Busy Winter Days...

Just look at that! Winter storm "Q" passed over us all day yesterday. It made the drive to the kids' last ice skating lesson harrowing, to say the least, but the reward was this beautiful six-inch carpet of snow, and snow stuck to all the trees. Throw in blue skies and sunshine, and it was an absolutely gorgeous view to wake up to. Have I mentioned how much I love our back yard? Because I really, really do. It's my happy place. :)

My unhappy place, however, was driving through the snow yesterday. Once we left our town, the roads were awful! Gus was driving, and I was trying not to look... the snow was falling heavily, and the roads weren't being plowed very well (with the notable exception being our town, which was in great shape!). I was scared! This was the view out the windshield in the next town over: However, it was the last ice skating lesson for this session, and it wasn't cancelled due to the weather, so we plugged along, slowly, until we got there. And most of the other kids were there, too, which was impressive! Our kiddos earned ribbons for completing the first level of ice skating lessons. Maya is done, for now, but Nikos will actually be continuing to the next level-- starting next weekend! So no break for us. He is very excited, and has big plans to become a champion hockey player. And all champion hockey players need to complete at least the second level of ice skating classes, right? hehe!

In other news... I talked Gus into taking a free curling class at the outdoor skating rink in Worcester on Saturday. And he had a lot of fun! It was put on by a local curling club... because hey, they have those here, in the frozen north! We joked that it's a shuffleboard club in the off season, haha! Anyway, at the end of the lesson, they had a little scrimmage, and Gus' final throw ended up winning the match for his team-- so he was in high spirits! Meanwhile, the kids kept warm by running around in the large plaza outside of City Hall, and running up and down the steps. I should have copied them, since I was feeling a little numb by the time the whole thing was over! Today, however, was much warmer and more pleasant. Gus took the day off of work, since I had a doctor's appointment (annual physical) that I really didn't want to bring the kids to! The appointment itself went very quickly, and I got a clean bill of health (yay!). After lunch, we went to the store to look at some things for my garden (we started seeds yesterday), but were sorely disappointed by the dripping-wet-from-melting-snow garden section, haha! Another day!

When we got back home, Nikos didn't really want to go outside... but I reminded him that Gus would be back at work tomorrow, and that this would likely be his only chance to play outside with Daddy this week. So we got all our gear on and headed out... and had a blast!!! We sledded, threw snowballs, and built a giant snow t-rex (well, Gus and I did). It was warm enough (mid-30s) that nobody got particularly cold, and the snow was wet enough that it was really good for packing. It was a PERFECT snow day, and I am so glad that my doctor's appointment forced Gus to be home and share it with us! That, and the fact that he didn't have to plow the driveway in the dark this morning. I'm sure he appreciated being able to wait until 9:30 or so! And that's the big stuff from the past couple of days! I'm sure I'm leaving things out, but that's okay. It's been a while since I last posted, mostly because my photography business has been picking up. Which is great!! I had two sessions last week, with another one this week and more to come-- including a few newborns I am waiting on. I am loving this niche, but every session I have means more evenings devoted to business, and not to this blog. So when there is a gap in posting, that is usually why!

Lovies

I was just playing around with settings on my camera earlier, and needed some subjects to photograph. The kids were unwilling, but their lovies weren't! I just wanted to share this pic of their favorite stuffed friends, Bear and Pink Bunny. These guys go pretty much everywhere with us, and are showing quite a bit of wear and tear. And yes, that is as clean as they get! But, they are very, VERY loved in this house. I think I will miss them one day, when the kids don't "need" them anymore (*sniff!*).

A few quick things...

I just wanted to share this video of Nikos at the end of skating lessons today. He is doing so AWESOME! He's at the head of the class! We only have one more week, but he is already asking us to sign him up for the next level. He is bound and determined to play hockey! Maya has done great, too, but isn't as driven as her brother is. She's smaller, and skating is a lot of work! She will probably take a break before resuming lessons... maybe next winter!
And then, after skating, we went to the pet store and picked out some new friends. It was kind of impulsive, actually, but we had bought all the accessories when we were out shopping yesterday. The blue male was Nikos' pick, and Maya insisted on getting a "tiny" fish (the red female). They are in a divided tank and can't see each other, which is good-- or they might try to kill each other! The kids are very excited, and can't wait to feed them again in the morning! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow and Sickness

Today's post is brought to you by the letter S!

