Now THIS is Snow!

On January 12th, we had a huge Nor'easter that resulted in record snowfall in Connecticut.  Although I can certainly remember larger storms growing up in New Hampshire, this is the most snow we can remember as adults.  Although it didn't start snowing until after midnight, by the time we awoke on Wednesday morning, a foot of snow had already accumulated and it was several hours before the snow let up at all.  It took Lee and I more than three hours to shovel our driveway, even with our neighbors' snowblower handling the heavy snow the plow left at the end.  Thankfully, it was a genuine snowday for all of us, as the schools were closed, as well as the Y and my office.

When we woke up on Wednesday morning, the snow was already piled high.  I honestly can't remember ever having this much of the windows blocked by snow.

The view out our front door - relatively early on Wednesday morning, and it is still coming down. 

When we opened the sliders, it was well over a foot deep. 

Lee - getting ready to shovel. 

Elizabeth loved played in the snow, even though she could barely move in it.

Where's my car? 

Oh...there it is.  Notice how the snow is thigh deep on Lee. 

Measuring the snow. 

23 inches and still falling!! 

When Elizabeth decided to go inside, we discovered that her pockets were filled with snow! 

When we finished shoveling, Lee decided to clear off the porch roof, as there is a wintry mix in the long range forecast.

Notice how narrow the streets are - usually, that stop sign is about 4 inches from the road but now, it is several feet from the road.  There is simply no place to put the snow!

Groton Alumni Games

On Sunday, we traveled to Massachusetts and Lee's high school alma mater for its annual Alumni Games.   We usually get back to the Groton School at least once a year, but we didn't make it last year, so Emily had no memory of the school at all.  Both girls enjoyed watching Lee play hockey and meeting some of his old friends after the game.  Until next year....

Lee's biggest fans! 

Lee in action. 

  

Chasing down the puck. 

She has no interest in playing hockey, but she thought that wearing Lee's helmet was funny (unlike Emily, who thought that it was gross!). 

Lee and the girls.

Annie

Over the weekend, the girls and I went to see HCT's production of Annie.  They knew nothing about Annie before the play but they were absolutely enraptured by the production.  We have now seen enough HCT productions that they are starting to recognize some of the characters from play to play - and they immediately knew that Annie was Violet from Willie Wonka, which we saw last October.  After the play, we met Lee for dinner and they told him, in great detail, everything about the show.

At intermission - both Elizabeths really enjoyed the show! 

The orphans, taking their bows. 

Annie and Sandy 

Emily at dinner, showing off her pizza dough.

Elizabeth and Bitty Take Over

When we purchased the Elizabeth doll, I feared that it would be a wasted investment - that Elizabeth wanted the doll, but that she wouldn't really play with it.  I am happy to say that my fears were misplaced.  Elizabeth goes everywhere; or at least everywhere that we will allow her to go.  Emily has also been very patient about not having her own AGD, perhaps because she knows that I meant it when I said that if she was mean to Elizabeth (her sister) or Elizabeth (the doll), she wouldn't get one of her own.  I do believe that she is too young to truly enjoy an AGD, but she definitely has a renewed interest in Bitty Baby.  I already caved and got them some new outfits for their dolls (seriously, the stuff is gorgeous!) and I'm working on finishing some furniture for them as well.

Emily shows off Bitty Baby's new outfit. 

Elizabeth was so excited about Elizabeth's holiday cloak.  

Elizabeth and Bitty Baby had a tea party, resurrecting a tea set that Grammy and Grandpa got Elizabeth for her birthday - it's perfectly sized for the AGD. 

Elizabeth enjoys her tea and a bowl of (something).

Kids Say the Darndest Things: Holiday Edition

- "I asked Santa for a Wii because I know that it's expensive and I figured if Santa brought it, you and Daddy wouldn't have to worry about it."  Our ever thoughtful Elizabeth.
- "If I am very good, will you give me an American Girl Doll for Christmas when I am six?" Emily tried to be very understanding about Elizabeth's most treasured gift.
- "But I want them to have a sleep over!" Emily was very disappointed that Grammy and Grandpa couldn't stay over on Christmas night because of the predicted storm.
- "Can you see if they can wash the farts off of them too?"  Emily asked as I left with the dogs for the groomers; she has been totally disgusted by all of the dog farting that's been going on in our house over the last few weeks.
- "This is the best Christmas EVER!"  said Elizabeth, over and over again during Christmas Day.
- "I hope that there are two and we don't have to share.  Sometimes, we get grumpy when we have to share."
- "I have an American Baby!" Emily has a renewed interest in her Bitty Baby because it is basically a small AGD.
- "I think we got too many presents for Christmas."  When you are obsessed with only one of them, perhaps that is the case.
 - "There is a laugher in my brain that keeps making me laugh."  Elizabeth always looks to explain away her crazy behavior.
- "I love going to the movies.  Thank you so much Mummy," said Emily, with a big kiss, right in the middle of watching Tangled at the movie theatre.  How could I not take her to the movies after that?!
- "I am the beautiful princess and Elizabeth is the evil witch."  "Emily, how could you say that?!  Elizabeth is so kind to you!"  "O-kay.  Elizabeth is a beautiful princess too...."

