. Dinnertime is the biggest change. We used to sit down to family dinner almost every night, which is pretty unusual these days. Our eating habits have gotten pretty bad. I hardly cook anymore - in fact, I don't even know what we eat normally. I don't think we've settled into any normal. Maybe this summer we'll figure that out.

Here's what we've been up to:
Shara & Kat making a fleece blanket together, during Winter vacation.

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Our first family night - dinner from Lawdessa, the new Middle Eastern restaurant. Alan & Shara dressing up for dinner.

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Valentine's Day at Bubbe's

Shara frosting the best ever chocolate cake!

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Wielding scissors of unusual size - for the Hive grand opening

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Voodoo Donuts from my trip to Portland for a work conference. Alan stayed home with Shara for the few days. I didn't come back with donuts looking as fresh as these, but what I did bring back make it for the trip in my suitcase. I was surprised they melted. I thought they'd be crushed, but weren't. The three of us stood over the smaller box and gobbled them all up rather quickly.

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Went to visit Bubbe for Passover

lunch at the Troy farmer's market w/ Aunt Jill:

Easter at Oma & Jidor's - never too old for a good egg hunt. Auntie Chrissy did a good job hiding this year! Took Shara quite a while to find them all. I got cold and left the hunt a little early. It was a nice family day.


We hosted a Circle Dinner on 4/18. It was a lovely time and nice to get to know church members who we see and chat with all the time but never have a chance to have a real conversation. Shara had fun entertaining the kids. They're really energetic and smart and we appreciated that Shara enjoyed the responsibility of playing with them.

Patriot's Day - A day at the MOS - Shara studied the Maya this year and we got a membership and had a great day going back in history but the highlight was the Planetarium. Can't wait to go again.

December in Photos

Alissa & Kelsey singing at the Solstice Service

Shara next to her family tree on Heritage Day

Shara & the 4-7th graders, practicing tone chimes for the Winter Solstice Service

Shara, Alan & Brutus sharing the bed after some scary Hunger Games chapters

Mrs. Santa and Shara @ the Holly Faire

sefie

Cousin Liz fixing Shara's hair at Thanksgiving

Cousins!

Thanksgiving w/ Bubbe & daddy

Thanksgiving with Uma, daddy & Jidor

Patriots Day

Shara and I went to Moose Hill today to see if there was any activity left in the Vernal Pools. We didn't see much but had a nice hike anyway!

Shara on the Vernal Pool trail

After we went to Crescent Ridge for ice cream before heading home for me to finish upgrade activities for work and Shara to put away some stuff. Then we played hide and go seek tag before she left for dance and I made dinner.

In the evening Alan made a fire and we roasted peeps! It's going to be our "Easter" tradition. Then we laid out all the candy we received on the dining room table and traded what we didn't want and others did and threw out what no one wanted. Way too much candy, as usual.

Peep on a stick at night

Kitchens where all the fun is!

So this is Holly. She came back to us last night and is already causing trouble. She kept us from eating the Cardamom Orange Spritz Cookies Shara & I made Thursday night.














This evening we were at church for the annual Holly Faire.Shara was a big help in the kitchen. She was much more focused and efficient before she started eating the bakers dozen of cookies she bought herself. As you can see, she had a very fun time!

Shara Gillespie

Last night we went to school and got Shara's trumpet! She was so excited and could make some great sounds with it. We all took a turn and she was the best. A real natural!

Schools been going very well. She's still happy with her teacher and other than the annoying boy who keeps talking, even at inappropriate times, she likes her class.

