She walks!

To view the June 2009 photo album, click here.

After much anticipation and a lot of hard work, our girls finally took their first steps.

First, Jordan decided that this crawling business was for the birds. I think she finally got sick of the dirty knees, getting trampled by the dogs and having to look up all the time. Just like the posters depicting man's journey through evolution, she became erect, stood on two legs and started putting one foot in front of the other with 100% independance. After a few shaky days, she was off and running LITERALLY! The transformation inside of one week is mind boggling. Now that she's been at it for almost three weeks, it would seem as if she has been doing this for months and months. AMAZING! We can see her improvement day by day. Tonight, she walked along side Stephen as he rolled the garbage cans out to the end of our driveway. Last week she couldn't make it to the end of the driveway with me as I held her hand! Again, AMAZING!

Next it was our neice Kalyn's turn to make her deput as a highschool graduate. Even though we weren't there to see her take those first steps, Uncle Mike provided the photographic proof that she she walked confidently across the stage to take what was rightfully hers - her diploma. Her plans include college at Methodist U in Fayette, NC with the help of a scholarship to play college softball. Her parents are extremely proud, and I understand a little sad to see her go. It certainly will be exciting to watch her continue to grow.

In spite of a cool, and rainy June, summer has come to the North Country. Even though the air feels cool, its warm enough for shorts - so I guess it's not that cool. The evenings are long enough to go outside after dinner for a little horseplay before showers and bedtime. Man, I wish we could have more of that! We had a nice visit from Uncle Mike, and the weather cooperated for an outdoor campfire and sleep out. Daddy and Jake slept out in a tent, while mommy, Jordan and Uncle Mike enjoyed the comforts of home inside. Jake loved it, and Stephen loved it because Jake loved it so much. The gardens are coming along. I've started cutting lettuce and pulling green onions. We've hilled up the potatoes once, and I trimmed the blossoms from the garlic. Tomato plants have been staked and tied, beans have sprouted and the broccoli heads will start to appear any day now.

The month ended on a very sweet note. Jake, Jordan and I met a girlfriend from highschool and her family at the Paul Smith's VIC. I hadn't seen Kristen (Wilson) Updegrove since before graduation (17 yrs ago). We reconnected on Facebook and she mentioned that her family vacations in Lake Placid. We worked out the details and it turned out to be a wonderful treat. She and her husband have a beautiful family and it was great fun getting to know them, and catching up with Kristen all at the same time.

We have lots in store for July. National holidays, weddings, vacations, camping, swimming lessons, picnics, boating, summer projects and other appointments have my calendar completely cluttered up. Not a bad list of To Do's if you ask me. Happy Birthday goes out to Aunt Julie, Grandma Kolb, Mattie-moo, and Jeremiah Howard, and Happy 9th Anniversary to Stephen and me. Hope you all get out and enjoy the sunshine. Take care.

To view the June 2009 photo album, click here.

Boat For Sail

Just in time for summer, this 15' Newport beauty is in 'ready to launch' condition. You'll have no problem reaching your favorite waterway with this trailer. Sailboat has a zippy disposition and is great fun for a day sail. Package includes sloop rigging, jib & main sales and trailer. Asking $1,000 Or will trade for 2 tandem Kayaks Or comparable offer. Contact (315) 265-4233. Boat viewable by roadside or by appointment in Parishville, New York.

Close encounters with the wild kind

Mrs. Manning invited us to share a precious moment with Jake and the rest of us one Spring morning in June. This fawn decided to take a cat nap in her back yard. First spotted by Mr. Manning as he let his dogs out in the morning, the fawn laid curled up there for hours. As we made our way towards it, the fawn hardly flinched a muscle for several minutes. At first sight, it looked to me like a large cat curled up in the grass. Jake didn't have any reservations. He stomped right up to it, as if it was one of grammi's baby farm animals. Just before it came into reach, the fawn decided he'd had enough and teetered off into the woods. Enjoy a clip of the video I captured!

