Button Down Boys

In celebration of Derek's Confirmation, CJ put on a button down shirt.

He didn't button it or tuck it in.

Both he and Derek looked very nice in their 'dress up' shirts.

There was a time when CJ would not leave the house without a button down shirt.

He referred to them as 'go to work shirts'.

He was one very well dressed pre-schooler!

Now he is a polo shirt wearing middle schooler.

I wonder what clothing trends high school will bring?

(BTW, that's rootbeer in the mugs.)

Waiting

The squirrel ended up having to come back later. Tucker chased him(and the birds too) away.

Moochie

Moochie is a store at the mall that sells stuff for dogs. During MaryKate and Mark's visit here they and Steve stopped at Moochie. Later, Steve, CJ and MK went back and purchased a gift for Tucker.

Tucker is in love. He has played with Moochie, indulged in adult activities with Moochie and taken her outside to meet his friends.

A Sign of Spring????

This is the first morning that I have noticed it being light out at the time CJ goes out for the bus.

I realize this is just wishful thinking as the temperature was -1 at the time and the ground was covered in 5 inches of snow!

Plow Safety

There have been articles in the paper and segments on the news about snowplow safety. Yesterday I found out that it's not just you and I that need to give a wide berth to snowplows. Recycling bins need to consider the snowplow before placing themselves at the curb.

We placed our trashcan and recycling bins close to the street, and close to each other, in a shoveled part of the driveway so that the wonderful Rumke folks wouldn't have to dig them out of the snow. I also made sure that 'heavy' recycling was on top so that the winds wouldn't dislodge anything.

Then the plow went down the road. The recycling bins ended up 2 feet from where we put them. The 'heavy' items flew out onto the driveway and the bins were coated in plow slush.

Next time I will heed the snowplow safety messages and will put the trash/recycling further up the driveway.

Thanks Orange Township for doing such a great job plowing our streets!!!

Staying Safe

This Christmas Steve gave me a Kindle. It has seen a lot of use. I have read 2 books and started a third. CJ has downloaded a couple and is reading an H.G. Wells book. And, The New York Times crosswords have been keeping Steve entertained. Being something that was keeping all of us rather happy, I wanted to keep it safe. Looking online at at the stores for a cover, I discovered that they were all too expensive or bulky. So, I dug into the material stash and made a cover for my new favorite 'book'.

7th Anniversary of the 39th Birthday

And birthday month continues with Steve's birthday.

He had a yummy birthday dinner of bacon wrapped steak tips and twice baked potatoes.

The lack of fruit or veggies is in honor of his birthday

Then came pie time. Buckeye pie from Graeters, yummy!!

Happy Birthday!!!

CJ's Birthday Dinner

This year CJ decided against a birthday party. Instead we took him out for a good steak. We didn't want to go to one of the really expensive steakhouses, figuring that might set the bar way to high for future steak dinners. Steve found a place in Delaware that had good reviews and we decided to give it a try.

CJ and Steve had the Filet Mignon.

They loved it.

Steve said that it was as good if not better than what he has eaten at more expensive and well known restaurants. CJ was practically moaning while chewing.

And while I felt a little silly ordering it, with the boys ordering steak, I had the grilled cheese. The sandwich was amazing and midway through I realized that it was a grilled cheese that needed to be photographed.

 We shared a dessert, which came out with a candle in honor of CJ's birthday.

We have now found our new favorite restaurant and it's name is '1808 American Bistro'.

Happy 13th Birthday CJ.

A Teenager in the House

The day before CJ turned 13 we had got some snow and school got out early. CJ got home before I did. When I got home I found that he had shoveled the driveway for me!!

At bedtime Tuesday night, CJ was hoping that there would be no school on Wednesday as an added birthday bonus.

Unfortunately we didn't get that much snow. We did get enough for a two hour late start.

The late start gave CJ time to enjoy his birthday cookie, hot chocolate and one present.

With Steve out of town, CJ wanted to hold off on a birthday celebration. So an early morning sugar laden breakfast and opening the much coveted fleece jacket would be his 13th birthday fun.

 Steve's appointments for Thursday were cancelled and much to CJ's surprise, Steve met us in the parking lot at clarinet. He was standing in the snow holding balloons for the birthday boy.

So, he got to open his presents on his birthday after all.



Happy birthday to my sweet, awesome, kind, smart, incredible teenager.

Aunt Kate & Uncle Mark Come to Visit

And with them came Dakota, Casey and presents.



It was a fun visit that concluded with a birthday dinner at Dewey's Pizza for MaryKate. And then off to the BlueJackets game.

Dickens Scares the Dickens Out of the Villagers

 And then naps with his nose in my stocking!



Christmas 2010

Christmas morning started before dawn, somewhere around 7am. CJ waited patiently, as he did last year, while we made coffee and Tucker and Dickens ate breakfast.

Tucker was quite the helper, making sure that all the presents smelled just right.

I got coal in my stocking!!!

 This year's big gift for CJ was not the PS3 that he had asked for and we were a little concerned about how it would be received. It was not on the list, nor had it been mentioned even in passing (at least not for a long time).

He likes it!!!

He really likes it!

We spent the rest of the day enjoying our gifts and each other's company.

A Trip to Wisp

This year's trip to Wisp was a great time. It snowed each day and we skied until we dropped. This trip was a first for CJ in that we were joined by two other families. That meant that CJ had other kids to spend time with. His first vacation where he wasn't the only kid, yippee!

The boys hung out at dinner and then back at the hotel they enjoyed the peace and quiet of a hotel room without parents. We also enjoyed the peace and quiet of the bar without kids!

Christmas Tree Hunting

This year we opted for a Charlie Brown tree. While hunting at the 4th tree farm of the day we found this little tree that needed a home for the holidays. It is probably the smallest tree we have had in recent years, but it once we got it home and decorated it was just perfect.

Orchestra Concert

This year's orchestra concert was great. CJ's group sounded great. They enjoyed entertaining us and especially enjoyed playing Alvin & the Chipmunks with Alvin himself joining the show.

After the middle school finished their performance we were treated a performance by the high school orchestra. We were amazed by how professional looking and sounding they were. The music was amazing and they all looked so good in their dresses and tuxes. Yes, tuxes!