Our first NY Thanksgiving & FIRST SNOWFALL

Thankful for so much that has happened this year.  Thankful for our healthy babies, our health, our strong marriage.  Thankful for Brad's successful business that allows us to have the kind of life we've dreamed.  Thankful to have a big home and a slow pace of life.  Thankful for our good friends near and far, and thankful to have such an amazing genuine relationship with my sister.  Speaking of family, I guess big families are not as close as they presume to be.  It was disappointing not to spend our first Thanksgiving with Brad's sister Jody or brother Rodney (sister-in-law Amber and all the cousins).   It made us realize how much more my family is invested in our little boys and all the effort they make to be in their lives.  We did however have a wonderful and intimate Thanksgiving with Grandpa and Grandma Grover, and grateful to have shared the day with them!  Later that weekend, we were able to spend special quality time with Brad's brother Rodney, and super sweet kids Christian, Haven, Silvia, and Finley!  Come to think of it, this is the first Thanksgiving that wasn't stressful! It turned out relaxing, not to mention we got a "white" treat!

It was also the tastiest!  I made my first turkey, and it wasn't just an ordinary turkey.  It was a bacon-blanket herb roasted 16 pound turkey!  This turkey was pampered for 3 days:  cleaned and exfoliated with salt, massaged with bacon herb butter, stuffed with apples and onion, and then bronzed with its very own bacon woven blanket!  I was very proud at how good it turned out, and Grandma Nancy kept saying what an art piece it was!  Here is the recipe.

 the before photo

 the after photo

Here we go!!!

The day before Thanksgiving, I made a green bean casserole with fresh mushrooms, fresh green beans, and cheddar cheese!  Homemade cranberry-orange sauce, and the most delicious gravy (because of the turkey juices!).  What made it stress-free was that I made most of the dishes and prepped the turkey the night before, then all I had to do was put the turkey into the oven the day of and whipped up the stuffing and sweet potatoes in a snap.  Nancy helped with the gravy, and it turned out fabulous!  Here is the recipe for the gravy.  The house smelled beyond delicious with the aroma of bacon, rosemary, thyme, and apples & cinnamon from the homemade crock pot hot apple cider!

Everyone gobbled away at the bird and side dishes, and baby Jax feasted on mashed potatoes that Grandma made.  He had a bite of everything but pigged out on the taters!!!  It was his FIRST Thanksgiving and he appeared to be very thankful to eat :)

The beauty about leftovers with this turkey, is that the root vegetables, apples, and potatoes that roasted under the turkey made for another meal to go with turkey leftovers on a different day.  I also made an excellent creamy turkey & wild rice soup thats a must have!

After our Thanksgiving linner,  we took family photos, had pumpkin roll and pumpkin pie dessert, and Brad and his dad got a few rounds of Chess in.

Then in the evening, our "friend family," came over for some vino :)

The next day, I had a mommy-son day (separate post coming soon!), then it started SNOWING, and on Saturday the other Grover kids came over for Thanksgiving Part 2 and playtime in the snow!

 little Finley :)

 Playtime in the game room!

we got our first SNOW!!!!......

 Brad pulling Christian & Taj on the green sled, down the icy driveway!

 Daddy Brad belly-sledding down the hill!  What a crazy kid! LOL

 Jax loved the snow too!

 The boys' turn to sled...

 The girls sliding down the driveway!!

Our 5th Month Bemus Anniversary

Another month  (another week at we are at our 6th month anniversary!!) we have yet again enjoyed living in New York, and you know what, we love it more each month!  We love our house, the change of seasons, the weather, and all the new activities that come with it.  Put it simply, we like change.  Since we decided to pick up and move our entire life to the East Coast, change has been our mantra.  It can be scary at first after you've had the same routine and lived in the same climate and region for soooo many years (at least for me..... raised, schooled, worked, married etc. etc. in California.)  But once change is embraced, it can be SO good for the soul.  The best thing about the change of seasons, is the change in wardrobe, change in daily activities, and new things to look forward to.  You kind of seize the moments more, and really enjoy when the sun shines, when it rains, when the temperature goes up, then down...... never bored and never a dull moment.   We've probably been lucky, but since we've moved here we experienced a beautiful summer with very mild humidity, and a colorful crisp fall.  Temperature drops have been gradual, we are easing into Winter, and very excited for the snow!  They are reporting another mild Winter, but we shall see..... we want snow!!! (update: we got our first snow this weekend!  More on this in another post!)