Summer Reading

I promised myself I would read this summer in place of watching reruns of last season's prime time TV. There have been 2 books on my nightstand since just before Jordan was born (yes, more than 12 months now) and I decided to tackle them first.

The lighter of the two turned out to be an absolute treat. "A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly (Amazon.com permalink http://amzn.com/0152053107) is dubbed a young adult novel, but I enjoyed its light, uncluttered language with a clear description of tougher times than any of us can remember. The book is set in the Adirondacks with descriptions of the hotels and great camps that we fantisize about still today. A subplot is based on a real murder mystery whichs adds authenticity to the whole experience. I feel that all women can identify with the lead character, Mattie Gokey, as she faces the rest of her life with the decisions she makes at sixteen. I purchased two copies of this book from a craft show at Clarkson. The author's mother was a vendor at the show, and I felt a connection with it's title and cover almost immediately. I gave one copy to Alice for a xmas gift, and the other waited patiently for me to get to. Now that I've finished it, I'm going to pass it on to my Grandma Roth. She doesn't know it's coming, I think she'll enjoy it, as well.

It's good to be reading again. With all the hustle bustle, it seems to be one of the first habits I let go (writing being a close second) when faced with constrained time and energy. I'm going to start on the second book while the momentum is strong, and I am hoping to share my reactions to it at its conclusion. Stay tuned...

warning :)

This came from my mom and I thought it was hilarious given Jacob’s upcoming assignment!  Enjoy!

 

Children in Church

 

A little boy was in a relative's wedding. 

 As he was coming down the aisle, he would take two steps,

stop, and turn to the crowd.

    While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar.

     So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle.

As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard

by the time he reached the pulpit.

When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said,

"I was being the Ring Bear."

 

Great Job Kalyn!

Late breaking news!  Kalyn headlines the Section III win write up.  Check it out at http://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/news/article/5903977509169772169/liverpool-wins-class-aa-softball-title/  We are so proud of you! 

 

Update for May 2009

To view the photo album from May 2009, click here

The weather was slow to warm in May. Bound and determined to expand my gardening space, we built four more raised beds - this time trying the Square Foot Gardening Method complete with manufactured growing medium and the whole bit. The concept is simple. Condense the amount of space you need to grow things by utilizing every square foot according to the plants growing needs. The raised bed gives the plants a little extra warmth, and we fill the boxes with 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost. It's a concept we've been experimenting with the last few years, and have decided it's the only way to go with our northern climate and limited space.

I really pushed to have everything planted 'on time' or by Memorial Day. When the big day arrived, there was frost in the forecast so I waited a few more days before sticking the last of the tomatoe and pepper plants in. We had another week of cool days which didn't help anything, but nothing died and they are just standing by waiting for warm air in order to take off. I still have things to plant - basil, celery, yellow squash, beens, pumpkins and the rest of the annual seedlings that I started which I have to say were a collosal dissapointment. A lot of work for a very small return. I guess we are all a little spoiled by the gorgeous plants you can buy from the green house. Probably just do that next year. I am very pleased with the vegetable seedlings and will definately do that again next year. We have plenty of tomatoe and peppers coming, and the potatoes will be a hoot as well.

The kids 'help' when they can. Otherwise they are busy playing in the new sand box Stephen made for them. It is such a joy to watch the two of them play, and what is really nice is that Jordan can play in the sand box without eating the sand (a feat Jacob did not accomplish until he was at least 3). She forgets once in a while and slips in a taste, but nothing like her brother would have done at her age. They play really well together and then she lets me know when she's had enough. The other day she actually crawled to the stroller and started to climb in - as if to say "Ok I'm ready for our walk now".

