New Years Eve

We went to the family party at our local YMCA and had a great time. Here Caleb is playing a stomp-the-balloon game.

Alana danced with friends (she's wearing the skirt that Larry got for her).

At home, we watched the original Doctor Dolittle, which everyone enjoyed. Alana fell asleep around 10:30, but Caleb stayed up to see the ball drop in Times Square and then we all headed off to bed.

Winter's return

That little touch of spring we had is quite gone. Today it's blowing snow and FRIGID temps. Happy New Year!

The mouse hunt continues

Yes, that's a mouse hiding behind my fruit bowl. I was, er, startled by him this morning, nice and early. The ballsy little bugger ran right across the kitchen counter in front of me. Then he tried to escape behind the dish drainer and then fell right off the counter and disappeared under the cupboard. This is farggin' war.

Baby deer

Our brief warm spell is fading fast, but I took Roxy for a nice walk in the park this evening, and saw a bunch of deer tracks in the little bit of snow that's left. It's hard to tell from this photo, but these tracks are very small - must be a very young deer.

Jumbling Tower

I got this knock-off version of Jenga, and we played several rousing rounds tonight. The face on the far right is our friend Jake (not Caleb).

Manicure

Caleb went with his friend Jake to see Bedtime Stories, and I took Alana to get a manicure.

Alana's "group hug"

Her description.

Melting park

It's been bizarrely warm and almost all the snow that accumulated during the last two weeks has melted. The kids enjoyed stomping around in the water at the park while Roxy had a nice run.

Play date

Caleb's friend Jonah came over to play. Here they're having a Star Wars battle.



Later they had a picnic lunch.

Play date 2

Alana's friend Emma came over to play. They painted at Alana's craft table.

Later they made cookies.

Hanukkah

Alana and Caleb light the lights.



Caleb and Alana picked out two frosted cookies from the bakery at Wegman's - a dreidl and a snowman, and then each ate half of each.

Volunteering at Samaritan Center

We went back to the Samaritan Center to help prepare a Christmas feast. The kids and I packed cookies in baggies.



Larry wrapped silverware after making stuffing.



Caleb hanging out with some friends.



Alana with her friend Judy.

Gnip Gnop

A classic. The kids enjoyed playing this great game, a gift from friends.

Snow art

Loved this snow peeling off the building in the park.

Too much snow!

It's a damn good thing that our FIRST winter in Syracuse wasn't like this, or we'd have been scared off! We're having a record December - almost DOUBLE our average. This is our driveway - bless Larry for snow blowing this morning.

This is my bus stop - almost completely obscured by the snow pushed over from the parking lot.

Proud Jewish girl

Alana hasn't worn anything but dresses for a long time, at least a year and a half, but last week a friend gave her a beautiful purple shirt with a menorah on it (oh, apologies to purists - it's a hanukiah), which she has fallen in love with, and she's worn it several times since she got it. This morning she was looking for it (luckily it was in the dryer, since I did laundry last night). While we were looking for it, she saw another shirt in her drawer and said, "This is a pretty shirt." So I said, "You could wear that one if you want." And she said, "No, I want everyone to know that I'm Jewish."

Hanukkah kick off

Caleb, Alana, Matt and I had a terrific time at our group's Hanukkah party tonight (I'm not sure what to call our group of friends who do holidays together - The Posse?). I made the latkes, which everyone raved about, and the potluck food was great. The kids played together very well, and Dawn, who hosted, even got every child a small gift. It was such a fun party, but I didn't take a single photo! Then we headed home and lit candles and opened gifts and played dreidl. A wonderful way to start the holiday.

Snowy walk

It snowed overnight and most of the morning, but by the time I got a chance to take Roxy to the park, the sun was shining! Very temporarily though - it started snowing again in the evening and we got several more inches.

Roxy spent several minutes circling this tree, presumably there was a squirrel up there. This is the main reason that we go to the park - so that she can express her animal instincts!


Roxy and I started in the woods and ended in the soccer field. I loved this expanse of completely untouched snow - it looks like a calm white ocean.

Snowy park

Roxy and I had a nice walk in the very snowy park. I saw at least a half dozen trails of these deer prints crossing the people paths.

Saturday fun

I took the kids, and Alana's friend, Lily, to a local children's theater performance of Snow White. After the pre-selected little boy got stage fright, Caleb was picked to be the prince and wake up Snow White after she ate the poison apple.

Afterwards, we went to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, New Century. Here, the girls are eating spring rolls and drinking homemade limeade.

Color coded breakfast

Larry made breakfast for the kids this morning and he put three kinds of fruit in color coded bowls - red for raspberries, purple for blackberries, and green for honeydew melon.

Mouse trap

After trying FIVE different live mouse traps, with limited success, I resorted to the traditional snap trap. Peanut butter as bait works great, as my friend Amy told me. This photo shows the second mouse we caught within 18 hours. I have to admit, this almost makes me cry - thank goodness Larry is doing the actual disposal.

Flat screen

It was only a matter of time before we made the switch - he held off longer than I thought he would. Here, Larry and Matt set up the new 52 inch.