The colorful leaves have fallen, the trees look naked and skeleton-like without the leaves, and you can see through what once was private and guarded.   We found out there is another house behind us that we didn't even know about!!!  Because of the forests and trees that separate properties, you just never see the other houses!  What great privacy, right?  Our house provides us with front row seats for sunset viewing, and also views of some pretty exciting storms (Hurricane Sandy).  One month we look out of our windows and see luscious green trees, another month colorful orange, yellow, and red trees, then we watch the falling leaf showers on the rainy windy days, and this month we wake up to frost in the grass, bare trees, and as a result so much more light and sun shine through.  Fall has beauty and vulnernability all rolled into one.

My favorites about our NY Fall 2012 have been the toasty cuddling at home with my boys, forest bike rides, nature walks, watching the boys jump around in leaf piles, Mommy & Jax time exploring the Chautauqua area while Taj enjoys his pre preschool, our friend play dates and get-togethers.  The harvest wine tasting, nights out and partying with Brad, and wearing leggings, jeggings, Uggs, and comfy sweaters!  Did I mention how much of a fan I am of Fall/ Winter clothing?  I just might like it more than Spring/ Summer fashions!!  Shocker, right?! My favorite is the frost-free down fill vests!  Never got to wear those in Southern California!  Keeps your chest warm but your arms free, loooove this!  And a surprise to many, I have turned into a wino and coffee drinker!  A nice glass of fine red wine compliments any meal, especially before, during, and after you cook it! LOL  As far as coffee drinks go, there's nothing like going through a drive-thru Starbucks, and sipping on a warm Chai Latte in 30-40 degree weather (Fahrenheit).  Soups, teas, and hot dishes even seem to taste better when temperatures cool outside.  Have you ever noticed that?  [insert the aroma of crock pot cooking] and it feels like Fall!

This past month our tummies have found FIVE restaurants/ cafes to indulge in over and over:  Coppola's Pizzeria (for our weekly calzones, and occasional pizza), Jones 212 Bakery for delicious homemade breakfast/ lunch specials, Ryder's Cup cafe for those aromatic coffee drinks and juices, Phoenix Palace chinese food, and our favorite date night hot spot Forte in Jamestown (they even have a sushi menu!)  Obviously not an extensive list of dining options as in California, but we think quality beats out quantity anyway :)

As far as our daily life goes, we continue to have the same schedule as in California.  Mommy & Me classes, storytimes at the library, and a pre preschool Play Group at the YMCA that Taj attends 1-2x a week.  We have just as many friends (if not more) and playdates.  The main difference is we have less car time, drive time, and NO time spent sitting in traffic.  The time spent sitting in a car driving in traffic in CA, is now spent more efficiently having fun and playing outdoors!  I also cook more.  (Sing with me......"Call me a gourmet chef maybe......baby,") but seriously, I have made some pretty damn good meals from scratch! The boys play more.....whether inside (hooray! for our fancy baby gate at the stairwell!),  or outside.  We continue to be social butterflies.  Who would have thought a small town could be so jam packed with events, parties, and exclusive clubs (not the techno bar kind, but the platform tennis club, book club, mommy club, country club, and wine club kind).  There's something for every member of the family.  There's always someone to hang out with, someone's house to get together at and celebrate something, anything, and you don't even need a reason....

Here are some more photos of our 5th month:

Josh's 40th Birthday

Spending time with Grandpa and Grandma Grover

our last lake bonfire at our house:

the kids dancing up a storm

Daddy working on the house (painting in this photo) as the boys watch and admire

another rosy red sunset (in November)..... i must have thousands of sunset photos by now!

The 'White Stuff'

"Mommmmmy, what's this white stuff?"

That is uh, ice....... frost...... oh my gosh, could it be snow?  Little bit (and I mean little bit) of snow one minute, gone the next! That's how long it lasted! LOL  ha ha

Needless to say, last Tuesday, we got so excited to wake up to partially snow covered rooftops that we just had to put on our snazzy new snow clothes and head outside to explore the season's first "white stuff".  I can't really call it snow, because it wasn't thick enough to cover the grass or trees...... and it melted pretty fast!     I call it a winter tease!!!  We are SO anxious to get our first snowfall!!

Look carefully, or you just may miss the "white stuff"!

Catching little snowflakes!

Come on snow!  Make your debut, already!! Thanksgiving is in just 2 short days, and we'd like to start playing in snow starting December!  And we'd especially like to have to a WHITE Christmas!!!

Backyard Fun Part II - Fall 2012

We are having the most wonderful November thus far!  Beautiful cool weather, even more nature walks, swinging at the park, playtime in the backyard, and we've managed to sneak in family bike rides almost every weekend!

Jax pushing Taj on the truck....

Taj gathering "fire wood"

Taj now pushing Jax in the car .....

Piggy back rides:

my love bug

Taj playing football with daddy, look at how well he catches the ball!: