Festive, Fun, and FREEZING!

Tonight we bundled up and braved the 38 degree weather to take Gabe to Hogle Zoo to see Zoo Lights.  At Christmas time, Hogle Zoo goes all out by putting up thousands and thousands of lights.  We have never been before but now that Gabe is REALLY into Christmas this year, we figured we would give it a shot.

 What we didn't know is that Santa was making a special visit to the zoo tonight.  While we waited in line, Gabe wrote up a list of the things he would like for Christmas-the first thing on his list was candy.  We had a little bit of a wait because Santa was extra friendly and took the time to really talk to each kid.  It was very special.

 Gabe was overwhelmed by all the beautiful lights.  We had to keep reminding him to stay with us.  But of course, even with all the extra things to look at we have to stop at his favorite places too.

 I will admit that I kept getting a little distracted myself.  For example, I loved the peacock lights.  I think Ry and I need one for our house next year.

 And this is the bridge that goes between the Rocky Shores exhibit and the Asian Highlands exhibit...this picture does NOT do it justice because I thought it was breathtaking. 

 Even better was that Gabe like the bridge just as much as I did.

 And the night wouldn't have been complete without a ride on the carousel.

 Another shot of the lights that doesn't really convey how gorgeous the zoo looks.

 I think these two figures were Gabe's favorites: a giraffe and an elephant.

So despite the fact that my nose is still trying to defrost, Zoo Lights was a lot of fun.  If you can find the time to get up to the zoo, you should.  Just be sure to dress warm and pregame with some hot cocoa.  

Much love to you all!

Fall Fun At Black Island Farms

 Ryan and I wanted to take the kids to a pick-your-own pumpkin patch this year and so I did some research and found Black Island Farms in Syracuse...yes Syracuse.  It was a blast!  We got way more than we bargained for at this place.  We were there for 3 hours and didn't get to do everything.  We could have easily spent another 2 to 3 hours if we had known and planned for it.  Even Ryan and I had a great time.  In fact, I had so much fun I think I pulled my hip muscle...oops!   Here are just a few of the many pics I took!

Gabe and Sera jumping in the Giant Inflatable Pumpkin.  It was really old and hard for them to stand in but I guess that made it more fun.  At one point Gabe lost his balance and rolled right out of the opening and onto the ground.  He then jumped up and dove back in for more.

Feeding the llamas some corn kernels.

Yes that is me going down what shall now be called the "Slide of This Was a Bad Idea"

MOO!

All aboard the choo choo train!

Hold crap!  That slide was fast!

Ryan was zooming!

Gabe loves slides.  He went down this one so many times that I quit counting.

The Rubber Duck Race Track

 

Go Gabe! Go!

 

Just waiting for the Pig Races to start.  Yes, I did say Pig Races.

 

My Little Pumpkins

Sera was excited to be able to pick her own pumpkin from the patch.

Ryan and Gabe on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin.

SUCCESS!

 

It was really a fantastic day at Black Island Farms.  If you haven't been, GO!  You will have a good time.  It is worth the 40 minute drive up north.  Just beware of the slides...

MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!  HAPPY FALL!

Literally Bouncing Off the Walls

Last weekend we went to Airborne Trampoline Arena with the kids...and when I say kids that includes my husband, my sister, and her husband as well as Gabe and Sera. If you have not been to this place and you have kids (Or adults that act like kids.) you need to check it out! It is really fun and extremely exhausting.

This is Sera on the rope ladder that is over the big foam pit. She loved climbing this because she was really good at it and almost always reached the top to ring the bell.

This is Gabe playing in Kids Area. I am really glad they have a designated area for little ones because as much as he liked being on the big trampolines sometimes he got a little bit overwhelmed.

And as I said before, we went with Becca and her hubby Spencer. I wish they would have given us the heads up on wearing yoga pants and not jeans! Seesh Becca! I am still glad they were able to come with us because they made it that much more fun.

Spencer is a natural at a place like this. People were stopping to watch him when he was doing flips into the big pits. He is really amazing!

And even though no one stopped to watch him, Gabe was equally amazing at making baskets with the foam blocks.
And Ryan was proving himself to be my own personal Superman by taking a flying leap into the big pit as well. Side note, after belly flopping into the big pit he got a little stucks in the foam blocks...like a turtle on it's back. It was cute!
And just to prove that I wasn't sitting the whole time here is a group shot of the Baker family.

Airborne Sports is a lot of fun and good if you want to wear out your hyper kids. But a word of caution: you will be sore the next day! Much love to you all!

Giving Thanks I Didn't Burn Down My House

Thanksgiving, a time for family. A time for friends. A time for wanting to get so blasted drunk that I can’t see straight and keep thinking the raw turkey in my kitchen was really a tiny space alien.

Okay so I didn’t get drunk or burn my house down or end up in a loony bin. I did, however, gain an all new appreciation for anyone who knows their ass from a turkey giblet. All the damn work that goes into one meal is not worth it on a lot of levels. Yes, it is great to hear how good the food is and see the smiles of my loved ones (Equaling 2 people this year!) as they partake in the meal I literally spent all day cooking. But on the other hand, the shakes I was getting from stress as well as wanting a VERY LARGE glass of wine sort of counteract all that.

Now to be fair Ryan and I got several offers inviting us to various places for Thanksgiving. But I began to question people’s motives. Some were just being kind but I think there were a couple people that thought it might be safer if I wasn’t near a stove or oven when I am so prone to panic attacks. Plus, somewhere along the line I must have given off the impression that I don’t know how to cook and I am sure there was concern over Ryan, Gabe, and I all getting food poisoning.