International Feast

Every year Caleb's school puts on a big international feast for the 3rd grade students. I made latkes (though they weren't especially popular, no surprise). I left work a bit early and stopped by the party (Caleb was very excited that I could come). You can see from his plate that there's a huge selection and there's was tons of stuff that he didn't take - he focused on the cookies, but there were all sorts of foods - WAY too much, and a really impressive variety.

I caught 2 mice last night!!

They love Wheat Thins!! I caught them within 1/2 an hour of each other.

In the morning, Caleb asked me if we could keep one, but I told him not this time - there'll be more. In fact, a third mouse was sniffing around the trap - I could hear him - but he didn't get caught.

I let these go in the bushes next to the parking lot this morning, just like I did the other two. I missed the release photo though - those mice sure can scurry!

The Christmas Spirit

Matt has got to be the luckiest person alive. Yesterday he went into NYC with a friend and discovered on his way home that he had lost his wallet. Both Larry and I figured it was gone forever, but today he got a call from Penn Station - someone turned it in! Unbelievable!! I guess there are still a few decent folks out there.

Midnight madness

I was telling a friend just a couple of weeks ago that Caleb has had very little asthma trouble this year, and wouldn't you know it, out of the blue last night he started coughing and wheezing at bedtime. 5 hours and 3 albuterol treatments later I called the doctor's office and talked to the triage nurse. Caleb seemed to suddenly get better right around that time (3:30 a.m.), and the nurse said, don't take him to the ER unless it's really dire. But he has an appt tomorrow with the pediatrician to make sure we're giving all the right meds in the right doses. Asthma is NOT fun!!! He was a trooper though.

I caught another mouse!

*A* mouse, not THE mouse, which I know because I reloaded the trap with bait and it was empty this morning. Thankfully we're having a weird warm spell today, so I had no guilt about releasing the little cutie in the bushes near the bus stop parking lot. I tried to take a photo, but he hesitated for a moment and then scurried off, so I missed the shot. Godspeed little bag gnawer. I hope you don't become an owl's dinner immediately. Two down and probably dozens to go!

Tubing at Four Seasons

Larry was off today and he had the stupendous idea to go over to Four Seasons in Fayetteville for tubing. We had a terrific time.




Caleb riding the conveyor belt up the mountain.



Bad picture of Caleb riding his tube.





Alana in her tube.

Snowy walk

It was pretty cold, so the kids stayed home and I took Roxy for a nice walk in the snowy park. The sun was setting when we were leaving - this photo doesn't do it justice - it was very glowing and pink.

Funny conversation

I usually pick up Alana first, and Caleb second. So she and I are in the car, driving to the school to pick up Caleb, and Alana tells me she wants to know what a word means, but it's not a word that little kids are supposed to say. She tells me it starts with an "S" . . . I ask "s-h-i-t"? No. "Sucks"? No. "Stupid"? No. She won't say, even though I assure her that you can say it if you're just asking about it. So after we pick up Caleb, I try to get her to tell him what the word is, and finally it comes out. SEX. I was a bit nonplussed, but I did explain it, in fundamental terms, as best I could (having been caught a bit off guard and unprepared). She giggled the whole time.

Snowy bus stop

This is where I catch the shuttle bus downtown.

Funny conversation

Caleb: I wish we could get rid of all the factories that create pollution.

Mommy: Well, we need factories to make all the things we want and need.

Caleb: We could just get rid of the factories that make bad things, like cigarettes.

Alana (who wants to get involved): And poison ivy.

Caleb: Poison ivy isn't made in a factory, God makes poison ivy.

Alana: Because he has gloves.

Restaurant love

Larry and I are in love with local restaurant Gentile's. But we heard about another place, in oh-so-stylish Armory Square, called bc, and we tried it today. The Thai-style clam chowder was very good, but overall, it can't hold a candle to our favorite. So far, of all the restaurants that we've tried, the only one worth returning to, besides Gentile's, is the conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Sakana Ya.

Brrr!

We picked up a couple of inches of snow over the weekend - very powery because it's been so cold. And it's totally freezing this morning, in the single digits. The thermometer outside my kitchen window said 9 degrees, but I'm sure it's even colder than that because some heat surely seeps through the window. But tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and in the 40s, so all the snow will probably disappear.

Snowy walk

It was virtually a blizzard this afternoon, but Roxy and I tromped around the park anyway. There IS a path under all this.

Craft fair

Spent some time at the Plowshares Craft Festival, sponsored by the Syracuse Peace Council. Gorgeous crafts and nice people. The kids participated in a little improv workshop for kids.

Later they did a world religions puzzle at the Women Transcending Boundaries booth (interfaith group).

Mommy

There are so few photos of me. Here I'm working on Larry's laptop.

Airport

Larry's flight back from Denver was slightly delayed, so the kids killed time in the really terrific play area in the center of the terminal.

Early Hanukkah presents

Star Wars Legos and Tech Deck mini skateboards


Barbie "computer" and Neopet bunny.

The kids got $25 gift cards for Target from Aunt Beth and Uncle Lee, and each picked out two items at the store. Both are very happy with their purchases.