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.

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.

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!

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!

"For Firstborns, Secondhand Fits the Bill"

A few months ago, my cousin sent me a link to the following article:

For Firstborn's Secondhand Fit's the Bill"

It's all about how hip it is to utilize hand-me-downs. One of the beauties of waiting until your are of "late maternal(and paternal) age" to have children is that you reap the bounty of hand-me-downs from all your friends and family members that have already had children. The generosity of all of those around us has been amazing! We couldn't even begin to thank all the people that have given us clothes, gear, and toys for Cally. It has been such a gift for us. So here is a tribute to all who have made our life easier and made our daughter cuter. We think about you all every time that Cally plays with particular toys, wears particular outfits, or is carried in various stollers.

Below is a picture of Anna and Josephine Gilman. They live in Hailey, ID. Cally wears their shoes, an adorable bathing suit, uses an adorable bunny towel every time she takes a bath and wears a very cute Hannah Anderson jacket they gave her daily. Their mom, Sara, was one of my roommates in college for two years:


Then there is Mae, who also lives in Hailey, ID. The day that her mom, Brady, found out I was pregnant, she packed up a box of maternity clothes and sent it to Vermont. Since then, she's sent a box almost every couple of months filled with adorable clothes. Including our favorite sweatshirt which says, "Highchair today, chairlift tomorrow".
And Kesley and Jameson, Cally's cousins. There is rarely a day that goes by that Cally isn't wearing one of Kesley's hand-me-downs. Paula, her mom, gives me a storage container full of Kelsey's clothes every few months. She's been amazing about having them organized by size and it's like X-mas every time we get a new container. And then there are all the toys, backpacks, strollers, swings, a glider, and more. As you can see, Cal thinks her cousin's are pretty cool:


More recently, we got some great shoes and outfits from my cousin Gregg's daughter, Zoe. She lives in London and has a particular flare for fashion. The picture at the beginning of the blog is of Cally wearing a recent outfit of Zoe's. Here she is wearing a hip Paul Smith hat:


About a month ago, my friend, Mary called. Her husband had just built shelves in her five year old twin's closet. She was ready to get rid of the boxes of toys, boots, and clothes that had been taking up space. So, I left her house with a carload of wooden toys, a wagon, musical instruments, and boots of every size for the next five years. Oh, and then her seven year old daughter, Claire, decided to throw in all the costumes that she had in her closet that didn't fit anymore-- tutu's, leotards, princess dresses, and all.


And then there are my dear friends Medora & Jen. About five years ago, they called me in a panic. They were having a yard sale to offload a bunch of the baby stuff that had taken over their houses. However, they wanted to set aside "stuff" for me. So, Jen called me , needing to to know if I wanted this REALLY nice co-sleeper that Medora had. They needed to know right away, because if I didn't want it, they wanted to sell it the next day.

I was a bit dumbfounded. At the time, I was renting a small room (maybe 8ft by 10ft) and I didn't even have a boyfriend. I could hardly find room for more than my own bed and a dresser in the apartment, let alone a piece of baby equipment I wasn't sure I'd ever need.

I lost out on the co-sleeper, but fortunately, Jen and Medora saved A LOT of other baby stuff for me--- clothes, a crib, a changing table, books, toys, etc.


I know I've forgotten other folks who have been incredibly generous in the hand-me-down department. Cally sure is one very well dressed, accessorized, and entertained gal thanks to all the friends and family who have been so generous. We've already done our best to continue the trend by passing what we are done with onto other babies.

Halloween in Montreal

Cally had an extra special first Halloween-- in Montreal. John was attending the International Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Conference, so Cally and I met up with him on Friday evening. First, I had to get her across the border. With new immigration requirements between the U.S. and Canada, I couldn't figure out if Cally needed a passport. A quick "google" search just got me more confused. The other issue was that I was traveling without Cally's dad, so John had to fax "permission" for me to take her across the border. Fortunately, the crossing was rather uneventful!