Last weekend we spent a nice day with Bubbe. We went to shul for Yom Kippur and then a quick trip to Gershon's for a bit of lunch. It really was a quick trip and even though the day was gorgeous, we had to drive because we were in a bit of a hurry. Bubbe didn't really want us to leave the service but Shara really wanted to continue our tradition and then the rabbi spoke about how important it was for people to have nice memories of their shul and religious traditions, I figured he was speaking to me and I needed to make sure Shara looked back on Yom Kippur with happy memories. What could be more happy than going to Gershon's? The rest of the day was pretty nice too. We picked up the bagels and headed back to Bubbe's where we helped clean and get ready for everyone coming over to break the fast. This is another good source for happy, though a bit crazy, memories. It was chaotic but we were able to spend some good times with family and Shara really seems to have a way with little kids. She played hide and seek with Holly and tried to keep the running under control, but realized how difficult a task it was and we pretty much gave up and just gave a lot of hugs and big smiles.

Springtime!

It's starting to warm up outside, and we've been having a nice time noticing the days getting longer. At the beginning of the month was the Blessing of the Animals service. Shara brought in Beautiful, her FurReal dog. She had Alan get the pet carrier down from the attic so she could carry her in it. We had a good time celebrating Jidor's birthday at the Rao's. Lots of activities are also marking the change in season - MCAS for one. Shara took the reading (ELA) tests and thinks she did fine. She missed the second one because she was out of school for a few days. Two because of a fever, cough and generally feeling rotten. The third for a visit to Bubbe's for Pasach (Passover). It was a very quick trip - just one day, but we got to spend the whole day with Bubbe and help her get ready for the sedar. We were also lucky enough to see some cousins we don't get a chance to see too often.

Shara (Alan too) been troopers dealing with mommy's busy schedule. Part of me thinks Shara likes all the craziness. I know she likes having people over. There were two occasions, both church related. One was a house meeting, where we conducted a bit of brainstorming on our church future, basically. The other was a meeting/party for members of church who the stewardship committee identified as being a good foundation to kick off the annual pledge drive fundraising. She's such a good kid, there's no issue having her attend an adult function. She isn't silent, but really behaves herself. She also has a good time telling stories and pretending. She's looking forward to April Fool's Day and tricking someone somehow.

So what else? A couple of days ago there was a bee in the lunch room and apparently freaked out the kids at Shara's table. The story started as a swarm of  bees, but turned out to be one, though there could have been lots more and what if...? The third graders had a talk from the principal about making too much noise during MCAS and were told how they were expected to behave - apparently they hadn't been the best behaved kids, so needed to be reminded.

Green Eggs & Ham (Dr. Seuss' Birthday)

Shara & Brutus, asleep in mommy & daddy's bed

New Year's Eve & Day

We had a family discussion about what everyone wanted to do for New Year's Eve. I had no real desire to go into Boston again. Last year worked out great with the holiday being on a weekend, but this year it would have been too much of a rush to head out after work, even if I had taken a short day. Alan had to work too, but we were more than happy to stay home. We all liked the idea of sushi (guess who's idea!) and a fire and watch tv from Times Square. I got home and we looked at the menu from Hayashi. We got a lot of everything, skipping the soup because of the issue with eating by the fire in the bedroom. Alan went to pick it up and Shara and I got things together for dinner and then got into comfy jammies. We supplemented sushi, sashimi, and edamame with spinach & swiss stuffed mushrooms. 

On Disney Channel they were playing Despicable Me so we watched it. The first time we saw it, I didn't see more than a quarter, and Shara didn't remember it enough, so it was pretty much new to us. After the movie we turned to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve and had fun dancing, a lot. Shara discovered how fun it is to fall backwards onto the water bed and got a kick out of me doing it too. We then ran around being silly, dancing, chasing each other and acting like eight year olds. Alan didn't join in but he had fun too, until he was ready for bed. Shara and I stayed up dancing more and then she wanted to watch the special Jessie/Austin & Ally New Year's special. I set up Dick Clark to record and we were able to watch her show, skip the end for later, and see the ball drop. By the time the ball dropped, Shara was done with the dancing and ready for bed. 