We've been exploring the great outdoors. We are learning about butterflies, bumble bees and humming birds. This is the first season Jacob really seems to grasp their being there and has an interest in their activity. We have a hummingbird feeder near the butterfly porch and he has become keenly aware of their comings and goings - to the point that he is almost able to recognize them as male or female. Pretty cool! We've been walking to the local beaver flow a couple of times a week. This is fun for Jacob because he can throw rocks in the water. It is fun for mommy, because we can see the brook trout making their way up stream in the water that runs along the roadside. I try to point them out to him, and he says he sees them - but I don't think he sees them. He would much rather I let him run in the water which I have refrained from doing since I saw there are fish in there. We've captured a frog, and a really large ugly black bug and viewed a snake up close. I hate snakes, Stephen hates snakes - and guess what Jake likes snakes. This should get interesting! He is also over his shyness around worms, and now talks to them as if they are pets. Cracks me up!

Jordan is still teetering. She wants to walk and she can walk, but I think her little legs and feet lack the strength and confidence to take care of the rest. She has spurts throughout the day where she takes several steps at a time. Then the rest of the day she makes her way across the floor like the baby on the Simpsons. I'm still fine with it, but Stephen and Mrs. Manning get really anxious about her walking status. So much so, they have Jake saying "Look mommy, she is doing her walking part!" No idea what walking part is, but that's Jake. She is getting so great at expressing herself. She waves and says "bye bye", she says 'haye" to greet us, she points to her belly and says "beye, beye, ..." She says momma, dadda, and a bunch of other things. I think she is much more verbal than Jake at this age. I guess its due to all the talking that goes on around here now vs when he was this age.

We had a great day at the park in Liverpool with Mom, Dad, Michael and Matthew. Jacob was talking about going to "the Syracuse park" again for days and nights, until we went to see THOMAS!!! Thomas the Train was in North Creek and I didn't do a whole lot of prep with him, just in case something prevented us from going or so he wouldn't get distracted from the other things we had going on. Consequently I think he was in awe the entire day and for days after. There was a train ride, and he got meet Sir Topham Hat and they had Thomas trains set up for the kids to play with. He was in heaven! The weather was nice and we all had a great time.

I know we are well into June now. Dad's birthday is Monday and Father's Day follows shortly after. I am so thankful the days have warmed this week - it was actually warm enough to put water in the new water table Jordan got from Patty & Marie for her birthday. They both love it. Jordan thought it was a wadding pool at first, but she has gotten better about that and they both love suttling in the water.

Its supposed to be a beautiful weekend. Stephen is off to work bee at Stony Brook tomorrow, and we are going to meet him in there for a trail side lunch and wild life exploration. Hopefully the bugs won't be too thick. Poor Jordan already looks like she has the measles! Hope everybody has a great month and we'll look forward to checking in with you again in July!

April Perry Blog Update

To all those interested, there are updates and new pictures available now at http://adkmountainside.blogspot.com/.  Hope you enjoy, and keep the comments coming.  We enjoy the feedback.  –The Perry’s

 

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Click to see April 2009 Photo Album

It amazes me how our landscape changes over the course of 30 days, and April really pushes the envelope. The month greeted us with 4 inches of snow, and by its close we are getting ready to cut grass. The month has offered warm balmy days, alongside bitter cool days. All the same, the outlook has turned from brown to green. Buds are peaking. birds are chirping, worms are squirming and green stems are emerging. How very exciting!

April was Jordan's month. We were very busy getting ready for her 1st birthday - shopping, planning, practicing, and cleaning. Then we were busy celebrating with 3 separate events. The festivities started with a visit from Grammi & Grandpa Page. They brought a cozy coup and we had pizza. Jordan took it all in stride, enjoying it as she does most other things. Jacob was ever anxious to help blow candles and open presents. To think a year ago, we couldn't pay him to open a present. We again celebrated her special day among the four of us with a cake and candles (yes we did the mess all over again). Finally, we wrapped things up with a brunch in Lockport where we again gave her a cake to dive in to. All of this was lots of fun for mom - as I got to dress her up that many times.

We enjoyed seeing everyone in WNY. Matthew turned 2 and we celebrated with a wind whipped back yard party at David & Molly's. Their place looks great, and it was a blast to watch the kids play.

