Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Here's to a Fantastic 2009!


We can't believe that it's been a year since we brought home the best Christmas present EVER! How much everything can change in a year:
  • Last year, we had my parents, my sister, and her new husband up to Vermont.
  • This year we had my parents, my sister, her husband, and their new son, Will (almost six months). All of whom Cally adores.




  • We were in our home this year! With a working fireplace and wood burning stove.
  • Last year we were able to spend the holidays up at High Meadow-- a place we will always hold dear in our hearts. The gorgeous spot where Cally lived for the first six weeks of her life.

  • Cally was walking and talking this year
  • Last year, she'd hardly figured out how to nurse and pretty much only cried or slept.
  • We were all able to ski this year (last year I could hardly walk and it poured rain on Christmas day)
  • Our animal roster now includes a cat and an dog with a reconstructed achille's tendon


  • Last year Zephy was just a puppy and Lobster wasn't in the equation

If every year is more and more fun than the last, we are in for a pretty amazing 2010!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy Birthday, Dear Peanut!

We can't believe it was a year ago that I was willing to do just about anything to meet you. We must have known that a really special person lurked beneath my belly. You were ten days past your due date and a Nor'easter was cranking through Vermont (not like this year where it hit places that can't even take advantage of it). We wanted you to come when you were ready, but we also didn't want to have your special day compete with Christmas.


Alas, you decided to join us on December 22nd. The day after the longest night of the year (that was the longest night of our lives, last year!). The day that lightness starts to increase for the first time in six months. The day the earth is starting to tilt a little closer to the sun.


How symbolic! Because your arrival has brought nothing but light to our lives. Your smile really can light up a room, your laugh can brighten any foul mood, and your simple curiosity is so much fun to watch everyday.


And so, to celebrate all the joy that you've brought to us, we decided to throw you a party last Sunday. We wanted to thank all our friends for their support over the past year and bring folks together for a Holiday/Solstice/Birthday gathering. We spent days cleaning the house, cooking cupcakes and gingerbread men and buying provisions. It was the least we could do for our little girl that brings us so much joy, each and every day.

You didn't really know what to think about the whole affair. First came the presents.....

and then the flaming cupcakes:


You weren't really sure what to do with those brown squishy mounds with candles in them:


And then when you were given one of your own, you wondered if this was supposed to be a tactile sensory experience or sweet taste sensation.


Once you got the hang of it, you seemed to really like those homemade chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting.


We didn't get any pictures of the insanity of this party that we threw for you, because it was all a big blur for us. But we did get a shot of the kids settling down to watch a little Charlie Brown's Christmas. In total, we hosted over 20 kids under the age of 8 and more than 50 adults! I think there was a period of time when all of us were roaming the house at once...


Happy 1st Birthday to our beautiful daughter Macalister Jane! Everyday on the planet with you is a gift. We can't wait to celebrate all of your birthday's to come...

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Winters Late Arrival


Winter was slow to arrive up here in Vermont. Most years, by this time, John and I would have already put ten days in on the skis. However, the snow gods haven't been on our side this year. So, last weekend, we decided to take advantage of the "down time" and head out on a Christmas tree hunt.

It turns out, there is a Christmas tree farm less than a mile from our house. And, part of the proceeds from the sales go to the cure, hense the name "Cut for the Cure". So, last Saturday morning, we hunted, cut, and were home in less than 30 minutes-- which is my kind of Christmas tree hunt.

And by last Sunday, this is how our living room looked. This is the kind of stuff you can get done when you don't have the distraction of the local mountains.


Even without snow, it's beautiful here. These are pictures from a post decorating hike that we went on:


But our life gets so much more enriched by the white stuff that allows us to slide upon it. On Tuesday, the snow began to fly and John and I couldn't get Cally out onto the snow fast enough. So, we both rushed home from work on Wednesday, packed up the newly acquired ski adaptation that our friend Sandy MADE for the Chariot (instead of buying the kit for $270, he fashioned the entire thing out of an old pair of skis, a bungee cord, lots of metal piping, a wrestling belt, and several cotter pins). This amazing contraption has already blown open a whole new world for the Abbott Family. As you can see, Cally loves it.




