When a Tree Falls in the Neighborhood

Wednesday started with an early morning ice storm and I was planning on working from home.  Having a laptop has pros and cons and a pro is not having to drive to work in bad weather.  The con: there are no snow days, I just get to work in jammies.   I was 15 minutes to into my work day when the power went out.  I had to text my boss to tell her and I did not have time to set an out of office so I was basically MIA to everyone emailing me.  I was also making breakfast when it went out but we have a propane stove so I was good to cook.  By candle and lantern light because my kitchen window is gone.  It worked and the bacon was delicious.  

I played some games with Baylor and while we were playing Chuggington Memory I heard a tree crack and it sounded close.  I looked out the side window and saw a branch had fallen on Doug's new to him truck.  I threw on some shoes and a coat and ran over to tell him.  They had heard the noise but thought it was ice sliding off their smokehouse, the red building beside the truck.  Their house is nearly 100 years old and they have the smokehouse and barn on their property.  The branch really missed doing any damage to the truck, it just layed across the windshield and over the side.  

While we were waiting for them to come out Baylor and I walked around our yard to see if we had any damage.  The curly willow has several broken branches that we will need to take care of later but other than that, just a lot of pretty ice covering things.  

Monday's storm I had made a snow pile for Baylor to play on.  It was now crusty, crunchy, and icy.  But he did not mind it.  

We had to clean off the front porch for Eddy so she did not slip and slide coming out of the house. 

It took some time but we were able to remove all the side branches and cut down the big branch.  The kids took most of the small branches to the wood pile, using their sleds for assistance.  We did lose them to playing but they are kids and were having fun together.  The neighbor on the other side came over and I joked it was a Winter miracle, I am seeing both of my neighbors and it was not even Spring.  We say goodbye in the Fall and do not expect to see anyone until the weather warms up. We do not have sidewalks in town and everyone stays at home when the weather is cold.  

Doug was able to cut if down right at the break on the tree and the rest of the wood was piled up.  We went home and changed with a promise to come over and warm up by their wood stove.  Baylor would not stop asking to go over to play so we did.  We ended up staying for dinner, yummy homemade chicken corn noodles soup and salad.  The power came back on late in the afternoon but don't tell my boss.  I did not log onto the computer until after 6!  It was more fun enjoying the snow day!  

Stay at home Sunday and Monday!

Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, Lori was off work but was feeling poorly.  But Baylor and I were doing well so we had plans for a movie later in the day but for breakfast we had cinnamon roll pancakes and bacon sausage.  Baylor already loves the cinnamon roll pancakes and I was worried about the bacon sausage because he do not like sausage.  But he has recently decided he is a carnivore (watching a lot of dinosaur shows lately I guess) and was willing to try it.  He loves bacon and found out he loves bacon sausage too!  It appears to be a ground bacon pressed into sausage shape and smoked or cooked in that shape.  It was amazing!  Especially wrapped in the middle of a cinnamon roll pancake!

I have been backdating all my posts this year because I decided to work on some knitting instead of working online.  I started a scarf for Baylor when he was two and I had about 6 inches done.  I got it out in January and had it done in a night and a half.  Then I made an oversized, over long black scarf for my friend. Then I made three blue and white snowflake scarfs for my little guys, Baylor, Lucas and Cullen.  I started an orange and cream scarf but wanted to work on my rainbow scarf more.  I finished the rainbow one this morning and started on some dish cloths made out of the thin fiber cloths from the grocery store, cut into strips and attached together.  I will get back to the orange scarf after I make a purple one for Meme.  I found a bag of purple yarns at a thrift store and made Mom a scarf and have plenty for one for Meme.  My needles have been a clacking and my blog has been utterly a-lacking!  

The movie started at 2:25 and it was in 3D. It was our first movie together and the first movie for me in about 8 years!  I just do not go and really OK with seeing movies on DVD later.  Although I do want to see Frozen and I know Baylor will be going to the Lego Movie with one of us.  But today it was him and I at The Nut Job.    At first I gave Baylor the wrong glasses not knowing they came in two sizes.  

We got them figured out and settled in with our large beverages and popcorn to share.  The story was nice enough story but was not great.  And I love a good kid movie. But I love this kid more and was happy to spend the time with him! 

Monday I knew it was snowing but was still willing to try to make it into work.  Until I walked out to warm up my car and felt how heavy and sticky the snow was.  I texted my boss to see if she went in and she did not even try. So back inside I went, turned on my laptop and joined the email chain of everyone working from home today.  It really was heavy and I was worried we would lose some branches as they were weighed down with several inches of this heavy stuff.  

I worked until 4:30 while Baylor played Angry Birds, watched movies and played kung fu in the living room.  By 5:00 we were outside ready to work on the driveway. Eddy loves to be out in the snow and had a lot of fun running around, peeing every 20 feet.  