His Most Wonderful Day of the Year

While the day we put up our Christmas tree is probably my favorite day of the year, the day we take it down is definitely Lee's favorite.  Every year, we un-trim the house and take down our tree on New Year's Day and this year was no exception.  I will admit that we had a very productive afternoon - all of the Christmas presents were put away; the lights all came down; we organized our living room and sunporch; we reorganized the girls crafts and rainy day activities in the basement; and the house is truly clean (no pine needles in sight!) and uncluttered for the first time in about a month.  Our tree is so big that once it's gone, our house feels significantly larger, at least for a week or so.

First thing on New Year's Day, Lee brought all of the Christmas boxes down from the attic, ready to go. 

As much as it is my job to decorate the tree, I also have the job of un-decorating the tree, which is not half as fun. 

Usually, Elizabeth is very upset about taking down the tree but this year, she was a very good helper. 

The tree is so big that cutting off its limbs is the only way to get it out of the house - I'm sure that the recycling guys hate us. 

Merely an hour after we put the sunporch back together, the girls were working away on some crafts at their desk.

New Year's Eve

We rang in the new year with Aunt Denise, an annual tradition.  Like any tradition, some things are to be expected - a movie at the theater, a good dinner, a snowball fight, lots of playing and some "man time" for Lee (which is much appreciated at the end of school vacation!).  Denise and I took the girls to see Tangled, which was very cute.  It is amazing how much Emily has grown since her last trip to the movies (NYE 2009) - this year, she sat through the entire movie without talking or moving, which was a far cry from her short attention span last time around.  After the movie, we snacked on shrimp, cheese and crackers, and chips and dip.  Then, after a few hours of playing, we made a great dinner from all of the food that Denise brought down, including swordfish and juicy steaks!  After dinner, we just relaxed and ended up in bed long before midnight.  On New Year's Day, we had a big breakfast and then burned off some energy (and calories) with a snowball fight.  We had a great time, as always, with Aunt Denise and can't wait for her next visit!

Ready to head out to see Tangled, wearing their new Tangled t-shirts and scarves (from Denise) and carrying their Rapunzel dolls (from Santa). 

Reading Rapunzel before bed (apparently the movie wasn't enough). 

The snowman that they made with Aunt Denise. 

Cutie 

When will Elizabeth learn not to pick a snowball fight with Daddy? 

Emily helps Aunt Denise stock up on snowballs.

Aunt Denise fires away. 

Lee 

Taking cover under the patio table.

Blizzard of 2010

On the day after Christmas, the "Blizzard of 2010" hit.  Although we did not get as much snow as predicted (only about 10 inches or so), the wind and cold were wicked.  We lost power for a few hours during the storm and the snow drifts were amazing.  When the storm eased up, we headed to Foss Hill with the Dudleys for some sledding - but the wind was so bitter that we only lasted for a few runs.

I took this during a relatively "calm" moment during the storm. 

Making snow angels. 

Elliot loves the snow. 

The girls.

Lee and Elizabeth getting ready for their first run. 

Despite the bitter wind, Emily loved being out in the snow. 

Elizabeth and Madison 

Apryl heading down the hill (with a push from Victoria). 

One run.

Enjoying some hot chocolate after we came in from the cold.

2010: Year in Review

2010 was a great year for our family.  We enjoyed living life through the eyes of our girls and had some exciting adventures.  Here is a glimpse of our year in review:

Resolutions

Last year, we made some pretty good resolutions for 2010 and we were able to stick to them.  In addition to the ones we posted here, Lee decided to give up soda for the entire year and I pledged to run a half marathon - and we were both successful!  This year, we are standing firm in our resolve to spend less time traveling to New Hampshire.  We cut our trips from 19 (in 2009) to 9 (in 2010), which was better than we expected.  In 2011, we intend to again limit our time in the car and keep our trips north to under 10, and to focus on our nuclear family as much as possible.  The girls are growing up so quickly, we have to savor our opportunities to do fun and exciting things with them as much as possible.  We will continue to look for opportunities to do interesting things, both big and small, and keep them focused on things other than electronics (computer, handhelds, television), which is a huge challenge.  We will also continue our resolution to spend more time with our friends - we are blessed with an amazing circle of friends (who also happen to have delightful children) and we really enjoy being with them, so we will continue to make the effort to do things with them (because if you really know Lee and I, you know that, at times, it can take some doing to get us out the door....).
On a more personal level, Lee and I have recommitted to physical fitness.  Last year, I ran more than 900 miles, burning more than 85,000 calories along the way.  In 2011, I would like to increase that amount and attempt to log about 1,200 miles and burn close to 100,000 calories.  That means more long runs and more half marathons, but I think that I can do it.  I would also like to run faster and further, but those are goals are best left in my head, at least for now.  Lee is also going to get more serious about his powerlifting and enter more competitions.  He has several personal goals, and as he breaks them (and I am confident that he will), I will be sure to let you know.  I am so proud of how far he has come in such a short time; although he has always been a lifter, powerlifting is a completely new experience and yet, he has had so much success already.  Most of all, he has something truly personal to strive for and a great group of people to hang out with and learn from.
We hope that everyone had a wonderful 2010 and that you are all looking forward to the exciting year ahead.

Another Karen Jerzyk photo.