New York, New York!

So months ago, I bought tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular - long before we knew about the storm that would hit.  But the show must go on - and it did - with wonderful grace and incredible sets.  The 15-20 blocks of Manhattan we walked looked 'business as usual', which was a blessing for all the occupants, and it was nice to spend the day in New York (and infuse it with a little financial assistance!).  We went by Dylan's Candy Bar (the largest candy store in the country) - all 3 stories of it! - and had a great lunch at the Metro Cafe...  a little gem we'll be returning to!  And of course, the Rockettes!  Most of the show was the same as last year, but I still got all choked up and overwhelmed with both the spirit and fun of the season.  It's a great way to start the holidays!

On the way home, we did something we hadn't done in years, literally - we went to Golden Corral for dinner.  Everyone was in "down south" heaven!  I had fried okra...  oh, how I've missed them!  It was a long day, but what a blessing that we're so close to NYC, we can make a day trip!  We are still praying for all those struck by Sandy, as well as the families and homeless that are just struggling this time of year.  We can't forget them.

Love to all...

Hans and I LOVE OmNom! 

   

Cody looking good between the black and
white candies.  Gray is his color!

Josh wasn't the only one who looked good at Barney's...
OmNom really rocked the bow tie! 

Snow?!?

Whoa...  It's November 7th, and it's SNOWING outside!  It's not sticking, but it is coooold outside, and the snow is coming down.  It sounded like rain at first, and when it got quiet, you could see the flakes beginning.  This is a good omen for skiing this season!

I hope that things are well with everyone else - my parents, who were out of communication for a while; Cindy, whom I desperately need to call; and all the people affected by Sandy.  Our prayers are with all of you.

On a lighter note, the picture of Tucker is so cozy...  I wish I could be a cat!

Love to all...

Election Day...

... and Bethany and Hans had the day off.  So they surprised me with a lovely breakfast!  Mini egg and bacon frittatas!  Delish, and good for you.  Bethany did the cooking, and Hans did the decorating and reading of the directions.  They even made coffee - good coffee!  They are such wonderful kids; so thoughtful AND talented!

Well, I hope everyone got out to vote!  We are still praying for all the displaced families in the area.  Take care!

Love to all...

The best night EVER!

I love this night.  I usually squander the whole hour any way I want.  And by squander, I mean waste the time doing something inane like blogging or checking Facebo...  Oh, wait.  I'm doing that right NOW!  Okay - I have to go, because this is productive, and there is an hour's worth of squandering to be done.  Love to all!

SLEEP IN!

Happy Halloween!

YEA!  Halloween was so much fun!  And for the first time EVER, we had everybody's costumes done BEFORE Halloween!  Amazing...

"Mirror, Mirror in my hand,
who's the fairest in the land?"

And another first?  Neither Cody nor I went out with them.    They're so grown up!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween, and is doing well after the storms.

Love to all...

Rouge the Bat (Shadow's girlfriend).

Hans my (cute) Angry Bird pig.

Our candy headquarters

Cody and I went as Elphaba and Fiyero, from Wicked.

Oh Sandy...

So we're all alive and fine, here.  There's some real heavy winds right now, and the kids had today and tomorrow off, but so far, we're managing really well.  Cody even has the days off (though he's working from home), so it's actually kind of nice.  We've been praying for everybody that they're safe and there's no serious flooding...

Take care, and we'll talk to you soon!

-Kristen

Halloween fun

While out shopping for some costume accessories the other day, we had fun with some of the hats at Party City.  These are the hats we tried on...

Church party

The boys want to attend our church Halloween festival, so we're heading out. Man, they look good!

Eyeball soup!

I had leftover spinach and potato soup the other night, so I turned it into a gruesome dinner for the kids...  eyeball soup!  The effect was pretty funny; their faces said "I know this isn't real, but it still looks gross!"  Hahaha!  I love Halloween...

Halloween party!

So last night, Cody and I went to a Halloween Social with friends for dancing. It was my first GROWN UP Halloween party, and we met before at City Tap House for drinks. We had a really great time, and Cody let me order a round of shots for everyone. So we all had a Vampire bite!  Yum... Vodka, cranberry juice and Chambord! It was a wonderful time - Cody has gotten to be such a great leader.

Vampire Bites - delicious!

Rich and Tricia

Velma, Angela and I

Love to all...

It's October!

Last week we went to Linvilla to pick fresh apples off the tree! It was awesome, and the apples are great. I also found my Citronella plants I've been looking for. They are part of the geranium family... Who knew?

Tonight we cleaned up some apples and made caramel apples. Bethany & Hans went to the next level - their apples look awesome! At least now I'm halfway eating a healthy dessert...  ; )

Bethany's apple is the face on the right, and Hans made the more traditional apple on the left.  Love to all...

Sunday at the park...

So we went to the park to hang out together, and Josh and I did this thing on the swing called the "Superman".  Or that's what we called it, anyway.  And Josh videotaped me.  VERY embarrassing, but LOTS of fun.  And it really can be that hard to get back to standing.  Honest.  It has nothing to do with age...

Bethany's new stick...

Used field hockey stick from Ebay = $15.
One roll of electric tape = $1.
Duct tape in purple = $3.50.

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Having a mom who will make you a customized, personalized hockey stick...

Priceless.

Hans and I

The other evening, we were all craving ...  cookies!!!  So while Bethany was enjoying an evening ride around the block, and Josh was at his last MMA class, (he'll be returning to  Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo - God bless you!) Hans and I made homemade cookies!  It was a lot of fun; one of those memorable 'ordinary' moments.  We mixed it all together and made half Dark Chocolate chip and half Butterscotch cookies.  Delish!

Cody caught Hans enjoying them fresh from the oven.

Bethany's new 'thing'

So my beautiful daughter has decided to play Field Hockey.  ???  I'm SO proud of her for trying something new like this - just surprised at the choice!  She started her practices last weekend, and I bought her a used stick that we're going to 'dress up' when it arrives.

I never imagined I'd be fitting Bethany with a mouthpiece...  : 0

Bethany is the tall one in back, just left of center!

Goodbye summer...

Hello Six Flags Adventure! We decided to spend some family time together scaring ourselves silly. We were all split up in different groups throughout the day. Cody and I both rode roller coasters separately with Josh, since he really enjoys the EXTREME rides! I went on Nitro and Green Lantern with him - but the line at Kingda Ka was just too long. Cody rode the Batman ride and Skull Mountain with him, and hung out while Josh went twice on El Toro. Bethany and Hans went on several coasters too, as well as a bunch of 'carnival' rides. And Cody won a big turtle for Bethany and a squid bday for Hans, and later I actually won a giraffe pillow pet for Hans.
There were treats and goodies for all, but mostly we just had a nice time together. Though the "cleanest park" rating is incorrect. When there's trash - including a used diaper - left on tables and nobody picks it up, yuck! But also, really people? We wonder how Americans have such a bad reputation, that's it. Clean up after yourself, and don't be afraid to point that out to others. NOBODY should have to clean up a used diaper after you - it's your baby, after all!

But I digress...  Anywho, have a lovely Labor Day, everyone!  Love to all...