Let me start my tale on the evening of Thursday Nov. 17th. I called my mom to ask if I could borrow her potato masher and turkey platter. I told her I bought my turkey and was going to put it in the fridge Monday when I got home from work. She told me to put it in the fridge on Sunday morning. I was shocked! It is a bird that I assumed was not that big but she was telling me that I needed to give it 4 full days to thaw?

When I checked the turkey on Wednesday night it still had a few bloody ice chunks inside it. First off, NASTY on the ice chunks. And second, it still had frozen stuff inside after 4 freaking days! And not only was there frozen ice but other treasures too! I know that there are guts in a turkey but why in the hell are there guts in a turkey? A turkey neck? Really Butterball? That seems like something people might want to consume?!?! It is already bad enough that I am going to have to stick my hands inside a dead animal carcass and now you are packing up their innards like I want them as a prize from some disgusting piñata? Get real and put a sealed Itunes gift card in there the next time. Guaranteed you will sell more turkeys.

The cooking process was unreal. I had to start my day at 6:00 am. Internet, I don’t wake up at 6:00 am to get ready for work. But I did on Thursday so I could get my rolls started. I was going to make rolls from scratch but at the thought of having to do all the other crap I bagged that idea and got some Rhode’s Bake-and-Serve which still need 3-5 hours to rise. I should have just wadded up slices of white bread into balls and called it good.

I also made FROM SCRATCH: sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, deviled eggs, the relish tray (Yes I count that!), and green beans with bacon and onions. And of course, I made the turkey as well.

This is me making the roux for my turkey gravy. This is one of the first things I did because I was able to put it in the fridge and then add the drippings (Another nasty cooking term.) to it later right before it was to be served. I was excited at this point because I felt like Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray. By the end I felt like Lindsey Lohan after a loooong weekend.
And Gabe was helping me by making sure all the onions tasted delicious. His breath smelled so bad!
Here I am making the deviled eggs. What it that you ask Internet? What am I doing? Oh yeah! I am piping the filling into the eggs! Suck on that Thanksgiving!
And finally we come to the turkey. As you can see I really loved sliding my hand under cold turkey skin to smear butter on the breast meat. I felt like I was some deviant or doing something really inappropriate to that turkey.
Not a pleasant experience!
But the final results were better than I could have ever hoped for. I mean, look at that gorgeous bird! For my first try I think I kicked that turkey’s butt!
But I could not have done it without Ryan. Not only did he keep Gabe out of the kitchen but he was a great helper monkey! All I had to do was ask and he was right there with bowl or pepper or a spatula. The only thing he refused me was a 20-Gauge shot gun when I wanted to blow the turkey to bits in frustration.

And I can’t even take all the credit for cooking. Below is the dish Ryan did all by himself.
But honestly, I can’t say I regret making Thanksgiving this year. I tackled a cooking fear that I have had for years and proved to myself I am not completely incompetent. And when I see smiles like this from across the table it is hard not to remember why I did it in the first place.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. No you are not invited to my house next year.

Halloween 2011

Halloween was really busy this year! I feel like it just flew by and I hardly had a chance to breathe! It was fun though and I would do it all over again...in a year or so.

I told you all about our "adventure at the corn maze" where Sera had the crap scared out of her in a corn maze. Well I finally got my camera back from my sister and found these pictures that we took at one of those cutouts. My camera died halfway through so I missed some but I did get a few classics!

I am Frankenstein and was trying to make a scary face and I was successful just not in the way I intended to be. I look crazy and a little constipated. Becca...what are you doing? Not scary! FAIL!
Sera is putting her face up and Gabe just couldn't help himself! He wanted to give his big sister a kiss. It was really cute.
On Monday Oct. 31st Gabe's daycare had their annual Halloween parade. Ryan and I always make an effort to go because it is fun to walk around with all the kids and see everyone in costume.
But as you may be able to guess, Gabe was getting tired and so we ended up carrying him on our shoulders which was a pretty good workout.
Here is the whole group and as you can see, trying to get all these kids to sit and smile was similar to herding cats. It was still really cute!
Later that night we were lucky enough to be able to take both Gabe and Sera trick-or-treating. And even better? Linda was able to come down!!! I love it when Ryan's parents can here for special events. And Linda is always such a good sport and up for anything. I loved having our whole family together for Halloween this year. We miss a lot of Halloweens with Sera because of situations that are beyond our control so we cherish the times we do get.

Halloween 2011 flew by and I feel like I am not even doing it justice with this blog. But it was fun and I hope memorable for everyone. Much love to you all!

Our Family 2011

So as I mentioned in my last blog we took family pictures at Wheeler Farm. These are just some of my favorite ones!

I love this one because of all the light and color. I think it all works really well with the colors of our outfits too.
I love how happy and natural the kids look in this one. They make each other so happy.
Sera is fun-loving and free-spirited but can also be so grown-up. I think this picture captures that.
This face makes me smile every time I see it. When he is 13-years-old and acting like a turd, I will have to remember to look at this picture.

This is one of my top 3 favorites shots of our whole group. We are a good looking bunch!

Our cute family taking a walk through the woods.

I cannot say enough good things about how these pictures turned out. Thanks to my family for being a part of this. I hope you all love them as much as I do! Much love to you all!