Maya and I have both been knocked down by the cold that Nikos had last week, which he so generously shared with us. I feel horrible, but I think Maya has it the worst. Poor thing! I kept her home from preschool yesterday, even. And she didn't even fight me on it-- surprising, considering how much she loves school! But she's exhausted and stuffed up and just generally unwell. The good news is that she seems to be on the upswing. We're actually going to go to dance class this morning. Her nose isn't running nonstop like it has for the past few days, so this is promising!

Anyway... she and I had a nice morning together yesterday, while Nikos was at preschool. She colored in her new coloring book, and I cleaned up the kitchen. Then she told me that she wanted to wear her purple summer dress, and said I could take her picture. So random! But I am in love with this photo. It's so Maya! I did, however, have to Photoshop her poor nose, which is red from being wiped so many times. Poor, sweet girl!

Later, after lunch, I finally mustered up enough energy to take the kids outside. Maya seemed to be feeling a bit better, and I knew we needed to take advantage of the perfect conditions. The snow that fell in the blizzard was very light and powdery. Great for shoveling, but horrible for sledding, snowmen, snowballs, or even walking. Nikos couldn't walk in it at all! But we have had a few "warm" days since then (in the 40s!), as well as some rain. So the depth of the snow has decreased dramatically, and it's also much more wet/sticky. Perfect for playing in! And since it was almost 40 degrees outside yesterday (again, that feels WARM to us!), I really wanted to get the kids out for a bit to enjoy it. We didn't stay out too long, but we got in some good sledding runs, and I built an awesome snowman!

It was fun! I practically collapsed from exhaustion when we came back in, but it was worth it. I'm really proud of my snowman, haha! I kind of want to try to make an even bigger one... maybe this afternoon! :)

Nemo, in review

So, it's pretty much over! We're still getting occasional flurries, but the sun is peeking out and the statewide travel ban will be lifted at four o'clock. Gus went out and cleared the driveway this morning-- it took him over two hours, and it really tested the capabilities of the snowblower, but we're all clear now! All total, we got right around 30 inches-- with some spots deeper and some shallower than that. Nikos and I went out to see if we could play in it, but it is just too powdery. It will be good for sledding in a few days, once it gets a little icier, but it's really not good for anything right now.

And without further ado, here are some pictures!

Blizzard Update

So... tons of snow fell last night! It was crazy windy, too. I just took this quick video, to compare with the one I took yesterday afternoon: We haven't lost power at all, thank goodness (*knock on wood!*). Everyone slept well except for me. I got up at about 2am just to make sure everything was okay. And just in time to see a posse of guys on snowmobiles pulling into the convenience store down the road (which was still open, despite a state ban on driving after 4pm yesterday... I feel horrible for those employees!). It was quite odd to see snowmobiles driving down Main Street, but I'm sure it was safer than being in a car! The plows were running all night, too, though the roads are still in bad shape. We won't be going anywhere today!

Anyway... I stuck a stick out on the front porch yesterday morning to measure the snowfall. And, of course, the snow started accumulating everywhere BUT by the stick! Ha! It was so windy that there are huge drifts everywhere, and it's hard to really know how much snow we got. However, we have 1.5 feet by the stick, which is just about the most shallow spot. I think it's a safe bet that we have at LEAST 2 feet (maybe 2.5?) covering the driveway. And it's still falling steadily!

And here is just one quick pic from the back yard. I think the snow is deeper there, but won't know until we go out there!

Live from Nemo

Still not too crazy out there, but the worst is supposedly yet to come! It's been a pajama day around here! :)

Hunkering Down

Today was a great day! Blue skies, lots of sunshine, and we got the last of our plumbing issues resolved (hooray!). The kids went to preschool. I baked a cake. I also went to the grocery store with the rest of New England to stock up for the blizzard that is about to nail us!