The Easter bunny brought a bike to Jacob. Since he could walk, he has had a fascination with bikes. Every time we see a bike parked by a store he wants to climb on. Every time we see someone riding a bike, he gawks until they are out of site. I have been avoiding the entire outdoor section of our Walmart for months so to prevent the tantrums that result from wanting to ride the bikes in the store. He has gotten to be proficient at peddling (both tricycle and tractor), and the MacWilliams girls both ride bikes. So mommy thought it was time for Jacob to have his own bike. Wrong! It was not love at first site. The new addition was greeted with tears and screaming about not wanting to get on. We recovered from that, and are comfortable with pushing it but the tractor is still the favorite. I can rarely get him to take it with us on our walks. We took it to the park, and he can ride it on the asphalt there. Couple times around, and he is done. He is much more interested in other things than that bike right now. Stay tuned to see how that changes over the course of the summer.

Jordan is growing in leaps & bounds. We are calling her Cathy because of the likeness to her aunt. It is uncanny. As much as we think Jacob looks like Uncle Mike, now we think Jordan looks like Aunt Cathy. It was pretty much the general consensus when we were in Lockport last week, that neither of my kids bare any physical resemblance to me or my side of the family whatsoever! Jordan is talking all the time - constant babble is coming out of her mouth, with the occasional 'mamamama' and the latest 'cou' which sounds a lot like 'cool'. She repeats it back to you which is a lot of fun. She is not walking under her own power, which is causing all kinds of stress for dad. I'm fine with it; because I know all too well what happens after they start walking on their own.

I signed Jacob up for Headstart for the fall. We visited the classroom early in April and for a lot of reasons I believe it will be a great thing for him. I'm sure he will teach them a thing or two, but there will be lots of opportunity for him to learn from all of them which is what is best for him.

We are digging into the gardens this year - big time! I've got dozens of tomato and pepper plants coming in the basement. We are building more raised beds. I have onion seedlings and seed potatoes en route. And we aren't having any babies or running for any offices this year, so I should be able to stick with it for the season :). The bounty should be plenty.

Lots of birthdays and celebrations in May. Most important is Mother’s Day. We love you mom and grandmom’s! Happy Birthday Uncle Mike, Alice and me! Happy Anniversary Chas & Mike, and Paul & Patsy. Grandma Mayhew would have been 93 on the 7th – we miss you Gram!

Click to see April 2009 Photo Album

Amish Friendship Bread

This comes to me from my mom.  I made my first batch today.  I have to put vanilla instant pudding on the grocery list because it is not something I usually stock.  I tried chocolate pudding instead – so we’ll see.  If I run into you, I’m likely to leave ‘a starter’ with you!  J

Amish Friendship Bread

The Recipe

Important Note: Don't use metal spoons or equipment. Do not refrigerate. Use only glazed ceramic or plastic bowls or containers.

Required Main Ingredient

1 cup live yeast starter

day 1:

Do nothing with the starter.

days 2-5:

Stir with a wooden spoon.

day 6:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon.

days 7-9:

Stir with a wooden spoon.

Day 10:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends. To the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

For its location on the web, and MANY variation ideas, go to http://www.armchair.com/recipe/bake002.html

 

Happy Birthday Jordan!

Jordan Teresa Perry celebrates her 1^st birthday on Monday, April 13, 2009.  To take a pictorial tour of her first year, click to view her photo album here. 

 

We love you, Jordan! 

 

Regressions!

This is what we woke up to this morning.  I bet Patsy doesn’t miss this!

 

Spring emerges!

No bells & whistles this month. I'm having difficulty with my Internet connection so pictures are not uploading very smoothly. It's scheduled to be fixed shortly, but in the mean time I must wait - which I hate to do. I hope to put together a 1st yr album for Jordan prior to her birtday. Watch for the announcement. In the meantime, enjoy March's pictures here March 2009

In this last month before she turns one, Jordan has decided to go vertical. By that, I mean she climbs anything she can hoist her leg up onto. Let’s see – she has climbed onto the couch, Jacob’s toddler bed, the second level of Jacob’s firehouse, and the kids snack table. She tries to get her leg up over the side of the tub and also up onto my bed. Her other most favorite trick right now is to lean into the toilet bowl and swish – as if she is trying to catch a gold fish. She is so quick – she gets right in there elbow deep before I can stop her. Jacob is actually pretty good at reminding me. “Mommy did you put the lid down?” he’ll ask. Her front teeth are all very prominent and she is growing a healthy crop of hair. The little pony tail on top is the only thing that keeps it out of her eyes for the entire day. If I do barrettes or clips, they just slide right out. She is a pretty good sport about it – by that I mean doesn’t pull them out. She is quite the wrestler though so I must be a fast beautician if I want anything in there at all.

