Snake Names and Holiday Cheer

We had some great snake name suggestions!

But "Scruffy" and "Fluffy" and "Digger" and some of those others sound like dogs and cats. So they were out. (Sorry.)

Last Sunday, we had dinner with Frank's cousin Amelia and her family in Providence. Sean, Teresa's 2nd cousin, came up with "Komodo." It's the brand name on Sean's new skateboard, actually. It is also the name of one of the 17,000 islands in Indonesia: home of the Komodo Dragon. (Thanks, Sean! Your name suggestion wins!)

Teresa's snake is now known as "Komodo," with middle name "Geoff," specifically spelled with a "G." (Long story on the middle name...one of those RANDOM things that are so popular in middle school and high school?) Of course you can click these pictures to enlarge. Here is Teresa with Komodo...

And another shot of Komodo resting snugly inside her sweatshirt sleeve. (Go ahead, enlarge that one: it's kind of a fun picture--I won't call it "cute" because it's a snake and all, but it is a fun picture :) )

NEW HOLIDAY DRINK. We were introduced to a fun drink at a Christmas party, and it only comes out in December for the holidays! Sierra Mist makes Cranberry Splash. Here are David and Kara showing you our newfound soda.

Otherwise, here's a "Happy New Year" to everybody! We're off to the neighbor's house, with our Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash and these pretzel/M&M treats I made last year (recipe in a December blog post in 2008).

We will walk down the street, in the fresh 2-inches of snow we got this afternoon.

Love, US :)

2 New Additions

Hello!

We've had some exciting events during the past week...

THE DISCUSSION. I mentioned before that Teresa and Kara have been asking for pets for a loooooooooooong time. Frank and I grew up with pets, but now we look at it from the parents' point of view: hair, mess, feeding, mess, torn-up-furniture, shedding, make-huge-arrangements-whenever-you-go-out-of-town, etc., etc.

So..... no pets so far.

(BTW, I would get a cat in a heartbeat, but Frank doesn't like them. It's the sacrifice I made to be married to the best husband in the world, I suppose...poor me...)

THE DECISION. Anyway, we finally decided that this Christmas they could get pets: Kara wanted a hamster, and Teresa wanted a corn snake. I tried to push her towards a Bearded Dragon. But a corn snake is mild-mannered, pretty clean, and a good starter pet. So, a corn snake it is.

(Teresa's science teacher reminded her that those 2 pets--hamster & snake--should NOT live together...)

THE RESEARCH. Over the last 2 months, we have researched how to take care of, what equipment to buy, Craigslist, Ebay, websites about length of life and growth, what to feed, etc., etc. these animals. We have compared prices and packages, determined how much money would be put in by Teresa and Kara, also by Mom and Dad, speculated how much money they MIGHT get for Christmas, and what that money might go toward.

We have visited the 3 pet stores in the area SO many times, all the employees now know our whole family by first name...(ok, I'm being a little faceteous. But some of the employees DO recognize us...)

So. The ridiculous volumes of research paid off: I believe we pretty much know what we're doing now, but more importantly, the GIRLS know how to be the caregivers for their pets. They also note how much things cost to care for a pet, and compare prices.

THE RESULTS. For those of you who did NOT buy a hamster or a snake this week, here are some photos.




A hamster comes from a pet store, taken home in a box like this:




Here is Kara's new pet, "Karamel," of course spelled with a "K." We got a very small, very basic cage--all those tubes and fancy stuff came from the neighbor's garage--they were happy to pass them on to us!




They sell snakes in the pet store, too, but the selection is quite frankly better online. I found a site with tons of choices and colors, this guy and his wife ship out 4,000 snakes a year, for Pete's sake! So Teresa's snake came from Texas, via priority overnight: FedEx.

How does one ship a snake to the frigid cold of New England in December, you may ask? Well. I guess I expected a big box labeled "SNAKE" with airholes, open the box and the snake is just slithering around in there. Not so. It was a pretty small box, simply labeled "Perishable."

Open it up and it's insulated with styrofoam. Then take out the newspaper, and you find: a little plastic container like for cream cheese or something (with airholes), and he's curled up inside that.

The breeder put a hand-warmer inside, which was still warm when it arrived.

I didn't want to take too many photos of him and scare him with the flash, but here is Teresa's new pet Corn Snake!
We are/she is still deciding on a name. (Any suggestions? We don't want to name him anything "bad--" no Lucifer, Demon, Slimy.)