Like I said, it was a nice day! So it is hard to fathom what will be dumped on us tomorrow. Just look at this map! We're in that dark blue (24"+) section. So weird, considering there is absolutely no snow on the ground right now. Tomorrow, it will look like a different world out there!

Anyway, we have plenty of food, and our gas cans are full. The generator and snow blower are all set to go. Gus' work is closed tomorrow, along with all the local schools. Basically, everyone in the state is on blizzard watch. Now we just wait!

In the meantime... I wanted to share a few pictures from today. While I was busy dealing with various repairmen, the kids were VERY busy drawing many, MANY pictures. I can't even tell you how much paper they went through today. But when I had time to help him out with spelling, Nikos was very interested in labeling all his pictures. My reluctant writer wanted to WRITE! I was so happy! The first pictures he labeled were his Ninja Turtles:

Later in the evening, he ended up making a book! It was a collection of Star Wars-themed pictures, and he wrote a little caption on each page. Things like, "I will defeat you!" or "Darth Maul is a rotten egg!" haha! We stapled them all together, and he insisted that we read his book at bedtime. He was SO proud. And so was I! It just reaffirms what I already knew: he CAN write, when he wants to. I think he struggles a bit with his fine motor skills, partly because he's a lefty, and it's hard work for him. I couldn't believe how much he wrote today!

And, speaking of writing... Our baby girl is finally starting to write her name properly! She's known how for a while, but she has never felt the need to, uh, follow society's rules. She likes to write the letters in different orders, or even flip a letter or two upside-down for kicks. It's completely intentional, and it drives me a little insane. But I looked down at her work earlier, and saw this! She did it all by herself-- I wasn't even in the room. Hallelujah! Progress!! :)

Big Kids

Yesterday was a big day in the P. house... I registered our baby boy for kindergarten! I did it while the kids were at preschool, so they weren't part of the process, but Nikos was actually very excited about it (surprising, since he has told me numerous times that he doesn't want to go to kindergarten). He wanted to drive by the school and check it out, so we took a little detour on our way home. His favorite part, so far, is the playground ("They have BASKETBALL HOOPS, Mom!!!"). I think he is going to love it there. However, I still can't believe we are at this point already. Just yesterday, he was this little baby...

...and now he's this Big Kid (who needs a haircut)! It blows my mind!!!

So I guess there will be an orientation in May, and then another one later in the summer, right before school starts, where he will get to experience his first school bus ride. I repeat: I can't believe it. It makes my heart hurt a little, thinking about sending him out into the Big Wide World. But he's a good kid. I think he will be just fine. siiiiigh...

Anyway, I don't have much else to report, except our boy has a cold right now. His nose is running like a faucet, so we are skipping Maya's dance class today. I don't think the other moms and kids in the waiting room would appreciate being exposed to his germs, and it is VERY obvious that he is sick. Maya is a little bummed, but she understands. She is currently playing dress-up, as usual. She is so funny! I snapped this photo of her the other day, per her request. I was just photographing my new backdrop color ("bone") to see how it looked, but she grabbed the chair and insisted I take a picture. Crazy kid!

Today's agenda includes cleaning, caring for my sick kid, and probably a quick run to the grocery store. We have snow coming on Friday, though nobody can seem to agree on the amount. Some forecasts say 2-4 inches, others say 30 inches! Big difference! Better stock up on food, though, just in case...

Wait, it's FEBRUARY?

And the last time I posted was on January 21st??? WOW! That's some sort of record for me, and not in a good way! But I can explain, I swear!

