Happy New Year - 2009

After a practically balmy Christmas we got our snow. Moreso, we got our blow - as in wind. We watched as shingles came off the new house down the street and the house across the street. Chris shoveled and ran the snowblower and the kids played.

Then we invited some of our neighbors from this end of the street over for some "cheer". Just a very impromptu get together now that garages are closed against the cold and snow and meetings in the street to chat are drowned out by the roar of snow blowers. It was a nice day, sunny and just a bit chilly and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Happy New Year to all - let's make it one of the best yet!

Christmas - Part 3

After another overnight at Susie & Barney's house, except Max who slept at Grandma & Grandpa's, my annual Christmas breakfast out with Lisa (Massi) and our Reilly family Christmas gift exchange, we headed home on Saturday hoping Santa had stopped in while we were away and left even more gifts. Let's just say that nobody was disappointed!

Reilly got her princess bike helmet and knee pads. Of course, the knee pads kept pulling her slightly-too-big blue jeans down. When I went to the garage to finish unloading our "loot", I mean our gifts, she insisted that I get down her bike so she could ride it. It was a nice, almost 50 degree day so I did. Then she wanted her other bike and then she wanted Quinlan's bike. Max got his new Thomas the Tank Engine "Great Discoveries" dvd and a replacement Toy Story 2 dvd. The old one wasn't working and he asked Santa to replace it. He also got a lot of "blue track" and engine friends for Thomas. In addition, he added to his CARS collection with Mia & Tia the Dinoco twins!

Quinlan had a bit of a "Barbie as the Diamond Castle" Christmas. She got a beautiful carriage with a sparkly horse and Melody, the Muse in the Mirror. She also received Alexa, pink slippers and a new Fancy Nancy book.

Santa brought the last piece of "Little People" to our house this Christmas. In addition to her bike helmet Reilly also received this bus. She was very excited. We have a million Little People and animals, farms, garages, castles and houses. They are soooo cute. I noticed they are changing the designs again though, now they have longer legs and aren't so compact. Not too sure about that one. But Reilly (and Quinlan, sometimes) still love our Little People.

Merry Christmas - Part 2

After breakfast at "Casa de Croft" we went to Grandma and Grandpa Connor's house and met up with the Connor cousins (Mina, Will & Andee), Uncle Curt, Aunt Mary and Aunt Colleen for dinner and more presents. We outfitted Grandpa in the official State Road Elementary School "spirit wear", gave Will some Star Wars figurines (I think I remember standing in line for the original Star Wars sometime in the late '70s. Does that make me really old?), and Andee her very own Furr Real Kitty.

After gifts we celebrated Jesus's birthday with cake and all the kids blew out the candles!

Merry Christmas - part 1

We experienced another whirlwind Christmas this year. We started out by spending most of Christmas Eve waiting for Chris to get home from work. Once he got home, we opened our gifts to each other, got dressed (don't you love the scottie dogs on the dresses? I do! Thank you Grandma Jane) packed both trucks - including new windows for Mima - and headed south in the rain and wind.
We had missed Emily singing at 4:00 mass, so we attended 6:00 mass. What a nice change! There were actually seats for all of us and it wasn't overcrowded! We think Emily should change next year and sing at the later mass.
After dropping off Mima's windows, we went up the hill to Susie & Barney's house and "checked-in" for a few days. Dinner was waiting for us and so was our room. Reilly's bed from Mima's house had been brought up and there was a real bed for Chris and I and air mattresses for Quinlan and Max. They thought the idea of "sleeping over" at Susie & Barney's was such a great idea!
It was nice. After putting the kids (and Chris) to bed, Mima, Betsy, Susie, Emily and I all met in Susie & Barney's room (where Poppy and Mima were sleeping) to help wrap and chat. I think there was more chatting than wrapping, except for Susie. Then everyone turned in.
After threatening to get up at 5:00am to check out the gifts, I was relieved to hear Jacob, Seth and Emily go downstairs just after 7:00am and then the gift wrap ripping began!

The Holy Trinity Christmas play

Quinlan participated in our church play today (12/14). It was the first Christmas play in over a decade and one of the high school seniors put it together as her senior community project. Quinn was one of the sheep. She didn't have a speaking part, maybe next year! Here are Max and Reilly enjoying a treat or two before it began.

Here is Quinlan enjoying her treat after the program.

Here she is onstage paying more attention to me taking the picture then to the play that is going on. I made her costume. It was a piece of fuzzy fabric that I cut into a tunic and sewed a tail onto. The non-speaking parts didn't get costumes and there weren't really many to be had anyway. I put the ears on a plastic headband, but she was asleep when I was trying to position them and that is why they are a little too high. Oh well, she liked it!

Another on-stage shot. The official church photographer took pictures too and is going to get me his web address so hopefully I can get his which I am sure are much better than mine.

Our family and the big tree

Here we are. all together, after our visit with Santa. The tree looked a lot bigger, brighter and prettier in person. Dontcha love Q's reindeer antlers (or "anklers" as she refers to them). I think they really make the shot!

A Visit With Santa

On Saturday (12/13), we visited the Connor Cousins (Andee, Mina and Will) and Uncle Curt and Aunt Mary in Canandaigua. We went out to lunch, visited with Santa and gave him our wish lists, hung out at their house and went sledding on their back hill! It was a lot of fun and here are some pictures.