On New Year's Day we finally stayed home for the first time in months, as much as I can remember. If it's a weekend, we usually have activities at the Y and on Sunday we have church things going on. So we welcomed a day to just goof off and not be on a schedule. We went sledding down our mound in the back, I brought in some wood, Alan tried taming the pricker brambles on the mound and we didn't look at the time. We went in, showered, ate picky foods again, watched Paranorman, ate more picky foods, watched a Disney Nature movie (started to at least) and ended with another fire with s'mores for dessert. Could it really be any better?

Holiday Get-together

We had a very nice visit at the Lookers with Bubbe, Aunt Susan, Aunt Jill, Uncle Andy, Samantha, Liz, and Jesus. Fairly low key, but nice. We did some yoga, ate the last of the happy piggies, shared cookies, and learned how to be Whos.

The following day we got a fairly early start and picked up Nonie for brunch at the Iron Roost, followed by a  short visit with Chris, Tom, Sidney, and Zoey. Shara was pretty scared of Zoey, who is as big as a pony but one of the most gentle German Shepherds I've ever met. We also got to look at the various cookies Chris made. They really were beautiful and I should get her recipes. Maybe we can do a Pinterest Cookie Exchange.

Letter for Santa

So I'm watching a movie with Alan and i hear Shara call me. I go up and she's all smiles. She wrote her wish list for Santa, on sticky notes that were at her bed stand. I'm supposed to put them on the refrigerator, but they won't stay there long because Holly is going to bring them to Santa tonight. I should also say, "hi" to her but not touch her.
This is what her notes say,
Ready for Santa
Dear Santa,
For Christmas I would like a My Weird School book, but not Mrs. Lagrange is Strange, or Mrs. Roopy is Loopy because I've read them already. I would also like a treehouse if you could do that. Could you also throw in something for my cats.
Sincerely,
Shara
P.S. Thank you for the elf on the shelf. I've always wanted one. I named her Holly. Please write back.

Happy Passover

I'm very fortunate to have a job that lets me take days off when wanted and since Shara had Good Friday off of school and it was Erev Pasach, we were able to make the short trip to Bubbe's for the seder. We had to first make a stop at Jumpin' Jack's for lunch. We split a fish dinner - Shara had the fries, I had the onions rings and we split the rest. We made a good team. Ice cream followed, but not too much because we knew dessert was coming later. Shara's very good at making decisions and I had to talk her into getting a bit of ice cream. I am not good at limiting myself, but we both got kiddie size and that was just right.

We got to Bubbe's and helped set the table and get ready for the sedar. We did take a little time out of the work to run around and play Frisbee. Shara's getting really good at it - it's actually fun playing with her now. She really likes to run so we had some races and got a little silly trying to race the Frisbee and actually coming close to catching it when the wind sent it back toward us. Having an alarm on my phone is great because I didn't need to keep thinking about the time and before we knew it, it was time to go back in. Shara was able to keep busy the rest of the time on her phone and filling out her Student of the Week poster. Her favorite thing to do at home is "play with my dad" and we talked about giving ourselves more time to play together in the morning when we're home with each other and not watch so much tv.

Everyone came close to 6 PM and good thing because Shara kept asking every 15 minutes when everyone was going to get there. She couldn't wait to see her little cousins (and big cousins). She loved playing with Holly, and being able to pick her up was the best. When I asked if she still wanted a little sister she said yes, then changed to mostly. Holly is so cute but can be a handful. She's got a ton of energy and no fear. Basically a smart, funny three-year-old, but not easy, that's for sure. She kept Shara quite busy! She also loved the bear Shara made for her. Shara found the instructions for the bear online and we went to the craft store to get the supplies, but other than that, she did most of it on her own and it came out great. I wish I took a picture.

We didn't leave Bubbe's until close to 11 PM and got to Jill's soon after. Going to be wasn't a problem! We both slept well, not getting up until we were ready and then relaxed and visited until we all (minus Samantha who had a coffee date) left for the Country Drive-In. More onion rings, more bacon and ice cream. Certainly not a very good Passover meal, but just right for a trip back home. It was great - no traffic and I listened, Shara watched the Muppet Show, disc 2.