The big thing that's happened over the past few weeks is a major shift in my photography business. I hadn't been working very much, mostly because of scheduling issues. And motivation issues. I got to talking with my buddy Miranda, who owns a custom cake business, and she had suggested we partner up to do cake smash sessions for one-year-olds. This got me thinking. I have this (small) home studio. It's really not big enough for family portraits or anything like that. But it's perfect for babies! And it's IN MY HOUSE, which solves a lot of scheduling/childcare issues. Best of all, my main competition here in town (who happens to be a friend's husband) absolutely hates photographing babies. So it all clicked! Focus on babies! But I've been hard at work completely changing my website, getting the studio set up even better, drumming up business, etc. It's been pretty exciting, actually! I feel like everything just magically fell into place. It's just been a lot of work (in a good way)!

But the kids are, in fact, still here, and we have been plenty busy with other things, too! Just yesterday, our town rec department hosted a Family Skate Day at a local ice rink. Free entry and skate rentals for all town residents! We went, and it was a lot of fun! A few of Nikos' buddies were there, along with their moms, so it ended up being a social event, too. My Zumba instructor was also there. Ah, small town life, haha! Here's one quick pic I snapped of Gus and the kids with my phone. Maya was not in the best mood, but Nikos ROCKED it! He was doing so well, and he was even going pretty fast! I was so proud! His confidence on the ice is amazing!

I actually just went through the photos on my phone to find that one, and was reminded of another event from the past two weeks. One that was rather unpleasant, actually, and I can't believe I forgot about it already!! Last week, we had a few days of negative temperatures. Even with the sun high in the sky, the temperatures were still hovering around zero. It was COLD. Suddenly, our dishwasher stopped working. I thought it was just a glitch or something, and went to bed. The next morning, the hot water in the kitchen sink wouldn't work. Same in the kids' bathroom, which is directly above the kitchen and must share a water line. Then we realized that three of our four heat zones were also not working (we have hot water baseboard heaters). Yup, the pipes were frozen. Great.

We ended up finding a plumber on CraigsList, and he was awesome. I think he will be our go-to guy if we ever need anything again! He was just so competent and rational. He let us borrow his construction-grade heater, which we set up in the basement aiming towards the crawl space where the frozen pipes had to be. A few hours later, we had hot water in the sinks/bathroom again-- HALLELUJAH!!! But still no heat. We weren't freezing to death or anything, since we have the pellet stove, but we didn't know if the pipes had actually burst. We found out the answer to that question later that evening, when we suddenly heard rushing water in the mudroom. Ack! Thankfully, the plumber had showed me exactly what to do in that situation. We got it cleaned up, and left the water shut off to that one zone. A few days later, after a few warm (almost 60-degree!) days, the heat suddenly kicked back on in another zone. And we still don't have heat in the final zone, but that one has most likely been frozen since November. We never use it. So we will see what happens in the spring.

Anyway, the plumber came back on Friday to fix the broken pipe, and then put antifreeze into our heating system so that this doesn't happen again. Smart!! Wish we had known about it before! Anyway, he fixed the broken spot in the pipe. The pipe actually looked like this. Amazing!

So then he tested the system, and it seemed to be working. He put the antifreeze in. And then we heard a bad noise. The same pipe had burst in a different spot! Oh my gosh!! We hustled to turn off the zone and clean up the mess, and then he fixed that part of the pipe. And, wouldn't you know it, the same thing happened AGAIN when we tested the system-- a third break in the same line. All were in different spots, about 8 feet apart, and they were all along the same north-facing wall that never gets sunlight. It was just too darn cold. In the end, the plumber ended up being here for over five hours. I was really nervous about how much he would charge us, but he was VERY reasonable. And I liked the guy! He's local, is a dad to two kids (a boy and a girl), a former firefighter, and he helps coach football at the high school. Most importantly, he did a good job and didn't rip us off. We lucked out! And now that we have the antifreeze in the system, this shouldn't ever happen again. *knock on wood*

Anyway, between our plumbing woes and my photo business, I don't really remember what else has been happening! We enjoyed those gloriously warm days, though they were very foggy because of all the evaporating snow. Now it's back to normal winter weather here. We had a light snowfall last night, temps in the twenties today, and we have had flurries off and on all evening while watching the SuperBowl. Such is life in New England, I suppose!