I had Baylor pose with Eddy for a photo of my babies.  

The woods out back were just beautiful and I could not take a photo of them.  It is just my camera on the phone and some of the color is not the same but it is pretty close.  

Baylor rolled in the snow quite a few times.  He was well bundled up in snow pants, heavy coat, snowflake scarf, hat, and gloves.  He stayed warm and dry the whole time.  

And down the lane the barns looked lovely against the trees behind them. 

And my Eddy girl, in her new scarf from Hobby Lobby.  She looks beautiful in her Ravens collar and pink polka dots.  

I was using the wheel barrow to haul the snow into a pile for Baylor to play on.  He wanted on on the last snow but it was way to powdery for piles.  This was perfect for piles and climbing.  And really heavy and I was really dumb for moving it twice, once into the wheelbarrow, and then sometimes shoveling it out of the wheelbarrow onto specific spots instead of dumping it onto the pile.    

And every now and then I would have to walk to the end of the alley to take more photos of the sky and trees.

And he played on the pile. He was very active and imaginative in his play and it was fun listening to him.  

And the sky kept changing and I was drawn to each change.  

But the driveway snow was calling and I needed to get it done also.  

He said he was the King of China (he watched Kung Fu Panda today) 

Around 6:30 I had it done and we went inside to warm up.  He wanted noodles for dinner (again from Kung Fu Panda) with chili on them.  After he ate, he was asleep within 20 minutes.  

Connor Turned Seven

Saturday February 1st was Connor's actual birthday and Heather said it is the first time she had a party on his real birthday.  She had it at a bowling alley in Hanover.  Hanover is also the home to Hobby Lobby so when Baylor and I accidentally arrived in town over an hour early (not sure how that happened :0) ) I suggested we waste some time there!  He found an Angry bird stuffy in the clearance section and I bought it for him to get him to stay in the store without making it absolutely a torture trip on both of us. A few dollars to make him happy and me happy, I am there. I am not sure how he knows the Angry birds but he does.  When we got home I put it on the tablet, the Star Wars version, and he has been addicted ever since!   We headed to  Petsmart to look for a kitty sized name tag since we have passed the checks and are adopting a kitty soon.  Petsmart was out of kitty tags so we went to the bowling alley.  I knew we arrived at the right place because of one of the names on the sign.  

This place has party rooms and apparently they are supposed to provide a hostess to help us out.  She seemed more interested in hanging out with her friends than us.  We had to find her all the time and ask for everything.  It was not a good thing.  But the room was nice to have and the kids ran around the table while we were waiting for everyone to arrive.  I think running laps around anything is a universal truth for all children. Except for this day for my guy.  He was shy and while he really wanted to join in, every time he would get brave enough to start his laps, another child would show up that he did not know, and back on my lap he went.  

Finally everyone was there and the bowling could begin. Baylor was put on lane one with Grayson, Declan, and Maclen.  He was the winner on both games they played and was by far the best behaved.  

I love his little stance!  

Happy Angry bird and happy little guy. So happy together. 

And this stance too, love it!   

Grayson and Declan are school buddies and were all over the plane conspiring on their next move.  Both Heather, her sister, and I had to tell them more than once to stop whatever it was they were doing and sit down.  They stopped but they never sat. And then they just started up again on something new.  They are boys and I get that.  

On the first game Baylor came in third overall with the kids.  He was technically second.  Quade was first with 95 points, Brigid had 94 with a lot of assistance, and Baylor finished with 93. See the no sitting on tables notice.  Remember that.  

These tables are apparently in a child's eyes is a monkey gym because they were all over it all the time.  

Time was up at only the forth frame and Baylor was high scorer that round also.  He even had a strike on his first bowl!  

The party was football themed and Connor's favorite team is the Giants, apparently because his favorite color is blue and they have blue uniforms. Neither of his parents are Giants fans so it is a bit out of place for him to like this team so much but he does.  

It was a nice sized party. Josh is the giant among the little people.  He is Connor's cousin and they have always been close.  His sister kept beside her mom for some reason.  

Baylor ate his hot dog and most of the blue frosting. You can't tell right?  

After presents and filling out the survey, (and no, we would not recommend anyone having a party here)  we headed home.  Petco was right around the corner (Hanover really has everything and all on the same road!) we found a small purple heart tag.  I really liked the orange goldfish that Petsmart was out of, but this would have to do.  So we have a collar and name tag for our kitty and some day this week we will bring him home.  On the way home was a beautiful sunset.  Really, just don't know how I missed all these all these years.  I knew I have seen them but I guess I just did not appreciate them before.  I am glad I do now!