Let it Snow

With snow lurking out to the west, we got out of the northeast none too soon. Since we've left, the northeast has had 3 snowstorms. Although we got out in a timely manner....the weather turned sour on us around Buffalo, NY. Joel endured the worst of the driving while I was busy getting "homesick" (I seem to get sick every time I come home) and Jude was boycotting sleep. Joel listened to the same nursery rhyme CD for hours while driving amid the snow laden roads. I was no help....running a fever and sleeping in the front seat. We finally rolled into Joel's parents' house around 4:00 AM. (originally expected around 2:30).

The northeast isn't the only place getting pummeled with snow....here in the midwest, we've been getting our fair share. With blizzard warnings in effect, Joel and I hunkered down last night. (It gave us a chance to watch plenty of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel.)

Jude got his first chance to try out his new snow gear. He loves to be outside....

Blackout '08

After watching the lights flicker on and off throughout the duration of our beer bottling experience, we knew that this ice storm would force us to lose power sometime in the night. Sure enough, 1:45 AM and the baby monitor was beeping at us because the power had gone out. We woke up to find this outside.....
Joel decided to venture out to scope out the situation. There were downed trees and power lines all over the roads. What usually takes 15 minutes to get to work took Joel over 1 hour. When he finally got home safe and sound we decided that we were going to make a run for it up to my sister's house. They too had lost power, but have a wood-burning stove to heat the entire house. At least we'd have heat. Thanks goodness they were willing to take in a needy family. We had a yummy soup that Mars whipped up and cooked atop the wood stove. Jude and I had planned to make the trip north before the storm to exchange gifts. So we were prepared for....
The gift exchange..... Jack got some beef flavored tennis balls.....
Eleanor and Gemma got some new Barbie's.... (so sorry Mars, I had no idea they'd be so loud.)
And Jude got a new fire truck.... Thanks so much Caswell's!
Eleanor and Gemma got all "dolled up" to go for a ride on the Candy Cane Train. It was so much fun for them to let loose behind the caboose.
Jude had so much fun with his cousins...he loved the rocking chair.
Joel had to return to work....so Sunday we camped out at our friends Dave, Ellie, and Eliza's house. They live right by the University, so they only lost power for about 12 hours.
We returned home after having lost power for almost 4 days. We were lucky....there were many people without power for much longer than us. We spent 1 night in our own beds before we packed up and were outa there. Back home to MI....

Web

It's great livin' so close to Boston. We get unexpected visitors to come our way. It's been years since we've had a chance to catch up with Joel's high school/college friend Jeremy. We even got a chance to meet his girlfriend Lauren. Thankfully they made it back to Boston before the big blackout of the northeast. Thanks for the gifts Jeremy! (The t-shirt will fit for a while...)

Gator Chomp

The Gators took on the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game tonight. We were happy to celebrate their victory with fellow Gators. Dave and Eliza (having moved up from Gainesville this summer) joined us to cheer on the Gators in style. Once again we chanted....It's great to be a Florida Gator!

Newmarket Community Center

One of the best kept secrets in Newmarket is its wonderful playground. This afternoon we couldn't resist getting outside to play in the sun.

Light Up Durham Celebration

Friday, we headed to Huddleston Hall with our friends Dave, Ellie, and Eliza to check out the festivities. First, Jude got a chance to check out Daddy's new office. Second, we were off to dance with Wayne from Maine. Finally, we gathered around Santa outside to sing Christmas Carols while the tree was lit with lights.

Sproutabout

So much to do...so little time. Jude had his first experience at the indoor play place nearby. Hopefully he'll enjoy Sproutabout throughout this winter.

Turtle

Uncle Steve will be proud....Jude learned a new word last night.

Coloring

Coloring isn't quite Jude's strong suit yet. He's very interested in the crayons....but doesn't understand that something happens when they come in contact with the paper.