On to Easter - the eggs have been boiled and we're trying to make our own natural eggs. We'll see. The process itself is fun - going around the yard, inspecting various leaves. Hopefully we'll be able to get moving early enough tomorrow morning to do the dying.

New Year's Eve

 So yesterday we had a very relaxing morning and actually had brunch rather than breakfast. We enjoyed Beth Howell's pancakes and added chocolate chips, berries, apples, and nothing! By the time we got showered and dressed and the bag packed for our trip into Boston for First Night, it was already almost 12:30! That was ok though. We had to meet a friend who was going to buy Alan's pin from us because he was stuck home with a migraine - boo!

So Shara and I had quite an adventure in Boston. We got there about 1:20 and I wanted to get moving because a magic show started at 1:45. I didn't realize how crazy I was thinking that we could just stroll in and get a seat, etc. I didn't realize we wouldn't be able to park right away. I didn't realize how bad my directions are when I'm walking and not driving (with help from the nav system, of course!) So by the time we got parked, since we went to the Prudential tower parking first and went around, backed out, around again, no spaces, left, finally found the original garage I had wanted to go to, went in and up and up and up and found spots on the 4th level already! Left the garage and went right instead of left and oops, now we're at the chiming concert on Christian Science Plaza, which was great, but we needed to get to the Hynes Convention Center! So we meandered our way and it turned out to be just around the corner, and about 1/4 block from the parking garage. We headed to the next magician show - 3 PM now, and got in line and were told don't hold our breath getting in. We waited a bit, seeing if anyone else was going to leave and took the opportunity to have a bar so we could keep our energy up. Being the troopers we are, we ended up going to the Gerwick Puppets "Midwinter Magic" show. It's based on Debussey's Snowflakes Are Dancing. It was very lovely but knowing we needed to get in line for the next magic show, we left a little before the end and got back up to the third floor. We were in line about the same place as we were the first time, so we then decided to not wait so long and just leave for the ImprovBoston's family show. We found the auditorium and got a little confused because the band was still playing. We did enjoy listening to the music and were able to snag a couple of seats as people left. Shara was quick and popped herself down, right before another person managed to get in. Go Shara! That was a fun show and I think we would enjoy seeing them again.


After that, we heard that they were going to have fireworks after the parade in Boston Common, and decided to go closer to the Common to view the parade. Along the way we planned on getting some dinner. That turned into a hot dog at Copley and we stayed there to watch. Good thing too, because afterward we made a side-trip to Panera to use their facilities. 

Waiting for the parade to start

Here it is!

So we continued on to the Common but ended up watching from the garden. They were the absolute best fireworks I've ever seen. The only ones that come close were the ones Alan and I saw at my first and only other First Night, 11 years ago. The other activity we didn't want to miss were seeing the ice sculptures. They were much harder to find than I remembered. We made our way over to the Common and tried not to get crushed between the two little gates they had open and the tons of people trying to get through. We survived but were cold and tired (sorry, I was tired, not Shara) and finally found a sculpture and it was cool, no pun intended, but not as amazing as it should have been for the hunt involved. But, it was right near the T stop, which is where we were headed because Shara was done with walking around in the cold. We did get on the wrong T and got off at the Prudential, which was no big deal because we were able to walk right inside to get to the Convention center. We actually ran into Hannah, of all people, the person who bought our pin! We went on through to the Hynes, and back out and to the car and high-fived each other when the car was actually where I thought it should be. The garage looked a little different than it did when we left it so many hours ago!

On the way home we called daddy and put in a dinner order, since Shara's hot dog and my apple just weren't enough. We ate dinner at about 9 PM, and as promised, Shara was allowed to get in her jammies, brush her teeth, get her blanket and pillow pet and come downstairs to wait up for the ball to drop. I was amazed that she found it so exciting and she got me excited about it too. It was a great way to bring in the New Year and if daddy is sick again next year, we're giving up on him! Two years in a row is a coincidence. Three is a trend.

