Legacy

If anyone knows Tom, you know that he is obsessive about likes hockey.  From the time the ultrasound showed "boy!" you know he's been dreaming of the day his own son could be up on skates.  So, when the opportunity to enroll in a learn to skate program arose-we grabbed it.

and so the day came, the son of Hendricks would take to the ice for the very first time

learning the ropes

a father beaming with pride

and take to the ice he has....this is a boy with no fear.  This is a boy who will pop right back up on his feet after a fall.  A boy who at 4 years old, and after just two short lessons, can make it from one blue line to the other and remain upright.  And he LOVES it.

oh-hip checking is next week?  my bad.

I got this

Whoa!

And it only took 45 short minutes of breathing in the rink air before Tom was digging out his equipment and lacing up his skates.  Like father like son (and like son like father)  The legacy continues...

Flavors of Fall, Vol. 2

It's apple time!  Apple cider, cider donuts, dumplings, caramel, and...pie! 

gotta have pie.

first you need apples-so we headed out to the orchard

 We had to pick out our pumpkins while we were there

nice pumpkins, Tom

you want us to what?  look at you?  at the same time? psssh.silly Mommy.

I'm on a horse

 

 

 

 

 

 

we picked those apples ourselves, y'all

 Now it's time to make pie!  look how yummy it looks already!  Yes, I use pre-made crust.  Now you know.

is there wine in all of my pictures?

 Brush the top crust with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar.  It will make people gasp and claim it's the best pie they've ever had.  That's a tip from the legendary dessert queen herself-so take it and run.  Don't expect me to be posting any cheesecake recipes anytime soon, though.

yum

my little helper...note the apple in her hair

And a few more pics of Apple Festival fun @ Wachusett Mountain

Time to get ready for Halloween...stay tuned for pumpkin guts and spooky fun! 

Grandpa

I had a few topics spinning around in my head for a blog post today, but then last night my Mom called to tell me my Grandfather had passed away a couple of hours prior.  His deteriorating health made this less of a surprise, but still incredibly sad.  I take comfort that he passed in peace at home with his family there with him. 
so...
Today's post will be dedicated to Grandpa.
There are a few qualities that come to mind when I think of my Grandpa, but one thing stands out the most.  He was strong.  I mean, he was a big solid guy.  A farmer.  A craftsman.  He had huge rough hands that showed the years of hard physical work.  But to me, those were the hands that picked me up with every hug, that gently but quickly pulled the loose tooth, the ones that held me on his lap while waiters sang him Happy Birthday (at my insistence) even though I'm pretty sure he would have rather snuck out the back door.
Lots of my favorite memories of my Grandpa involve the farm.  Every time we came to visit I think the first thing my brother and I did was to run out to the chicken coop to see the chickens and over to the barn to check out if any cows were there.  Grandpa always involved us in the chores.  We fed the chickens and gathered eggs.  I recall him reluctantly agreeing to let a preschool aged Sara carry the eggs back to the house, which I of course promptly dropped on the walk back.  
In addition to his full time job in a factory-Grandpa ran a slaughterhouse (the eventual fate for all those chickens and cows)  All this exposure may very well have (almost certainly) been the start of my road to vegetarianism.  But, I will tell you...you will NEVER laugh so hard as to witness an actual chicken with it's head cut off. 
And of course, I think one of the highlights of the summer was always riding in Grandpa's pickup truck.  We're talking riding in the bed of the truck across the countryside with the wind in our hair (yes, I know modern parents will clutch their pearls and gasp in horror!) Oh, what a glorious feeling it was. 
I know his health these last several years was precarious, and it's been hard to watch.  I am thankful everyday for the time I've had with him.  I'm thankful that he was here to meet my children, and am thankful now that I can tuck them in at night knowing that he's watching over them.  But, the Grandpa I will remember is the strong burly one.  The one who raised the Thanksgiving turkey himself.  The one who loved good wine and food (okay, that last one is subjective-he did have a taste for some disgusting odd things.)  The one who, no matter how rough and gruff he seemed, had the softest, kindest heart. 
I'm so happy you are at peace, Grandpa.  I will miss you terribly.  Be good.

Catching up

I'm hopelessly bad at this blogging thing, huh?  My faithful 6 readers have probably been wondering what is up with us!  It has been a jam packed summer!  We took two trips to Michigan...One for the 4th of July @ the cottage

the cousins enjoying cookies for breakfast

learning to fish

and one to meet our new Niece Lilly!

sadly, the best cousins pic I could manage

isn't she just soooo precious?

 and of course opportunity to spend some more time with family.

Four Generations

There were beach trips, festivals, and days at the park

Michigan Gothic

Parades, ball games, and fireworks

like Mardi Gras for kids, only with lollipops

And now it's time for back to school!  

Nathan is in the 4 year old preschool class this year, with some familiar friends from last year and some new friends.  He's geared up for a great year!

first day jitters

with his best girl Ava

Whew!

Now fall is in full swing, the cool crisp air has set in, and we have a lot to be thankful for.  I hope to not be so lame and be a little better about keeping the blog up (I promise, Mom...)  Feel free to add your comments, you know, so I know I'm not blogging into thin air. ;)

If you're interested in keeping up with my crafties...I blog about them here

Food, Gas, Lodging

What would posess two people to set out on a 17 hour roadtrip with a 3 year old and a 7 month old? I tend to think that at some point in that decision making process, an alien abduction occurs. It could only be other worldly creatures uttering the words "It'll be great! A few crayons and some snacks and we're all good! Over the river and through the woods...Manton here we come!"

After surviving a couple of these trips with our sanity barely intact-we decided to break out the big guns. Three little but oh so big letters...DVD's. Once upon a time before I was a parent (and therefore, was a perfect parent) I silently judged the ones who resorted to watching programs in the car. "Don't kids watch enough TV?" I chided. It turns out that toddlers don't give a hoot what you spy with your little eye. They have zero interest in state license plates, padiddles, punch buggys, or cows. In fact, they can only be entertained for a maximum of 12 seconds before they are screaming for something else. This only leaves two frazzled parents, one trying to drive and one who may have not so proudly threatened to leave their child at a rest area.

So, This Thanksgiving vacation...we let Lightening McQueen, Woody, and Dora do the entertaining. It proved to be a mostly enjoyable albeit long drive. There were still several occasions where I had to wedge myself into the backseat to retrieve a binky or serve a snack-but I can live with that.

And a wonderful week it was. It certainly had it's high points, and it's low points...but, for certain, we left being profoundly thankful for the life we have and the love of family.

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