Top 10 Things I Hate About New England

I promised this update after completing the Top 10 Things I Love About New England this spring. Well, we are in the depths of winter and my attitude had changed. That's what 4 days without power will do to you. No TV and no Internet make Cindy crazy. Here it is, my much anticipated list...
10. Nor-easters. I can't complain too much. It has been a very mild winter. It is March and there is no snow on the ground. None. But it's not really the snow I mind, it is the carnage that it brings. There are lots of trees here, and trees generally don't like snow and wind. We had a major wind and rain storm last Thursday night. Ryan and I barely slept because we were too busy watching the trees in our back yard sway like wheat in a field. Our concern was warranted. Our neighbor three houses down got nailed by a falling tree that took out their back deck, roof, and sky light. When Ryan and I drove around the next day, it was unbelievable how much damage was done in our area. We were very lucky to emerge unscathed. We did lose power for 4 days. Good thing I married the emergency preparedness guru. Ryan had the generator going early the next morning with plenty of gas for several days, the Coleman stove fired up for breakfast, and the BBQ on the porch for dinner that night. While many people had to go to hotels for several days, we were warm, comfortable, and well fed. Thanks for taking such good care of us, Ry! Now back to my list...
9. 6 month winters. It's WAY too long to be inside. I require fresh air.
8. Mosquitoes. I don't know why God created mosquitoes. They serve no purpose but to annoy me and make me itch.
7. Humidity. It's sticky and miserable. Good thing it doesn't last long.
6. No See's candy. I love you See's. Oh, how I miss you. Why can't you come east of the Rockies?
5. No In-n-Out. See above.
4. Hawaii is really far away.
3. Whenever I hear someone say 'dude' or 'sweet' it brings tears to my eyes. I miss California lingo. I promise to never EVER let 'wicked bad' slip into my vocabulary.
2. Pasty skin. I left my tan in California. I am now pastier than I have ever been in my life. I don't see this changing any time soon.
1. I really really miss my family. Thank goodness for Southwest.
Enough of this negativity. Now that I got it all out of my system, I can say that there are more and more things I love about New England every year. Just not the winter. On the bright side, it is March. I just have to hang in there a little bit longer till spring. Until then, I can dream of our Hawaii trip this July. Maybe I'll get a tan.

Goin' Back to Cali

We are back! After a great two week vacation visiting the Evers'/Syphus crew, Christian and I survived (barely) the 10 hour flight back to New Hampshire. You're not going to believe it, but the weather is actually better here. We had 14 days straight of solid rain in CA. I better not hear any complaining about droughts or forest fires this summer.

Anyway, it was a good thing I ended up going when I did because Mom and Stacey really needed the extra set of hands to watch tots and get stuff done. Poor Mom took a spill when on vacation in Cancun and ended up breaking her foot in three places. After surgery in a Mexican hospital, she was left with 4 pins in her foot to set the bones. Doesn't that look beastly? Two more weeks and she can walk on it again. Believe me, she is anxious to put this behind her.

Stacey also had her hands full because Drew also had a little surgery that put him out of commission for a while. No Mom and no Drew makes a busy Stacey. We did manage to get out and do a few fun things. We enjoyed a fun dinner with Grandma Jinga, Great Gram, and Aunt Chris. No visit from Aunt D (me) would be complete without a trip to Strikes for some bowling, Chuck E. Cheese (where I managed to get the 100 ticket bonus on my favorite game, Wheel of Fortune,) and of course, multiple trips to In-N-Out. Christian and Trevor sampled their first french fries. Both agreed they were delicious.

And then the trip home. While we were waiting at the terminal to board, we were informed that our flight was cancelled because the plane hit a flock of birds when landing. Southwest refunded my $100 that I spent on the ticket and booked me the next day. Airport, take two. Oh, Christian was a handful. Luckily, I had two of the BEST flight attendants I have ever had. They let me and Christian hang out and crawl around for almost three hours in the back of the plane. When it was time to sit back in our seats, Christian was done after 20 min. One of the flight attendants came to me and asked if it was alright if he took Christian in the back to play some more. Are you kidding? OF COURSE! My saviors. I got their names and employee numbers and called Southwest the next day to sing their praises. Hey Beckaroo, one of them was single and was very cute. I am willing to bet my left arm that he is LDS. His name is Brent and is based in Las Vegas. I have his employee number if that helps. Just a suggestion :)

Since both boys are now eating real food, there were many baths given after mealtime. Don't adjust your computer screen. Trevor is not really part Indian, Christian is just really that white.

It's Official

I couldn't be prouder. I know that he is only doing what every other baby his age is doing. But still, he is CRAWLING! What a big boy.

On a side note, this is going to make our 10 hour trip to California tomorrow extra fun.

Product of the Month

Since we moved into our new house, we have had an ongoing battle with dust bunny tumbleweeds. I know why they call them dust bunnies now. They breed in new carpet and multiply by the hour. I usually lose this battle for a couple of reasons. One, I'm not that dedicated to housekeeping. It's more fun to play with my little boy than vacuum. Second, our vacuum sucks. Or more accurately, doesn't suck. It was a hand me down, and while we appreciated it, it was time to put the old bag to rest. It had a good long life of service but had become obsolete. Now that Christian is semi-mobile and likes to taste every speck he finds on the floor, we felt the need to upgrade and take better care of the floor.
After some research, we decided on this little beaut. The Shark Navigator. Let me tell you, this is an awesome vacuum. It TOTALLY sucks. Our carpet looks 100% better. It picked up so much fuzz in the family room that I had to empty the dust cup after 1 pass. We also got the little Shark for the hardwood and tile floors. I haven't tried it yet because Ry wanted to use it first. So far so good. If you are in the market for a new vacuum, this is it.

Christian's First Christmas

I can hardly wait for the years when kids are jumping on my bed to wake me up for Christmas morning, begging to go downstairs to see if Santa has come. Bundling everyone up to go outside for afternoon sledding after the presents have been opened. Naps by the fire holding snuggly kids exhausted by the day's excitement. But that was not this year. In fact, this is how Christian spent his first Christmas morning, sound asleep in the hallway in the basement after a restless Christmas Eve night in his port-a-crib. He did eventually make an appearance after all the gifts had been opened and the toys picked up. Christian got some sweet toys, like an animatronic Elmo and Mickey Mouse, blocks, an activity table, and much more. The most fun thing on each, of course, was the tag. Go figure. We had a really fun time at Aunt Jen's. Here are some shots of the festivities.

The cousins in their new jammies

Christian riding Thomas' new mini ATV.Allie and ChristianFun toy from Aunt Stacey (payback for Elmo Chicken given to Scott in '05)

My New Ride

Some of you may remember this sweet little number I used to buzz around town in.

Well, now that I have a new little co-pilot (not to mention a different climate,) I needed something a bit safer with slightly greater storage capacity.

Does it turn as many heads as my old wheels? Not so much. But let me tell you, it is one smooooth ride. Christian loves it, I love it, and Daddy rests easier knowing we are both safer on the road. But mark my words, in twenty years my sweet little convertible and I will ride again. Until then, I will embrace the Mom Mobile years.

Almost crawling