Have a great 4-more-shopping-days-until-Christmas! Kari

Winter Wonderland, Christmas Party, Grandma's Gift!

Hello!

Sunday was the BEST "Winter Wonderland" day. After a night of snow, we had snow outlining every small branch of every tree, a bright blue sky, and lots of sunshine. It was right out of a New England picture postcard. (You can click on these to enlarge if you want.)

And, Kara and Teresa showing off samples of ice-covered puddles...

Winter has arrived, you might say. (Mom's choice to come LAST week to visit could not have been more perfect! I think one day it was 70 last week. November was so mild--just wonderful.)

Our church Christmas party was last weekend! Lots of good food, lots of good music (well, lots of MUSIC, anyway?? Ha. They set up a kareoke on someone's computer). Here are some photos. First, of the Primary children. (Our kids are in the Santa hats.)

I think I mentioned awhile back that Danny Ainge is our bishop. Here he is with the rest of the Bishopric, singing Frosty the Snowman, slightly against their wills. Does the first counselor look a little familiar? He's the NEPHEW of Mitt Romney. Note: the man in the middle is not short! But in between these others--6'5 and 6'4, he looks pretty short.

OK, last item: my Grandma is 99!!! Here are photos of our gift to her: personalized M&M's! In the jar are "Six Sets of 99 M&M's"-- The four sayings on the M&M's are "Nana our FAV," "99 Years Young," "We love Grandma," and "Reva ROCKS!"

Her birthday treat is to go to Las Vegas to see Donny & Marie Osmond's show. She and her 2 daughters (Mom and Joan) come home from that trip today. Happy Birthday, Grandma!:)


Have a great rest of the week! Kari

A Thankful Weekend

Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

We are definitely into the Holiday Season now! I suppose it "started" with Halloween, but November zipped by and now Thanksgiving is behind us.

There are 26 Days Until Christmas. What??!? How did that happen?

AND there are only 11 more days until Grandma Reva has her 99th birthday. WOWIE! Here is her photo from last year, when she was still young and inexperienced: a mere 98. :) We love you Grandma!

We spent our Turkey Day with two families from church, with kids in the general age ranges of our kids. Plus they have 2 adorable puppies, so that entertained everyone.

Then of course the day AFTER Thanksgiving, we joined the population at large, shopping for Christmas gifts! This time Frank did NOT get up at 4 a.m. for specific deals...he has done that before! I value my sleep way too much for that. Normal hours only, please.

Some stores were crowded, some weren't. We sold the kids on the "shopping trip" idea by starting it with a Dunkin Donuts breakfast. It also helped that they all love to read, and we worked in some "Barnes & Noble" time.

I've been reading about the Pilgrims with a 3rd grade student I'm working with, so I've thought a lot of how our country began. The "First Thanksgiving Feast" was not the first time the Pilgrims or the Indians gave thanks for the harvest. It was just the first time they did it together. They also signed a treaty to work together and help protect each other. That treaty lasted 50 whole years.

Here is my "quick list" of what I'm thankful for, off the top of my head:

Family, friends, food.

Airplanes, Internet, homemade rolls.

Transportation, tires, running water.

Books, piano music, unexpected happy telephone calls.

Smile from a stranger, smile from a friend.

Warm beds, waterproof jackets, sunny days.

Shrimp, sharpies, scriptures.

Recycling, railroad tracks, eyesight.

Electricity, fireplaces, hugs.

Hope you had time this weekend to think of what you're thankful for, too.

Have a great week! Kari

Teresa is TWELVE!

Hello!

A little while back I said I'd blog about Teresa...it was her 12th birthday last week, so now's a good time! Teresa is energetic and positive. She loves to have fun. She'll be the first one to jump in a pile of leaves or a pile of snow, or the swimming pool or lake. She has a contagious smile. She's an animal lover, from insects to birds to dogs to snakes. She's also good at making people feel happy and comfortable.

My comment on the previous blog was about her field hockey team. She tried a new sport this fall: she'd never played before, and she made the cuts for the team. Very cool. I got to learn about this sport too, as I had never watched a match before.

The girls wear kilts in field hockey--that rule was a little soft, as one of the teams they played just had them wear shorts. But all the other teams wore kilts, plus volleyball shorts underneath. They wear goggles and mouth guards.

The stick has to be pretty close to the ground the whole time, no swinging it so high or it's a foul. And you can only hit the ball (which is pretty hard, the size of a baseball) with one side of the stick. The stick looks a little like a golf club at the end, rounded on one side and flat on the other. You must hit the ball with the flat side of the stick.

