Fun with Friends!

On the second night of our ski trip we got together with more college friends for a long-awaited reunion.  18 of us hung out in one condo for the evening.  Eight adults, ten children, 7 large pizzas, several bottles of wine and many bottles of beer.  Here are some pictures:

The ladies...

Looking at the blog on the computer (ha ha)

Our buddy Pete (our friend in the army who is stationed in Hawaii and has served in Iraq.)

Ben and a cookie.

George (a bit late night!)

Have a Coke and a smile.

Ski Trip Fun!

We went up to Attitash Mountain for a couple of days and stayed overnight with our good friends the Eberhardts.  We all tried our luck at skiing or snowboarding.  Jacob and I tried snowboarding and Ben took a ski lesson.  George can already ski so he did not need any lessons.

Snowboarding is very hard and I spent more time on the ground, bruising various parts of my body.  I never made it beyond the bunny slope (which was fine with me!).

Here are some pictures from the day:

Smile.

There's George.

George - up on the mountain.

Skiing along...

This is where I spent most of my time.

And again...

Actually standing up for a moment.

There goes Benny!

Looking good Ben!

Jacob - riding like a pro!

Nice form!

Good job.

Out in the Snow!

We went snowshoeing yesterday and headed out on the trails behind the Nottingham school.  We had a good time even though the boys got tired about halfway out.  They rebounded though and had fun - even on the final stretch.  Here are some pictures from the day:

Making our way out.

Getting some air.

The happy couple.

Benny - smiling and having fun.

Me and the boys.

George and the boys (Ripley too!)

Jump!

We did it!

Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas!  

My in-laws came to our house for Christmas Eve.   For the past couple of years I have been doing a prime rib for dinner and I decided to keep that tradition this year as well.  The roast cooked faster than the time outlined in the cookbook but my trusty meat thermometer helped me avoid a cooking tragedy.  The rest of the meal was rounded out with double-stuffed baked potatoes, carrots and string beans - plus my mother-in-law's famous bread braid.  After dinner we opened the presents from and to the in-laws.  

On Christmas Day we went to my parents house in Portsmouth.   The menu was an Italian feast - lasagna, chicken cutlets, antipasto - all delicious!  

Here are pictures from Christmas Day taken with my new camera - (Yes, George got me a new digital camera that is small enough to easily fit in my purse!)

Benny listening to a story told by Big Grandma.  Benny has his new Nerf gun in hand and is wearing his safety goggles!

Grandma smiling for the camera.

Ahhh - the magic of Christmas!

Star Wars Legos - can it get any better?  Notice Aunt Liz's snazzy shoes!

Jacob, Benny and Aunt Michele.

Smiling for the camera - new running clothes!

Uncle Colin joined us too!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to my blogger pals, friends and family.  Have a wonderful holiday!

Kid's Holiday Party

A few years ago I bought these really cute Holiday Party invitations at the Hallmark store for 70% off.  Since then each year during the holidays I would look at these invitations and tell myself that I needed to have a party for the kids.  This year I finally made it happen and, while questioning my sanity, I let the kids invite 4 friends each to a kid's holiday party.

The party went well and did not require much work.  I figured I needed activities to entertain the kids so I picked up some foam craft items from Michael's and had the kids make Christmas Tree crafts and Snowflake ornaments.  We also decorated some cookies.  

The boys chose the menu so we had nachos, carrots, cheese and crackers, and gold fish.  Everyone had fun.   George and I then escaped later that night to finish up our Christmas shopping and to have a late dinner and drinks.

Here are some pictures:

Jacob being a ham for the camera!

His best buddy Brendan.

And Erin of course!

Benny and his buddy from his old daycare.

The entire gang.

Erin and Benny's other "girlfriends".

Gingerbread Houses

We decorated Gingerbread Houses during the Sunday of the weekend ice storm.  Market Basket sells the best kits - they are not expensive and have these great plastic trays that have grooves for the pieces of the house to fit into.  Jacob did not want any of my help and did his house solo.  Benny bossed me around and told me where to put the frosting.

The Gingerbread Crew

George's contribution.

Benny's house.

Jacob's house

The finished masterpieces!