And we LOVE it too. Since Wednesday, we've been out three times. Cally hunkers down with her cozy "bundle me" bag and a down snow suit and we get to shoosh across the snow and Zephy the dog frolics with us.

Yesterday, my dear friend Mary, (aka, the homesteading hussy-- http://thehomesteadinghussy.blogspot.com) offered to watch Cally for the day so that John and I could ski. She claimed she really wanted to spend some time with her and would be offended if we didn't take her up on her offer. It turns out that Mad River Glen, that ski area that hardly makes snow and didn't seem like it would open for a while, decided to open on Saturday at 10am. Perfect! We wouldn't have to have an alpine start, we could drop Cally off at a reasonable hour with Mary and her amazing spawn (seven year old Claire and five year old twins, Auggie and Timmy), and the mountain is only about 25 minutes from their house.

Mad River is reknown for having long lines on the weekend (one of the two lifts they usually operate is a single chair) and it can be kind of a scene. We also didn't really believe that they had the snow that they claimed to have gotten. After all, the accumulation at both our house and Mary's was maybe two inches. Surprised, we were! We arrived to Mad River to find absolutely no liftlines and gobbs of untracked powder-- at least a foot or more. It's hard to believe how quickly the weather went from a balmy fall to a winter wonderland


And, it was a gorgous day! John and I had an amazing time. We were like college students, ducking ropes, greedy for the freshies every run. In the past year, riding a lift and/or skiing together down the slopes has been a rare treat (last winter we usually swapped off duties in the lodge with occasional offers by friends to watch Cal for a run). So, to take eight whole runs together was just plain fantastic.

We were back to Mary's homestead by three to an amazingly content little girl. We were exhausted, exhilerated and so appreciative of the Ganz Clan. Cally doesn't have older siblings, but the Ganz kids treat her like their little sister. In fact, they are trying to convince Mary to have another.


Today, we went up to Underhill State Park with our friend Adam for a tour. He teaches with me. He's hardly 30, in a relationship but not married, and puts in almost as many days as we used to put in on the mountains. Cally took a nap for the entire hour of the ski up the hill, but awoke for the "exciting 15 minute down hill (on an unplowed road-- not a mountain by any sense). At the end of the adventure Adam said to me, "this is great, you guys demonstrate to me that this kind of life doesn't have to end when you bring kids into the equation". He's absolutely right on! Cally has only made us more motivated than ever to get out in the mountains. We know how happy being on the snow has made us, so we can only hope that she gets half of the enjoyment that we have gotten from being out in the fresh air, feeling the snow beneath our skis.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Lots to be Thankful for......


Last year, at this time, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Cally. Of course, we didn't know it was Cally we were waiting for, but we were sure the baby would arrive any day. Little did we know we had a lot more waiting to do. We had moved out of our home in September and had hoped the renovation would be done and we'd be home by the time the "bun in the oven" arrived. "Renovation" is probably an understatement, we really decided to rebuild our house. This is what it looked like before the roof came off:


After the roof came off:


To kill the time, John spent two weeks feverishly painting the interior of our newly laid dry wall (with minimal help from me and loads of help from friends). Because "the baby" was due within weeks of Thanksgiving, we stayed up here in Vermont and did a friends gathering. Instead of feeling isolated and alone up here, we had a delicious, relaxing and entertaining feast. Our community of friends has become like a family away from family to us. Even before we'd become our own family, we knew our baby would have a family of friends surrounding her. These are the type of friends who make us feel like we have a web of support that is so strong and ever present that we can weather almost any storm.

