Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Um - Just About the Best Cookie Swap EVAHHH!!!

Ladies - we've outdone ourselves this year!!

Sunday, my gal-pals and i had our annual Christmas Cookie Swap party, which i hosted at our house. Each of us bakes a decent sized batch of our favorite cookies and then we lay them out on the table and go around and gather our own big assortment for the holidays. No two were alike and we had a TON to choose from and everything looked

amazing! The pics don't do them justice. This year, instead of baking 2 BIG batches, I chose to bake about 4-5 regular size batches. I had aspirations of baking a bunch of my favorites from my cookie books, but ended up tweaking and having fun with a few different 'packaged' mixes.

I doctored up a chocolate chip one by adding Heath bar morsels, peanuts and cranberries (YUM!). Ron, Sam and I cut out gingerbreads and i iced them with white icing (each gal got a big gingerbread lady!). Pam made little "hamburgers" which Sam is, of course, enamored with. Just really really awesome. The 'sad' part is that our family (including Shirley AND Tommy) are PLOWING thru the stash. It's just way too easy to reach for a cookie or two (or 4 or 5) when you've got a hankerin'. I'll probably be baking again before Christmas, especially to give to the teachers at Sam's school.

Happy Yummy Holidays, y'all!

Christmas is a-Comin'...

Today we had a GREAT day! Jam packed and just really fun.

Ron and i started off at Wegmans, both of us working (Shirley had the kiddos). I was in sign shop and Ron was playin' Santa. I passed on playing Mrs. Clause this year due to my belly size and the non-accomodation of such conditions in said costume! ;-) A cute gal from Bakery helped Ron and I heard they had a GREAT turnout. Ron makes for an AWESOME Santa. Maybe someday he'll have a real white beard and be "that guy" that everyone knows plays Santa in December.

At noon, we both left and came home to gather Sam and go pick out our Christmas tree! We've got a little place we really dig right outside Addison called Towner Tree Farm. We love 'em cuz they've got a pile of cut trees right up our budget alley: $6.99 baby. And they really aren't THAT BAD. It's not like they are dead or completely missing limbs. They might not be as full or as big. And quite frankly, that is the perfect

tree to me. How can you pack on the ornaments on a DENSE tree? We actually lucked out in finding one that specifically works on our space constrictions - it's "flat"ish. So we're able to push it up against our video stash wall and out of the way of walking space. We also have Tommy to consider. He's not quite walking but certainly inquisitive at pulling up. No dangly ornaments at the bottom (tree is on a table) and SO FAR, as i type this, he's shown little interest in its existence. Phew. I recall Sam being the same way. I like it.

So we spent the afternoon decorating the tree (and 40 min trying to salvage a string of lights i knew worked when i put them away last year. Dont'cha hate that??). Dad came over and he and Shirley watched the Army-Navy football game (around me bending over and getting in their way). The tree just looks so cute. There is just something about a lit Christmas tree at night, lights dimmed - - i get lost in it like staring into a fireplace (which we don't have, or i'd do that too). I think its getting the tree up and decorated that i might most enjoy about Christmastime. Well, that, and watching Sam on Christmas morning. Which this year will be even more exciting than last, 'cuz this year he really gets the whole Santa thing. He's very excited to leave cookies and a note about cold milk in the fridge and often he names random things that he's also going to leave with Santa 'cuz he wants to share. Love my bugger.

Ron fried up some fish and crinkle cut fries (artery cloggin' goodness) and topped it off with a pecan pie for dessert. Sam and Thom enjoyed a purple bubble bath together and by 8:30 both boys were down and the evening had settled down.

Here's to family love and fun for the holidays. I'm so very blessed.

Christmas Fun with Lights! A LOT OF THEM!

Check out this place in Southport. A gentleman named William Cahill owns this house and went nuts with lights and music! It's quite the sight! Ron, Sam, Thom and i took a drive out tonight, with a picnic dinner that Ron packed (!), and sat for about 10 minutes gawking and enjoying! Mr. Cahill even has his own radio station dedicated to the music that is synchronized with the blinking and flashing! We had fun. I think it's definitely worth the drive out there to smile and think "wow!... someone's serious about this stuff!"