Jacob in Net

Jacob's hockey team was back in action this week.  He played goalie for the first time this season.  He has not taken any goalie practice this year and I got butterflies in my stomach when George announced that Jacob was going to play goalie.  

The game was our first game against a non-league team and I was anxious to see how Jacob would do against the visiting Oyster River squad.

He did great and did not allow any goals.  He made some good saves and looked confident in net.  Jacob's team won 6 to 0!  Not bad at all!  It was nice to see his team play so well and have a fun game!

Storm Stories...

It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.  Well actually, it wasn't either.  The ice storm was stressful but we survived.   Here is what I will remember from the Ice Storm of 2008:

• We can survive quite well for one day without power.  After that we need a generator.
• My children continue to surprise me.  On Friday Jacob said that he "had one of the best days ever!"
• Our neighbors are wonderful people who truly look out for each other.  Our neighbor Steve spent the entire weekend unhooking his generator from his house and bringing it to neighbor's homes to get their heat running.  Our other neighbors traded generators with us so that we could have heat and water.
• I found out that when I need to limit my use of the restroom I end up in there more often than I normally would.
• When I can't eat hot food I can survive on bagels.
• I was moved by the generosity of strangers.  At Wal-Mart, a lady put 2 gallons of water in our shopping cart after she heard George ask me to grab some.  At the same store another woman offered me the last box of candles.  
• It is okay to let your kids eat ice cream before lunch time if your freezer does not have power.

Let's pray this does not happen again for a long, long time. 

Power is back on!

We got our power back around 1:00 am Tuesday morning.  What a treat to have life back to normal!  There are still many homes in Nottingham and around the state without power so we feel very lucky that we are back on-line.  More to come later about our adventures during the storm - the highs and the lows, the fun and the frustration!

Ice Storm - Day 4 with No Power!

The ice storm hit us hard and we are on day four without power. (UNH has power so I am back at work today and taking a quick break to update the blog.) The good news is that we now have a working generator and have heat, water and enough electricity for the basics. Once the power is back I'll post some thoughts and stories from the ordeal.

Getting to Know You - Holiday Style Part II

This blog tag is courtesy of Katie from the Betts-Levine Family.

1. Do you put up outdoor Christmas decorations?
Yes.  We put up white lights on the trees in front of the house and on the fence.  George put up over 3,500 lights this year. We are a bit crazy!

2. Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie?
I love the chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter cups in them.
3. What is the best gift you ever gave someone?

Sadly I can't think of one.  

4. Do you like fruitcake?
I don't care for it.
5. What is your least favorite Christmas song?
It is an 80's classic by Wham! or maybe it is George Michael on a solo project.  I believe the name of the song is "Last Christmas".  You know, as in "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it away". 
6. Do you go to church on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day?
I used to but have not in a long, long time.
7. Do you hang Christmas stockings? Where?
Yes, on the mantel over the fireplace.

 

8. Do you truly believe "it's the most wonderful time of the year"?
Yes.
9. Have you ever worn a Santa hat?
Not often, but George often sports a nice Yankees Santa hat this time of year!
10. Are you more like Scrooge or Father Christmas?
Father Christmas.
11. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope.
12. Does Santa wrap presents or just place them under your tree?
Santa wraps them up.
13. Can you ice skate?
Yes, but my hockey-playing son can skate circles around me!
14. Do you love snow?
Yes!
15. Which do you prefer-- giving or receiving?
I love giving gifts - but I also enjoy getting thoughtful gifts too! 
16. Candy Canes-- yuck or yum?
You need to have one a season but that is enough!
17. The 3 best things about Christmas? 
Decorating the house, spending time with friends and family, and sharing Christmas traditions with my kids.
18. What type of decoration should stop being made?

There is a home for every decoration made - not mine though!
19. Do you listen to 24/7 holiday radio?
Yes - I put in on the day after Thanksgiving!
20. Rudolph or Frosty?

I like the reindeer better!

And here are a few pictures of the house all decorated:

The little tree in the dining room.

The big tree in the family room.

My Grandmother's Dept 56 houses - very special to me.

I had to admit that I like want to collect nutcrackers!