Two twenty-minute halves is what they played, passing the ball down the field to get it into a net to score. They used the soccer field and the soccer net. At the end of season party, Teresa was awarded "Most Improved Player." She did great!

Last Wednesday Teresa turned 12! Yep, out of Primary (ages 3-11) at church, into Young Women's (ages 12-18). They have a tradition in this group for the Young Women to "welcome" the new girls into the group by giving them a "Heart Attack" after their 12th birthday. These teens go to the house of the new girl, and tape hearts and paper chains and messages all over her room. Usually they decorate and leave, but this time, it worked out for them to stay in her room, then I brought her home from our "errand." She walked into her room and there they were! (12 girls and 4 leaders, I think...it was wall-to-wall people). Very cute.

Teresa also plays flute, and likes to sell things...(don't know where THAT came from..??? Her mom apologizes profusely to all who have been approached for the raffle tickets...and THANK YOU for being patient and even buying from her...)

So, there you have TERESA. She certainly adds spice to our family! We think she's awesome.

Choir, Health Care, Tutoring

Hello--
What a church-y day! We have been practicing for weeks, with the church choir. Our organist is actually a professional organist, where he plays each week for the 2nd Church in Newton, United Church of Christ, in a neighboring town. He and their preacher thought it would be neat to do a "choir swap," where their choir and our choir would combine, and sing for their church services in the morning, then come to our church in the afternoon and sing for our Sacrament Meeting.

They meet in a beautiful old, cathedral-style building, with arching ceilings and fabulous acoustics! This morning we went to their church to practice together, then participate in their service. Followed by lunch downstairs, then drive to our own church for the afternoon meetings.

4th-grader Kara wanted to sing, too, so I brought her to the practices. There was not room for her in the community kids' music program, so I figured why not participate in the church choir? It's pretty basic music, usually a hymn or a different arrangement of a familiar song.

Then we got the music for today's performance: One of the pieces was in 8-part harmony... IN GERMAN...!!??! Oh, well, what do you do? We just kept practicing, and Kara was a good sport about it. We sang alto. She learned the part.

Our Bishop also spoke in their meeting: a nice message about tithing. So anyway, when we got home it really felt like it had been an all-day affair. Leave by 8:30 a.m., return at 4:30.

In other news: The Health Care bill passed, by a margin of 5 votes. In the on-line article I read, it offered a link for me to "read the bill." I clicked on it and scanned down. This bill is One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Pages. (Yes, you read that correctly. 1990 pages.) In case you need some light bedtime reading.

I'm feeling a little short on time these days...Frank has been gone all this week to South America. He returns Wednesday. I'm appreciating more and more how we split the driving-kids-everywhere responsibilities. And especially that he does the Seminary shift! UGH! I look at the clock and can't believe how time flies--got to go to bed, because I have to get UP and get David over to early-morning seminary!

Inspired by my sister-in-law Pam, my neighbor Carleen, and my friend in CA Susan, who all work with kids at their neighborhood schools, I have started tutoring ESL students at an elementary school in the next town over. (No, this is not one of my students--just a clipart photo!--:) )

I go in 3 days a week, the elementary kids are K-3rd. I've been doing it for about 2 weeks now. The beauty of this kind of job is that I get to work with the kids, 1-on-1 or small group, and then I go home. No staff meetings, no homework. I am "just the tutor--!" Not the teacher. So far it's been a good thing.

Well, I know this blog post jumped all over the place. That is my brain lately. Happy Monday tomorrow! Kari

Halloween and Birthdays

David's birthday was Sunday--14 years old! Yep, born at 3:10 a.m., he missed being a Halloween baby by just 3+ hours. He was ordained a Teacher in church this afternoon. Now he can prepare the Sacrament for Sacrament Meeting.

Teresa's birthday is 10 days after his, so Saturday we took them on a "combined birthday" outing. We let them each choose 5 friends to go to a place in Boston called "5 Wits." It was set up like an archaelogical site, and they were in search of an Egyptian Tomb. They were guided room to room and had to figure out the Indiana-Jones-style clues to avoid danger and find their way out of the tomb. We took 12 kids so they could be in their own group. I think they had a good time.

Here's a group shot in the leaf pile...yes, it's LEAF SEASON again! The monstrous tree in the front yard is finally deciding to shed its leaves (it's a huge, 5-story-tall thing). My guess is they will all fall within the next 10 days, EXACTLY when Frank has planned his trip to Argentina & Peru & Chile. How convenient.