It has taken 6 months, but I think Jacob finally decided he isn’t two anymore. It’s like all of a sudden this month he decided he was ready to do many ‘3 yr old type things’. His pottying is A LOT BETTER. Certainly not a 100% but it is not such a fight every time, and he is even going unprompted. This is extremely exciting for all three of us, because it has been ONE LONG & BUMPY journey. He has decided he doesn’t need a sippy cup, he has figured out he doesn’t need to be buckled into his seat at the table, he hasn’t thrown cups/plates/silverware off the table in weeks, and he is even buckling himself into the carseat. He has quite a bit of trouble staying on task for things like putting his clothes on in the morning and making his bed. It’s not that he can’t do it, it’s that he chooses not to until I nearly lose my mind. He is excited about the nicer weather. I told him (one time) that the snow being in our driveway this late in the season was ridiculous. Now every time we go out there he says ‘ this snow is rediculus’. He can’t quite figure out what Spring is all about. I tell him Spring is coming, and he asks me “Is Spring going to talk to us?”. I tell him the birds tell us about Spring, and he kinda just looks away. Today we were out digging in the garden and I was finding worms for him. He was a bit more squeamish with them than he was last year, which surprised me. He has claimed one of my raised beds as his. He has pretty much emptied the dirt out with his snow shovel, and has commenced to playing in it like a giant sand box. So I guess no green peppers this year!

We are back to doing our walks whenever we can. No more power walks for mommy because I have Mr. Pokey man. He drags the tractor or the tricycle all the way and makes lots of stops for exploration and horseplay. He has gotten quite good at zooming down the hills in our road and he loves tethering the dogs to whatever he has for a vehicle. The wagon is out of commission in need of a new support bar (daddy ran into it this winter) and a lost nut on the rear wheel. This is extremely dramatic and we have to check on it at least once a day. We also have to check on the ski-doo. “Mommy, you wanna go look at the escapade?” To which I respond, “Sure, bud. Love to.” All the while, Jordan is our smiling observant. Always watching, always pleasant. Rarely a peep – except when Jacob tips the stroller over into a snow bank and then leaves her there. “Hey mommy – look what I did with Jordan.” He tells me with this funny little smile while I’m out of ear range of her cries. I’m like, “what do you mean did with her?” Never a dull moment, I’m always on the move with that kid!

We had quite a scare with Sienna this past month. Dad noticed a lump in her side when he was here in February. The vet said it was a tumor and it had to be removed and biopsied before we could know more. The great news was we had it removed without incident, and the test for cancer came back negative. She had a bit of a hiccup in her recovery about a week after the surgery, but she seems to be over that – eating normally again, and playing hard with Morgan. We are very thankful, and looking forward to having our healthy, low-maintenance dogs again. I now have Morgan on high priority with a lamb & rice diet, sprinkled with Fish Oil once a day. She is on systemic antibiotics and topical medication in her ears. The dog has chronic ear issues and I’m hoping with the above described combo we can nip it in the bud (again). Stay tuned.

I made my seed order and they should be arriving any day. I ordered bunches of stuff so will be busy. I’m rather pleased with the garlic shoots coming up – I count 80. We have plans to build more raised beds and I’m going to give the Square Foot Gardner methods a try. Quite an upfront investment, but hopefully worthwhile if it works. You’ll note pictures depicting signs of spring. Guess I couldn’t help myself as it is my favorite time of year and never before have I had the ambition to capture it.

