Is it cold enough to snow?

This is the question Ry asks every day: "Is it cold enough to snow?".

Matt Zaffino didn't see this one coming (surprise, surprise), but the lack of a forecasted event didn't diminish in any way the joy of our first winter snowfall. As soon as the grass was more white than green, we headed outside to frolic and play.

Thankfully, Travis left work a little earlier than normal and avoided the traffic headaches that made this event slightly less enjoyable for so many others. He made it just in time for the snowball fight.

Happy Birthday Ben!

We are the parents of a seven year old. I don't really know what else to say about that.

About Ben, I have a lot to say. He's smart, funny, kind, competitive, driven, engaging, daring, joyful, helpful, thoughtful, patient, and oh so loved.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy.

A shark jaw from Tiffy & Pat - just what he wanted!

A beautiful quilt from the 1950's made by his great great grandparents.

An Oreo cookie ice cream cake.

An afternoon of Wii with Ry (they get closer and closer to the TV as the game progresses).

Merry Cubsmas!

Many thanks to Aunt Tiffy & Uncle Pat for the stylin' footwear. Now, our eternal hope is on display for all to see.

Ladies Man

In preparation for a sushi dinner at our favorite spot, Ry carefully picked his scarf and hat. His reason, expressed while getting ready?

"The ladies will like me."

And they did.

Naughty or Nice?

Merry Christmas!

A Visit with Papa Noel

To offset the evilness of H1N1 booster shots early in the morning on Christmas break, we decided to sneak in our visit to Santa Claus when Travis could join us. There was much excitement and jubilation while the boys waited for their turn.

Side note: he looks so old in this picture! My heart hurts a little for how quickly he's growing while simultaneously bursting with joy at what an amazing kid he's become.

My cheeky monkey boy.

This is the only photo taken where Ry appears to be interested in talking with Santa about Christmas wishes. The others, not so much.

Cookie Central

So many purposes for one table.

One good thing about a stove in the basement is that it allows for additional cookie consumption. Running up and down the stairs to rotate pans, switch batches and wash dishes means burns a lot of calories!

Santa Penguins

Ben labored over the creation of 40 Christmas cards this year. There was one for each child in his class and for a half a dozen teachers. The rest are for family and friends.

The girls in his class were especially pleased to receive the cards because of their inclusion of the words "con amor."

After the girls giggled and conferred about the love he clearly feels for all of them, Ben shouted, "No es real! No es real!"

Finished Product

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

The boys enjoyed trimming the tree (and themselves) while savoring the latest treasure from the advent calendar.

Ry enjoyed the lights from every angle.

It's Ben's year to place the star atop the tree, a fact Travis surely appreciated.

Structural Challenges

Thankfully, there are no structural issues with the kitchen.

The problem is really more with the kit. We splurged and purchased the large house this year. It appears that the larger the house, the less likely it is to be properly aligned. Luckily, I employed all of my engineering skills and used the frosting like spray foam. That's how I tell Travis to fix the dams, too. I think the frosting in the kit is strong enough to take the place of some serious welding.

This lovely home features patterned roofing,

smiley face shingles,

cutie, patootie builder boys,

and a happy crew.

Sadly, scheduling conflicts have delayed completion of the new digs.

Maybe we'll wrap it up in January ...

Musical Rooms

Between having the stove in the basement, the microwave in the guest room and Gerdie in the dining room, I guess it should come as no surprise the the living room was today turned into cabinet central.

The cabinets arrived today - they were even early! - and they were very nicely delivered to what was once the living room. IKEA didn't quite get them here when promised, but avoiding the hassle of multiple trips to the store and the loading and unloading was totally worth our late, free delivery. It was actually an entire pallet of stuff ...

I got started on assembly right away, in hopes of accomplishing something, keeping the contractor bill down and finding a path through the house. Travis pitched in (a little) once he got home from work, too. We managed to turn this giant stack into 11 assembled cabinets (there was some work, a sick boy sent home early from school and some takeout thrown in for good measure).

All of the upper cabinets are assembled, and a couple of base cabinets are together, too. I do believe we've already doubled our storage space!

Winter Festival

The boy's school puts on a Winter Festival each year. As the enrollment has grown, it's become increasingly difficult to get everyone together in one place. This year, the festival was at the lovely Gerding Theatre in the Pearl. Very posh, and actually more convenient that one would think. The streetcar runs from school to the theatre.

The boy's cheering committee scored front row seats, thanks to Travis. We watched Ben introduce his class, in Spanish. He sang and danced beautifully. He seems to genuinely enjoy performing.



Ry seems to genuinely enjoy being contrary (see evidence below). I think the waiting for his class to start (he sat with us through all of the first grade classes and special performances by other classes), and a general anxiety about not knowing what was going to happen, made him a little cranky. We negotiated his participation and he was finally starting to enjoy himself by the time his gorilla dance ended.

I think now that he knows what to expect, he'll be ready for the next show. He even asked if he could use the microphone to do the talking next time. And, if the next dance has anything to do with grumpy looks, he's got it down already.

The Envelope Please ...

After much discussion, sliding of samples around in the kitchen and strategic adjustments for poor lighting, we opted for the Hickory Bourbon. It was pretty and not quite as red. Auntie C pointed out that the rest of the floors in the house already have the hand-scraped, dog claw worn, bikes ridden in the house look (or something like that) and that we could just try to match the stain rather than replacing the rest. Very clever.

Then I went to order the Bourbon and discovered the Spice was $1.80 cheaper per square foot. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. Hickory Spice ordered and on it's way tomorrow with the potential to be here by Friday ... please appreciate the self-restraint that went into writing that last statement and not referencing the Spice Girls. Anyway, here's a reminder of the pretty floor headed our way:

Our cabinets are supposed to be here on Tuesday. Anyone want to come assemble them? Anyone, anyone? The range is also on its way and could potentially be delivered as soon as next Wednesday, two days before Christmas. Sweet present, eh?

So, progress continues. The contractor continues with electrical upgrades, plumbing upgrades and patching, sanding and general beautification of the kitchen. There's hope!

And the Winner Is ...

Much thanks for your contributions to the selection process. Sorry if your preference didn't win. As Ben would say, "That happens sometimes."

More chances to vote coming soon ...

Floored by the Options

Now we must pick a floor. I toured Floor Factors today on the advice of our contractor. I was much impressed with their customer service, their selection and their price (the best part). Here are the contenders:

Maple "Del Rio"

Pecan

Brazilian Cherry

Hickory Spice

Hickory Bourbon

All are 5" wide and are hand scraped engineered floating wood floors. The bottom two are more eco-friendly (but also twice the cost). The Brazilian is being discontinued, which is a bummer if we wanted to use it in the rest of the house.

Thoughts?