Never Fails....

It seems as though lately if Shelli is out of town, it snows! This morning I woke up to the snow falling. I couldn’t believe it! How much more snow can one state get? It’s to the point where I don’t even blink an eye to it anymore.

Zoe has really grown up in the past couple months. Before when Shelli was out of town, I couldn’t get Zoe to help me with much of anything. She spent most of the time being upset that Shelli was traveling. Now, she knows I need her help and that Shelli is only out of town because it’s her job! When I worked from home, I didn’t need as much help in the mornings but now that Zoe and I both have to be out of the house – at the same time, it’s important she gets moving in the morning. As it is, when Shelli is out of town and the kids have a 2-hour delay, I have to send Zoe to the neighbor’s house because Zoe’s delay and mine are different. High school starts earlier so I always leave before Zoe. I don’t know what I would do without our neighbor. She’s amazing and I’m so thankful I can count on her. These days it’s hard to count on people and I know without a doubt she is there when we need her.

Shelli will be home tomorrow night from Chicago and we always are excited to see her. I’m always counting down the days till the weekend but who doesn’t?

Yoga

Zoe has been in yoga for a few weeks and absolutely loves it.

                                                       Here are a few of her poses.....

Sad Day

Today was a sad day, our good friend John’s mother passed away a few days ago and today was the funeral. We’ve known her for several years and even though she spoke very little English, we have always enjoyed visiting with her.  Nona always had a kind smile on her face and always welcomed everyone with open arms and big hugs.

Shelli and I were not sure how Zoe would do in this situation but she assured us she wanted to go and say her ‘goodbyes’. This was Zoe’s first funeral – I’m sorry, I take that back, she went to Shelli’s grandmother’s but she was only five months old, and she doesn’t remember it. This was the first funeral that she could ‘understand’. The plan was to get to the church right after the viewing and stay for the service and burial. When we got there, they were still doing the viewing, so we had Zoe sit and wait for us while Shelli and I went up to pay our respects. John’s mom looked peaceful and beautiful. When he saw us, he grabbed us a hugged us as tight as he possibly could. We all were crying together. It’s hard not to when you see someone you love in so much pain and you know there isn’t anything you can say to make it better. We just hugged and cried, no words, just love!

After the service, it was a long drive to the cemetery, and Zoe was quiet and a little sad.  We asked her how she felt and if she understood everything. We’ve had many meals, and laughs with Nona so naturally we knew Zoe would be sad.  Come to find out, she was upset because we didn’t let her go up to see Nona. We told her she could have, but we didn’t think she would want to. When we pulled into the cemetery, it was beautiful. The grounds were covered with snow and it felt very peaceful.  Flowers were given to everyone, and after the priest said a few words and the final prayer, we all put flowers on the casket. I think it gave Zoe some closure and feel at peace that she was able to leave a flower and say goodbye.

Following the interment, everyone was invited to have lunch at a local Italian restaurant. Everyone gathered and shared their fondest stories of Nona. It was a hard and emotional day. John and his family were very close knit, and always doing things together and welcoming everyone. I am grateful to have known Nona. She was a wonderful woman who will be missed dearly. (She even taught me a few words in Italian!)

Bowling

Tonight about 7:00pm and we decided to skip our nightly ritual of putting on our PJ’s, and instead we went bowling. The roads were not great but we were all getting a little cabin fever being in the house so we ventured out. I’m sure glad we did! The bowling alley was packed, and we happened in on Cosmic bowling.  All the lights were off, the balls were glowing in the dark, and the music was blasting. Zoe had a smile on her face from ear to ear. She felt like a BIG kid! I had more fun watching Zoe sing and dance to all the songs playing than I did bowling. Shelli won every game but that’s cause we let her! (Wink, Wink)

Valentine's Day

There was no school Thursday or Friday (Valentine’s Day) – and we were snowed in most of the two days. Shelli had to work so Zoe and I spent the day watching movies, playing in the snow, napping, and catching up on homework.

First thing in the morning, we exchanged ‘gifts’. Zoe was excited to give Mimi the special gift she picked out all by herself. Mimi and I got Zoe a cute stuffed dog (that she named Valentine), some new PJ’s and a small box of chocolate. We are not huge fans the whole candy idea. This year, Zoe told me to pick something I wanted and she would buy it for me with her own money. Shelli helped her and I got a beautiful silver bracelet with hearts on it. I felt super special.  Shelli and I were going to go to a vineyard for a wine and cheese tasting and then out to dinner, but the weather didn’t cooperate. 

I didn’t feel like cooking and going somewhere fancy where we had to ‘get dressed’ was absolutely out of the question. With that said, we stayed local so not to get stuck on the roads and instead opted for Chinese food. Of course we were all in our jeans, hoodies, and baseball caps when we sit down at the restaurant and our waiter is one of my students from work!  I was so embarrassed because we all looked crazy.  I told Shelli it’s impossible to go anywhere now without running into one or two of the kids from school. They work all over town, and there is just no way around it. That’s what happens when you work at the local High school. The only person who gets a hoot out of it is Zoe. She thinks it’s so cool!

When we got home, Mimi made us all ice cream cones and we cuddled on the couch and watched TV until it was time for bed. It was a great Valentine’s.

No words....

No words.... Just pictures..... We are tired of the snow!

Movies

Afternoon movie with Zoe and Katrina + Frozen yogurt = A FUN SUNDAY!!!

 We got home just before it started snowing - AGAIN!

Pure Bliss

Ahhhh.... The weekend is here, Mimi is here, and we were ready to get out of the house and do something - TOGETHER! 

Today was magical! We ALL slept in then headed over to Color Me Mine for a couple hours and painted some cool pottery. Zoe loves that place and has made several adorable things. This time Mommy and Mimi joined in the fun. We had a blast! 

When we left the pottery place, we went for a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory.

It was a perfect day!

NO SCHOOL - Again!

No school again today, I couldn’t believe it!!! When I told Zoe there was no school she looked at me and said, “Please Mom, lets go somewhere.” We ventured out to get breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. The line was out the door, because there are still a ton of places still without power. Half of our block has people without power and I’ve texted our neighbors to let them know our house is open if they need a place to warm up, sleep, grab a meal, shower, etc.

Zoe and I packed Rosie in the car and went to our favorite hiking place to see what was going on. The lake was frozen solid, and it was beautiful. We took a little walk and then headed home. It was nice to get out and breathe some fresh air and feel the sun on our skin. It’s been a few days since we’ve seen sun! We hope everything will melt today and things will be back to semi-normal tomorrow, even though there are still a lot of trees down, and roads are blocked. 

 

Shelli got home safe and sound! I seriously have never been happier to see her pull into the driveway. She missed all the action but I know she felt bad about not being here to help. Of course she never comes back empty handed. My family sent back tons of Valentine goodies, and Cuban pastries. They are always so good about that and it makes my heart warm. My dad text me everyday to check in which I thought was so sweet, I love technology these days!  It makes you feel close even when they are so far away.

 (The beautiful LOVE bag was a gift that came in the mail from Aunt Pam and Uncle Eddie!)

Everyone has been really good about checking in and that is always a nice feeling. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters! 

(Photos from the neighborhood)

Rosie keeps us laughing and smiling - ALL THE TIME!