Well, thankfully, we had a beautiful Halloween. I think it was around 70 degrees. Perfect day, and a grand evening to go Trunk-or-Treating at the church party Friday, then Trick-or-Treating Saturday. No parkas required.

We had a Rock Star--Kara and her neighbor buddy Isabel created their own costumes together this year, fabric painting the shirts and jeans. Add green and yellow hair, a sparkly microphone, and sparkly bracelets, and you're good to go!

Teresa was a Ninja, all black, and David an FBI agent...complete with suit, dark shades, and putting all his candy in a...briefcase. I only got a shot of Kara in costume. (Sorry but it's been a bit of a crazy weekend...)

But I did get photos of all the candy laid out on the floor after trick-or-treating...oh my holy cow. Luckily, the elementary school is doing a "send your candy to the soldiers in Iraq" program, so we can choose our favorites to keep, then donate the rest of the candy. Teresa made a pyramid with Starburst.

And here is a final fall/Halloween shot of our carved and drawn pumpkins. Carving credits go to Frank (designed by the kids, of course).

The bottom 2 pumpkins were drawn by Kara, and Teresa got creative and looked online for a dragon pumpkin. Then looking at that sketch, she drew this dragon on her pumpkin. (Top step...yes, it's really a dragon--enlarge to see better!)

Hope you're getting beautiful sunshine like we are this week. I love the colors of fall.

(My friend in Denver currently has 20 inches of snow in her front yard...I laughed about it with her on the phone, but I know that ours will come!) Happy November--:) Kari

And So It Begins

Hello!

I was so flabbergasted by our quick change of temperatures this weekend, I wasn't even going to blog about it! But Frank said no, go ahead, and maybe people will feel sorry for us... :)

LAST year, we did not get snow until December 19th...I remember because it was the last day before the holiday break. Well guess what we saw on Friday morning, October 16? Yes, SNOWFLAKES! (You can click on any of these to enlarge...I tried it, it works...)

The kids were all excited. 4th grader Kara says, "Do I need to wear my boots to school?" (Remember I said we saw FLAKES. Flurrying through the air...there was nothing on the ground to speak of, nothing stuck to accumulate a measurement.) Then it turned back into rain, rain, and more rain.

The blessing of it all is, I am in heaven because I am remembering LAST year at this very exact weekend. All our stuff had just been delivered to the house a few days ago. We were living in boxes, serving meals on a card table set up in the family room, because the kitchen was completely torn up and being renovated. When I think back to that, I am so relieved that we are not doing THAT, I could do the Happy Dance. (Whatever that is; use your imagination, I guess.)

So, temps have dipped and will go up and down for the next few weeks. Our leaves have not yet fallen, but we got a smidgen of snow this weekend! Reminds me of Colorado. Here is a snow picture or two (Teresa tried to catch some on her tongue), and yes they are both wearing flip-flops when it is 32 degrees out. Frank and I shiver uncontrollably when it's 70, and the kids wear flip-flops when it's 32. Go figure.

Here is our awesome little stove in the computer room, that warms things up so delightfully:

I just checked the weather and it will be in the 50's and 60's this week. Maybe we'll get good temperatures for Trick-or-Treating?? Maybe.

Otherwise, we got in another family hike on Saturday! David jogged it once then caught up to us on his 2nd round, while the rest of us did the loop once. I tried out a new jacket, that was supposedly wind-resistant, water-repellant, insulated, all with this very thin fabric...I didn't believe the tags so I layered with other jackets, too. But it actually kept me pretty warm, hiking in the 40's that day. I think I'll keep the jacket.

We had a great Stake Conference this weekend. Every 6 months, multiple church congregations in the area (we make up a "stake") come together for some inspirational talks and music.

We were also encouraged to attend the temple Friday night. It was a nice temple date for Frank and I, and we listened to some really good messages Saturday and Sunday.

Here's a pond closeby--reds, oranges, yellows.






Last thing, I have to say how cool this program is, that we downloaded for Teresa's social studies class: Google Earth! It can take you anywhere on the planet! You can go up close, far away, bird's eye view, type in any address and it will take you there. We found the houses of almost all our cousins and grandparents, our house and neighborhood in Mexico City...Frank will go to Argentina next month. I think I'll have him show me his offices there and in Peru.

Have a great week! Kari