Mommy & Shara Day

First let me say that I do realize I can't have a day off of work, especially with Shara, where ice cream isn't involved. And I'm not apologizing. So there. Alan got to play Wednesday & Thursday, but Friday was my day. Shara & I both slept late and took our time getting up and out of the house. We had to deliver the presents Shara bought at the school store for all her relatives, which we forgot to bring with us to New York. It was very disappointing because Shara used her own money to the school store, and is still very excited and proud of what she picked out for everyone. But no fear, we dropped them off at Liz & Jesus' and they will be delivered this weekend. So we had to take a trip to Watertown, and I realized that it was very close to one of my favorite family lunch places - Cabot's Ice Cream. This is the second trip Shara and I made there and this time she ate about a tablespoon of her sundae. So not to let it go to waste, I finished it. She decided to go for the oreo ice cream with hot fudge and marshmallow. I had the coffee ice cream with bittersweet hot fudge and marshmallow. Both were wonderful, but the oreo was the better one. Shara thought I'd prefer vanilla and I almost went with her suggestion, but changed at the last minute.

The next stop we had to make was at the market to get our first night badges. We then took a quick stop home to go to the bathroom, but the groceries away and then headed out to the playground. It was already getting a little dusky, but this is the event Shara was most looking forward to. She even passed on going to the movies. We had a lot of fun. First we ran into her bus driver and talked to her while on the swings. Then we played some tag and I think we ran around for about 20 minutes before going to the play structure and playing hide and seek. That was lots of fun. She first looked for me near the big slide because that's where Alan hid yesterday - he laid himself down in the slide and she didn't find him right away. The area is probably designed to not allow anyone to go unseen. There is no place that is totally obstructed, between the mesh and open areas, it was quite a challenge. But where I had the advantage was in my speed. She'd try to get me to come up to her, then I'd start and wait for her to think I was committed, then turn around and run flat out and get her in the other direction. Then I got clever and tried to run up a slide and wiped out, somehow hitting my chest. Oh well, I recovered!

We then had to leave since it was almost dark and dinner was calling. We did our French Fridays dish today - cauliflower au gratin. We all ate it but Shara said she didn't like the broccoli taste. I think she ate it because she wanted pop-rocks for dessert. She had them and it took her about 1/2 hour to eat them all. The pop-rocks lead to us showing her the life cereal commercial and talking about how we used to eat them when we were kids and what happens when you chew them? Another resurrection from my childhood this week - the game Mastermind. We've all had lots of fun playing, though sometimes it can lead to tears. Just sayin...

Traditional Christmas

Last night I was looking at what was happening this weekend and came across the Old Sturbridge Village candlelight Christmas festivities. I thought it sounded interesting, but really didn't want to go out in the cold to walk around with no good idea of whether it would be fun or not so I asked Alan and Shara what they thought and Alan thought it sounded good and Shara thought it sounded really good, so we gave it a shot.

We got there about 5:30 pm. It opened at 4 pm and went until 9 pm. Right after we got out of the car we could tell it was going to be beautiful, if nothing else. The had white christmas lights on all the fencing and as we left the main building in search of Santa, we saw the paths were lighted with candles in lanterns. The houses were decorated as well. The didn't get rid of electricity, but it was only used for the christmas lights. Everything else was how you would find the place at a regular time of year. We decided to wait to see santa in favor of going to the carole sing-along. We were in a house with benches throughout the room and two men at the front, one playing the guitar and both sang. They let the kids pick what songs to sing from a song booklet of the classics and gave a short history on each.