So this year, when the holidays rolled around. We felt like we had to share the feast of thankfulness with that same group of people that was there for us last year. And so, 11 adults and 8 children gathered at the Harris/Plimpton homestead for football, fun, & feasting:




But because we aren't just thankful for our friends, we wanted to make the rounds to see family that we so appreciate, as well. First stop was Grandma and Grandpa Meyer's house where Cal got to pal around with Gus the cat and Maggie the dog:


Next, we headed up to Nana and Grandpa Abbott's. John got to go to his high school reunion and Cal got to hang out with her Aunt Lynn, Uncle Mark, and cousins Chris and Catherine.

So, besides being incredibly thankful for a wonderful, healthy, girl, great friends, and a supportive family. We are also very thankful to have our house "almost" done. In the past few weeks, we've insulated the downstairs and we actually got a chimney (so Santa can come visit Cally at the end of the month AND we can actually use our wood stove to supplement our fossil fuel burning). This really has been a year for which so much has happened to be thankful.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Tell Your Mama All About It...


As Katy has taken over responsibility for publishing our blog since early last summer, this entry is in appreciation for all she does to keep our family organized and Cally happy and pleased as a pea. Katy's love and energy for her family are boundless. Since becoming a mom nearly a year ago, her compass of priority and joy has been firmly fixed on the needs and well being of Cally...and with great result.
It's not only the requisites of motherhood that Katy has embraced so enthusiastically and naturally (breastfeeding, diaper changing and choosing outfits). She is so genuinely loving, joyful and fulfilled in Cally's presence it's become a powerful thing to witness the growth of their relationship. No matter the time of night she awakes, how fussy he gets when tired or how hard she bites when feeding, Cally knows intuitively that she's the most important thing in the world to her mom. She can tell by the fact that Katy's face lights up every time she sees her. Cally can tell by the patience Katy has when reading her books, or when she throws her food on the floor or when her mom inventories her clothes that are too small or uncomfortable.
Katy has so naturally found her stride as a mom. She makes the responsibilities of parenting a baby seem effortless...and for her it is. She loves Cally deeply and intuitively, at all times understanding her needs, expressions and outbursts of laughter. The glee in Katy's eyes when she watches Cally giggle at the animals as they circle her is priceless...or her laughing at Cal's little peg legged walking journeys at the helm of her Radio Flyer.
Katy and Cally so thoroughly enjoy and love each other, it gives me a great sense of well-being to simply sit back and watch. Like light, effortless turns through new fallen snow or the peaceful feeling of watching a warm spring rain from a porch hammock, Katy and Cally are as natural a fit you could ever hope for. Go ahead Cal, your Mom knows you love her... tell your mama all about it!


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Play Date with the MMU Crew


Before we had kids, I didn't really get the whole "play date" thing-- especially with babies. But now that Cally is getting older, I totally see the point. When babies get together, they learn so much from each other-- like how to crawl, how to share, how to wave, etc.


And the parents get to catch up outside of the classroom, talk about non-school related subjects, eat delicious food, and laugh as we watch our children paw all over each other.


It's fun for Cal to get the opportunity to see some other kids her age. Don't get me wrong, we feel so fortunate that Cally gets to spend four days a week with her buddy, Nate. He's two months older than her (and ten pounds heavier). He just learned to walk the other week, so we're pretty sure that will come soon. But it's good for Cal to practice sharing, getting her hair pulled and socializing with all sorts of kids.

Below is a recent picture of Cally and Nate. Every afternoon that it isn't raining, Meike strolls the kids a mile to the elementary school to pick up her older daughter Caroline. It's fantastic that Cally gets outside so much.

Oh, and did I mention it was Cally's Dad's Birthday yesterday.


I didn't think it was possible, but everyday, it seems like Cally and John develop more and more of a bond. They both have so much fun together, especially on Thursdays when it's "all Daddy, all the time". Whereas, in the summer, Cally was all about "mama, mama". Nowadays, she's just as likely to say "dada, dada". It's so great that John was able to take those six weeks last spring. He's becoming a more amazing dad, husband, and person with each passing day. Happy Birthday Dada Abbott!