Thursday, January 9, 2025

Third Time's a Charm!

  


We got married for the third time....yup, you read that right.  First was on October 6, 2004 and it was our civil union right before Anders was born.  Marriage wasn't yet lega.  Then we had a big ceremony and celebration on September 3, 2006 with family and friends at Rockpoint.  On December 30, 2024 we got legally married.  I  like to call it our Haiku wedding.  We read haiku's to each other, to the boys, and to our families.  It was pretty awesome!!!  We ended with a very pretty cake and champagne.











 

Celebrating with Cake & Friends


It was such a nice way to ring in the new year.
A delicious New Years day meal with friends....followed by a special New Years Cake!
Never too much cake.  Never too many friends.

 

Sunday, January 5, 2025

To the World We Dream About

and the one we live in now.




 



Kuba was Hades in HADESTOWN this past week and he was awesome, 
the show was awesome!  SO many friends had key roles and the whole ensemble cast make it an epic experience.  I'm so sad it's over! Bjorn, Susan, Sandy, Peter, Jen and Kaj, Barbro and Dave, and more came specifically to see Kuba.  He did NOT disappoint!  In fact, he held the role and captured the audience so effectively! 

"To know how it ends 
And still begin to sing it again
As if it might turn out this time"
-Anais Mitchell



Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy New Year!






You can tell we are growing up as a family because it's the first year we haven't celebrated altogether. There were three different things going on this New Year's Eve. Anders and Morgan had a night on the town, Kuba had a big party and sleepover with his friends, and Anna and I had drinks with friends and then returned home to celebrate the turn of the year.  












 

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Alphabet Musings 2024


A Anders, Anna, APUSH, Agatha, Airbenders, Alien, Acadia National Park, Ariana Grande

B Christmas in Buffalo, Bug lab, Blood on the Clock Tower, The Boys, Bye Bye Biden, BHS,          Biking to School, first Breakups

C  I read a Controversial article, John Canning

Disc golf, Diva, Drama Club 

E  Elli, Eli, solar Eclipse, EMS, Electric bikes

F Fireplace mantel project, our Flower boxes 

Glynnis, our Gardens, so many Games, homemade Granola 

Hadestown, Handmaid's Tale, painting the Heart on the barn 

Into the woods, Insulating the basement

J Judy, Juliana, Jeremy and Jessica, Jamie’s book, Junior year  

K Kuba, Keats, Kamala, Keyboard, Korra

L Lance, Lake Champlain 

M Morgan, Matilda, Mean Girls, Mikayla, Margaret, Mor Mor, Musicals, Marriage

N Nadya, Nineteen years old 

O  

P PreCalc, Pajama game, Piano 

Quite the election year

R Rowan, Road trip with Isaac, to Retire or not to Retire? 

Sophomore year, Sylvan,  Siena, Set design lab, Sailboat, Sylvan, Susan, Seventeen years old, Singing, Smart kids  

T  The Trunchbull, Trump won, Thea, Tiger, the Thanksgiving play, making Terrariums, Tophouse, third times a charm

U UVM, Kuba on JV Ultimate team 

Very Merry, Vampire, Valerie, Volvo 160k 

W one night Werewolf, our Wedding (for the 3rd time), Watermelon game, Wicked, Wellerman 

MMXXIV

Y Yogurt, our backYard

Zoe 

Saturday, December 28, 2024

Christmas Time at Home


It’s such a beautiful and magical time of year, filled with anticipation and joy. Candles, holiday greens, and twinkling lights all combine to make our house so cozy.This year we were away for the holiday but came back home for the new year.  Out trip to Buffalo did not dim our holiday experience here in Vermont.  

Friday, December 27, 2024

The Many Days and Many Ways of Christmas 2024


Let's start at the very beginning - making Ushki noodles for our Christmas Eve cream of mushroom soup. We made them at Sandy's this year, Jamie, Zoe, Sandy and I.  Anders and Kuba came for a little bit of it.  They look like little crowns or ears.  They are stuffed with mushrooms and are delicious.  



Next, we shuffled off to Buffalo and rented an Airbnb with Sandy, Jamie, Aj, and Zoe. Luckily, no snowstorm so the driving conditions were fine.  Our place was right near Paul's house in Lakeview, literally about four minutes away from him.  Our house had four bedrooms, a gas fireplace,  and it really was perfect for us.  We did not have a Christmas tree, so we went out and cut some greens.  We put them into a vase, added lights, popcorn, and candy canes, and whala, Christmas magic! This is the first time we've all been together as a family in years and the first time we've gathered without mom and dad.

 

We had lots of fun at the Airbnb, playing cards and games, and even doing little holiday crafts.


We celebrated Christmas eve at Tim's.  There were 26 of us in all!  It was a traditional meal of Mushroom soup with ushki noodles, pierogi, fried fish, and coleslaw.  

  

  

  


There were many children of the next generation!  
Anders, Kuba, and Adalyn, Zoe, Brianna, and Manny were the youngest of all.   

 

 
After dinner we had a Pavlova that Sandy made for dessert....among many other cookies and sweets! 


We had a Yankee swap between the adults and it was a mob scene of gifts and people. 


Christmas morning we woke up early to a giant pile of gifts.  
We opened gifts and then had a delicious breakfast made by Sandy, Aj, and Anna.  
Uncle Paul joined us.
 


After breakfast we played more games like pinocle, and the new Ransom Notes, and Alien game.
 



On Christmas day we went to Mark and Sharon's for a delicious dinner. Once again, there were 26 of us, yet we managed to fit in the house. We ate, and then we played games, went caroling around the neighborhood, and did the oplatek. We also did a photo shoot with all the kids, trying to recreate an image of Jess, Kaitlyn and Jamie from 20 years ago.  The whole Christmas day was pretty spectacular.  The food, the family, the merriment and goodwill.