We then decided to get to the next presentation that was of interest and that was How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Not exactly period, but that was ok. Then on to Santa, with a stop at the general store to play with old fashioned toys like tops and a jacobs ladder and then to the middle of the green where they had a nice fire and chestnuts, hot chocolate, and cider for sale. We got a hot chocolate and bag of chestnuts, which are rather difficult to eat while walking. Santa was great. He talked to each kid for about 5 minutes each and was very funny but kind as well. He even weaved some Santa history and folklore into his conversations. When it was Shara's turn, she said she wanted a castle in the backyard. Santa wasn't sure it would fit in his sleigh but he'd see what he could do. After Santa we checked out the barn where they were teaching the dance from A Christmas Carol and then grabbed a carriage ride around the green. We were going to leave then, but I thought we should go into at least one more house and what a good one! It was the tavern and they were showing how chocolate is made, from the roasting of the raw beans to the grinding on a Molcajete. We even got a sample of spiced hot chocolate. Across the room they were making Marzipan and learned a little of that history too, such as in the middle ages, at feasts, in between courses they brought in elaborate designs in Marzipan, which was then served as dessert.

So it was a great evening, ended with cookies in the main building. Shara slept all the way home and only woke up to help me get her out of her seat and plop her into bed.

Yom Kippur 2010

Last weekend we had a really fun time at Aunt Jill and Bubbe's for Yom Kippur. Alan wasn't able to join us because he was sick with what lots of other people had. We picked Liz up and were lucky to have her company for the ride there and back. The way out was relaxing and we had a very nice dinner at Sushi Thai in Clifton Park, before going to the Lookers. Shara loved her sushi and Liz's. They made her favorite, Sweet potato maki, and she had a whole bowl of miso soup, and 2 of Liz's California Roll. Liz had a boat - it was beautiful and she shared some of her fabulous sushi and sashimi with me too. I had pad thai, but no one really had any of that but me. It was very peanut buttery, but good. Not as good as Liz's white tuna though. So dinner out with Shara and Liz was like being out with a much older kid. She's so much fun and doesn't act like such a little girl any more but like a kid. And with a great sense of humor. Not just goofy kid things, but really funny stuff that makes me laugh. Of course I can't think of anything now, but will try to post when she says it. Ok, so after dinner we went to the Lookers and Liz got her big surprise of Samantha being home for the weekend too. We were assaulted by crazy Ruby, Dana's dog, but other than that, had a pleasant evening visiting.

The next morning we woke up before anyone else, except Andy of course, and had hot chocolate milk and tv. Shara didn't mind that I had to use hot fudge sundae topping. After getting ready, we had some breakfast and made the deal of the century for both of us. Shara didn't want to go to shull, but with the promise of two cider doughnuts, she agreed to be a well behaved child; no complaining, fussing, arguing, etc. She really didn't have that hard of a time keeping her promise. I was bored too so we went for a walk around the shull, played outside in the beautiful sun, relaxed, and had a nice time with each other. What was more impressive was how she keep herself busy at bubbe's while I helped get dinner together and ready for the company. Shara helped too by plating cookies, putting nuts in a dish and other odds and ends. Then when Jimmy and his girlfriend came, she was showered with attention. Then she wanted no part of me, of course. Later in the evening Liz, Samantha, Shara, Bubbe, Aunt Jill and I had fun playing with all of our cameras.

Sunday we decided to leave by noon and we made our schedule. This was very nice because we were able to relax and get our things packed up, enjoy breakfast, pick grapes! and watch aunt Jill make chocolate chip cookies. Liz was happy to have the room of the van to bring back more of her things and we liked having Liz for the ride home. We decided that we should stop for lunch, but Shara wasn't hungry, unless it was a cider doughnut, of course. Liz found a nice cafe in Lee and it was a great find. Liz & I split their grilled veggie sandwich with aioli on a baguette. Shara had a minestrone soup that she didn't love. She did really like Liz's Chai and my potato chips though. While there I saw a flier for a harvest fest, featuring famous cider doughnuts from Hilltop Orchards. Well it sounded like that was where we were headed next. We didn't realize that we would be going back toward New York but that was fine because we were exploring and not on a very tight schedule at all. And we had the GPS and a full tank of gas. Very important for being carefree. We found the orchard and were a bit surprised that it was so small and not really overcrowded. Apparently it was featured on the Today show and even had wine tastings. We had a couple tastes of wine and then got our doughnuts. Had to get 1/2 dozen because these things were right out of the fryer and loaded with cinnamon sugar and smelled great. They were. I had two, Shara and Liz each had one. These things were dangerous. We didn't pick apples, but I got a peck and we got back in the car and headed on to get Liz home. It was a fairly quiet trip. I let Shara watch her movies, which got very dull, but she was happy. So we dropped Liz off, and after we got back on the road, Shara started acting tired and cranky. So we got home and she was a little better and we had dinner and got to bed so we could get back to our normal weekly schedule.

Happy Mother's Day

We had such a nice time visiting with Bubbe, Papa, Oma & Jidor. Worth the drive and the food was excellent this year. I think Shara loved the chocolate cups and eggs benedict the best, but also asked for seconds on the lox and sausage. Believe it or not, the chocolate cake was too chocolatty for her. Good thing mommy was there to finish it!

Mother's Day

For the first time Shara woke me up with a "Happy Mother's Day"! She remembered all by herself, and then went to get all the presents she had stashed. She made me some beautiful things in school. I got a hand-painted plaster hand print, butterfly soap, and a wonderful book all about Shara & Mommy. So far it's been a great Mother's Day.

Yesterday Shara & I went to Legacy Place to see their kid's matinee - Barbie in a Mermaid's Tale. We got there a little late and sat in the front. I never sat there before. It wasn't too bad. We shared popcorn and Shara mostly drank her decaf iced caramel machiatto by herself. We then had fun in H&M looking at all the clothes. Then had some chicken nuggets at b-good, and then tried to find shoes, which we didn't. So today she'll have to wear black shoes with her dress. Oh well, better than slippers.

Easter fun

Last weekend we went on 3 easter egg hunts. First was at our "bus stop crew" party at Theresa's house. The bigger kids hid most of the eggs around three of our yards. But before we did the egg hunt, we decorated eggs. It was a lot of fun and proves that some of the best parties can come together quickly and just take everyone chipping in. I'm not sure if the kids had more fun than the grownups. Shara had the most fun playing inside with Anna. I went to check on her and both Anna & Shara were sitting on Anna's bed, coloring out of the same coloring book. Kira was sitting on the floor playing with Anna's Littlest Pet Shop toys. Later, after a hot dog & hamburger dinner (with canned beans that were actually really good, not that Shara would eat them), the kids all played Wii. We didn't leave until after 9 PM.

Next day we had another hunt at church, where we found unfilled plastic eggs in an old cemetery. Shara said that this wasn't the kind of cemetery with dead people, that would be scary. I had to burst her bubble, but we both decided that nightime may be scary but daytime was fine and the cemetery was so old there probably wasn't much of the people left, so no need to worry about walking on them.

Then we headed home, had some lunch and went to our third party/hunt at Oma & Jidor's. By this time, Shara was a bit tired but had a good time finding the eggs. She really liked the camouflage ones (especially since they were filled with money). She also did an inside hunt and those eggs were filled with even more money. We still have to open all the eggs and then open Shara's bank account.

So the Easter Bunny gave Shara a huge pink bunny that currently resides in her bed, a brownie bunny pop that she had for dessert (thank you Auntie Bunny), Shara actually was very cute thanking Chris for the brownie, a Bakugon from Mommy Bunny, and a boatload of candy from Oma Bunny. There's also a very pretty decorated bunny cookie. The cutest is a set of egg cups from Oma Bunny. Shara's getting pretty good at eating soft boiled eggs.