We spent Saturday exploring the city...... First stop was the Museum of Contemporary Art (Cally pretty much napped her way through that):

Next stop was our favorite Crepe Restaurant in the Old Town:


The weather got pretty hectic by the end of the afternoon-- high winds, rain, broken borrowed umbrellas...... but we motored our way around, stopping for coffee and browsing the shops.

Along with it being Cally's first international adventure, she was plagued by her first fever. It showed up Friday night and kept her pretty flat for most of our visit. At first we thought it was a reaction from her second seasonal flu shot, but Dr. Parker doesn't think that's the case. The good news is that she doesn't seem to have any associated symptoms. But, as you can see, even when she's down, she's still pretty chipper. Especially after seeing herself in her costume:


She even crawled like a lion:


One of the best parts about our visit to Montreal, was that John's great buddy, Joc, was also at this conference. He lives in Paradise, CA and we don't get to see him or his family enough. He's been an amazing friend to John (going back to the Bates days) and is just a great spirit. We dined on some fantastic Korean food.


On our way home from the restaurant, we got to do some amazing people watching on the streets of Montreal. Plus, we got to see some real Canadian craziness in front of the Bell Center (where the Montreal Canadians beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shoot out)

The weather decided to take a turn for the better on Sunday. We started the morning with an extra hour of sleep and then dined at the best breakfast place I've found in a while: Reuben's (it's on St. Catherine at the corner of Peel St.)-- delicious and cheap!

Next stop was the Bodies Exhibit-- it's a scientific exhibition which displays whole and partial body specimens that have been meticulously dissected and preserved. It was absolutely fascinating (for a biology dork and her husband)! I think Cally was sort of baffled when she woke up in the middle of it all, but seemed intrigued herself.


While only 100 miles from our home, we felt so far away. Kind of crazy that a city of a million where a different language is spoken, is right around the corner. The food, the culture, the scene is all so worth it. So, if you haven't been, I highly recommend making your way up to Montreal when you get the chance!

Beach Baby

Lobster, our cat, came from Hilton Head Island, SC. She was delivered to us by my Aunt Sherry and Uncle George in July. Last fall, John and I went down there during the VTNEA teacher convention and had a great time. So, when my cousin Gregg, who lives with his family in London, proposed to the extended family that we get together there this October, we promptly signed on.

Ten adults and five children stayed on North Forest Beach, in a house that Uncle George started going to in the 1950's. For the decade that my grandparents lived in Hilton Head, my extended family convened at this particular house for many holidays. It's a "no frills" house in a very "big frills" neighborhood. It's an absolutely perfect place and we had an absolutely perfect vacation........

Some of the highlights:


Being sung to by Grandma-- she's got a lovely voice and knows a lot more songs than Cally's lame tone deaf parents can remember.

Seeing an armadillo, a young spike horn buck, butterfly gardens, and an alligator at Pinckney Island.



Hanging out with Bumpa.....


Doing tons of cruising up and down the beach.


Having a first frozen yogurt cone.


Being forced to be a "tourist".


Meeting second cousin's Zoe (2) and Campbell (4) who live in London.

and their little brother Damon (6 months)-- he's one happy guy!


And seeing Cousin Will, a whole lot more robust than when we last saw him (he's now about 3 1/2 months old).


And mostly, just hanging out at the beach........


The weather was 80 degrees F every day.


The water was 70 degrees F.



And at low tide there were shallow pools to swim in, without the exciting, but rough waves.


Oh, and meeting Lobster's Mom, BD.

and brother, Bubba!




This was an attempt at getting all the youngest generation in a picture together..... From left to right, Campbell, Zoe, Damon, Cally, and Will. It turns out, it's rather difficult to get five kids under the age of 4 to cooperate for a picture without any parents......

Thank you Sherry and George for making sure everything was set up for this rowdy crew. Even though you still had to work and carry on with your obligations, you made sure that we were all well equiped with pack-n-plays, food, garbage disposal, and plumbers.

The Abbott family had an amazing vacation...... it was exactly what we needed.