Lap Time with Pop-Pop

Sparkle in Corning, NY

Well, we had a great time last Saturday. My camera's batteries crapped out on me right at the beginning of the evening - totally my fault for not bringing spares - but i did manage to get in a couple good shots. Sam was being SO GOOD and cooperative with the large masses of people, by holding on to the stroller the whole time; unfortunately, Ron had to work that night. I brought a couple snacks, being that we left the house right around dinner time to head down. We took a few minutes to sit and eat a couple hot dogs and feed Thom little shortbread cookies. He was definitely the most bundled of the three of us (as you can see!). Sam had a great time watching snowboard/ski demos outside Bergers, peeking at REAL reindeer and spotting balloons accidentally floating away into the night air (i swear one of them was the size of a pinhead!). It was chilly, but we were geared up. Nice time.

Sam's Cupcake

YUM!

Pic du Glow

Happy 4th Birthday to Samson!

Four years have flown before us, and yet, I feel as though I've savored and experienced them all! Our lil guy, who's only getting LESS lil, turned 4 on Monday, 11/16. Ron had to work that night, so we pushed the family celebrations to Tuesday.

In the meantime, for Monday, I made chocolate cupcakes to take to school along with goodie bags to hand out to his friends. Sam's cupcake was 'special' of course, but he didn't learn this until they were being passed out and he told me after school that it was his MOST FAVORITE part of his birthday! Aw. If you want to get kids this age to eat the cake and NOT JUST lick the icing, bake a Hershey kiss in the middle... i'm a genius! On his birthday morning, when he got up, I had a couple small gifties wrapped around the living room, that he had to 'find.' One was a Buzz Lightyear parachute guy from the dollar store. He thought that was funny. As i type this, 5 days later, i have no idea where it is now...

So Tuesday, Ron completely outdid himself by making the yummiest "kid-friendly" dinner - chicken wings, potato wedges, tacos and baked sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows on top! Sam really liked it all, and then we got to the cake! Again, Ron really created a masterpiece (for the record, i had to work all day, or I'da helped more!) with Sam's cake, as you can see in the pics. Just really creative and fun! I think Sam was pretty full from supper, because he asked to eat his cake the next day! ;-) After cake, we opened a few gifts from Nanny and Pop-Pop which became a bit of a Disney's "Cars" theme, especially paired with cousin Kathie's package that arrived the next day (a Cars game, undie set and pen). Sam got his first pack of boxer briefs, which cracks me up, at this age/size. Like his butt couldn't look ANY cuter! Haha.
Our sweet son is only getting taller and older and i'm soaking it all in... L♥ve you, Bubs.

Thom's Project

He was simply taking inventory...

Sunday Mornin' Hike

Bath Time

How 'bout dees CUTE KIDDOS!?!?!?
[Please - no comments on the cracking rust job in the background... ugh.]

Halloween 2009

The Telford Family was BUSY on Halloween day this year. About a month before, i stumbled upon a Finger Lakes Railway Halloween excursion i found online. It departed in Watkins Glen (30 min away) and traveled up/back the side of Seneca Lake for 90 min. Kids would get snacks, drinks and candy. Sounded like something Sam would get a kick out of, being that he was SOOOO into Thomas the Tank Engine "way back when."

This year, Sam happened to get 2 costumes to pick from; Spiderman i bought 2 weeks ago at Walmart, forgetting about a homemade Tigger in our basement (Ron remembered). So he picked Spiderman to wear on the train and Tigger to go trick-or-treating in. Which worked out awesome since it was actually 'warmish' during the day and chillier (but still very warm) at night. Reminded me of last year's temps. And Thom this year wore the "Lil' Devil" costume that Sam sported around the same age. Thom really had to squeeze into it - it's a forgiving costume! So cute!!!

We all had a great time all day. The train ride was fun (albeit SLOOOOOOOOOOWWW). Sam even won a prize for being "Best Superhero" (only other competition was Superman, also Walmart). The organizers were generous with pizza, Munchkins and juice. Nice little excursion.

Sam did GREAT trick-or-treating. Ron and i both were able to go out with him while Nanny (Shirley) stayed home with Thom and answered the door with candy as a witch. She loved doing that. She had a great time with Thom scrambling around as well.

THEN LATER THAT NIGHT (you thought i was done?) - we headed to our friends Christa's and Jon's house for an adult party. Awesome food spread, some beer (i wasn't even tempted - i brought my own seltzer) and good laughs with friends. It did not turn into a crazy frat party, but it was still nice to get our sans kids.

Ron and i went, if its not obvious by the pics, as "Mr. and Mrs. Clause on vacation." His idea. A brilliant one, i thought. Mrs. Clause's hair has just about bit the dust though, in taking it off for the night. The hair is some fake fiber stuff and its getting caught and ripped very easily, not to mention Sam undid the bun at the back, which was already giving me fits! I'll try to fix it.

Hope everyone's Halloween was fun and as "ghoul" as ours!!!