Last day of school vacation

What a nice break from the norm. Shara had a great time on her vacation. She spent 2 nights at her Oma & Jidor's. Auntie Chris & Oma took her to see the Princess and the Frog and they left before it was 1/2 over. Apparently the Voodoo was very scary. We'll try it again when she's older. Plus seeing it at home may be more comforting than on the big screen. They did go to Wendy's, so all was not lost. It sounds like the rest of the time was spent fairly relaxing. She then had a day with Daddy & Mommy - Wednesday, then a day with just Daddy - Thursday. They tried to get to a puppet showing of the Velveteen Rabbit in Brookline and were a little late due to the snow/ice. Another trip to Wendy's took its place as well as a new marionette - Shara picked a kitty. We had a shrimp & pasta dinner for New Year's Eve and then had a lot of fun playing our new Wii Fit + and eating strawberries dipped in chocolate ganache. New Year's Day was fun too. Tina & Jack, and Theresa, Matt, Johnny, Anna, and their cousin Brian, came over for a little party. The kids had a great time playing together and the adults had a great time eating and talking. Nice way to bring in the New Year and we're going to make it a point to get more friends over for Shara to play with and probably should get more friends over for mommy & daddy to play with too!

Yesterday Shara & mommy played a bit in the snow, but pretty much we all stayed in and had a really great day doing a puzzle, eating & drinking hot chocolate, and enjoying a nice fire. I think we'd all be happy never leaving the house again!

Christmas 2009

Santa did come last night - the cookie was almost all eaten and there was something in Shara's stocking! It was Snow White!! How did he know? She didn't tell anyone she wanted that. Alan said that maybe the things she asked for would be at Oma & Jidor's because she'll be opening presents there too. She said that is the German Santa that goes over there. Then we had an interesting discussion about the different Santa's and what Shara saw on the Internet - NORAD santa tracker, etc. She does believe that the Santa's in the stores, etc. are Santa's helpers and tell Santa what the kids want, and the elves are the ones who wrap the presents.



Last night we had a very nice time at Sandra & Peter's. Shara got to wear her new dress from Bubbe and loved being around family. Shara had no problem getting to sleep last night and didn't wake up until about 7 AM this morning. She liked all the presents she got and can't wait to do the Shrinky Dinks and will be wearing her dress up dress today to Oma & Jidors. So along with the Shrink Dinks, Snow White video, dress-up dress, dress from Bubbe, she also got; Guess Who (so much fun) game, and Cinderella book, art & craft supplies, storage caddy, spiral notebook & folder - black with shiny pink butterflies & flowers, and matching PJ's for Shara & mommy. She's a happy camper, currently watching Snow White and having hot chocolate and Bella Napoli (yes, we still have one left) roll with a spoonful of peanut butter. Have to go and bring her the banana now!

Holiday, It's a time to celebrate

Another case of "we've been doing so much there isn't time to talk about it". But actually, I had been planning Thanksgiving and not writing about what's been going on in our lives. Shara's still enjoying Kindergarten and KED. She loves going to Tina's after school. She's more than happy not to have an activity other than those. She likes to relax and really likes playing games. I'll update her holiday list today as well. I know a lot of you are asking what to get.


On Veteran's Day we, along with 1/2 the kids in the area, went to the Boston Children's Museum for the Nutcracker Day. It was really fun, though Shara was disappointed we didn't get to see the whole ballet, just a little look at what a practice might be like. We also had a musical treat - some of the horns from the orchestra were there to play for us and explain the different types of music an orchestra may play and told about tempo. The kids also got to try playing different instruments. We took the train into South Station and it worked out great.




Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Wednesday I went to Shara's school to help out for their Thanksgiving Feast. It was so cute. The kids were so well behaved! I took Shara home with me, earlier than her normal release and she was thrilled about that. We got home and she helped me cut up the bread for the stuffing and then was on her own - didn't want to help but found so much to keep her busy - most of it involving dressing up and playing with Brutus.

Shara loves having her family here and doesn't have one favorite memory, but loved it all. The food was quite good and I know a few will make it on next year's menu. But I'll be sure to crisp up the tart before we eat it, or bake it before we eat, rather than in the morning.




Friday Bubbe, Papa joined us in a trip to Jordan's for the Enchanted Village. It was very nice and we got there in time to miss all the lines! Shara even sat on Santa's lap.