Next month will mean a 1st birthday for Jordan, Easter bunny and visits from Grammi & Grampi. We will be going west for Matthew’s bday at the end of the month. You may note I have posted the kids clothing sizes in a permanent location on the blog page. The idea being that if you are preparing to buy them clothing for a gift, you can look at the blog for their current size and not have to guess or check in with me. I will update it seasonally to be sure the information stays relevant.

February News

Please note - there are two picture albums this month:

February 2009 follows the standard format and features miscellaneous pictures of the kids and our activities in February.

Mudroom Project - February 2009 is dedicated to showing a blow by blow of our project this past month. Some folks will be more interested in this one than others, and I certainly understand if you don't want to view all 150+ pictures in this album. We are very proud of the product of our work and wanted to show it to those interested.

To enjoy a walk through of the new mudroom, click

For me, February is the most dreaded month of the year. Typically the coldest, it seems winter will never end. Valentines day rarely provides any relief from the doldrums of the day to day grind during this month. For many years, I 'got through' February by looking forward to the time Stephen & I would spend snowmobiling on the weekends.

This year, February seemed somewhat unusual. Yes, we still had the cold and snow. However, the days seem to be getter longer and the sun feels slightly warmer in the afternoon. These are refreshing signs that the winter, while certainly not over, are waining.

A departure from the norm was the pace in which things seemed to happen this February. My meetings, the passing of Stephen's grandmother, and dad's 8 day stay with us - now seem like a blur.

Dad stayed with us for over a week to ‘hammer out’ the mudroom. Literally, he worked around the clock – sleeping for just 1 or 2 hours at a time, most of the week. He set a pace that I could not keep up with, and Stephen struggled as well. At one point Stephen said to me when referring to Dad, “He’s like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going.” Having done hours & hours of work before he even arrived, the truck came loaded with custom made trim and cabinetry. Before it could go up, we had to finish electrical, heating, studding, drive wall, carpet & paint. It was an amazing accomplishment given the fact that Dad was working with half a crew (or none at all at times). My biggest contributions was running to the store, running after the kids and running the stove. It was a lot of hard work and one tough week, but the product of the work will be enjoyed for a lifetime – literally. The mudroom will suit the needs of our growing family for as long as it needs a mudroom. When the kids are gone, I’ll use the cubbies for canning jars or something! Anyway, it’s beautiful. A great improvement to the house overall and will be enjoyed by everyone (especially me) for years to come. We owe it all to Dad (and mom for putting up with no dad for 8 days). Thank you!

Jordan has been pushing teeth this month (6 in all now)– so we’ve been subject to islands of fussiness. The good thing is she seems to respond well to Tylenol, so I keep giving it to her. She is eating from a plate on her own, and she pretty much chows with the rest of us. I found she loves canned pineapple which is a welcomed addition to her limited choice of fruits.

Jake enjoyed playing ‘catch-up’ with Victoria & Edward while they were here. He loved having Pappa here, especially the time saved for wrestling. Pappa showed all kinds of new tricks and convinced him that ‘seyister’ is Spanish for sister. Whatever!

I made a couple of other posts earlier this month, so I guess that's it for now. I am planning to start seeds in the basement to get a kick start to a good garden this year. Haven't ordered yet from the seed catalogues, so how am I doin? Time to get it in gear because Spring is on it's way!

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9 month visit a breeze

Jordan had her 9 month inspection today. She weighs 20 lbs 12 oz, and is 28 1/4" long. Her growth has slowed way down. She ranks at the 75 percentile, sliding from 100 percentile last time we saw the doctor. Dr. Dewar didn't bat an eye. He said "you'll probably remember from before, babies slow down in growth rates at different times". I said "No, I don't remember, because Jacob has never slowed down so I thought that was the standard." He chuckled one of his chuckles and said "oh yeah, I forgot." I talked to him about her nursing, or lack of - and again said keep doing what you are doing, she is well nurished. Stephen's take was - well it's kind nice not having an oversized kid to contend with, and I tend to agree with him. Anyway, the most notable thing about our appointment is that Dr. Dewar is leaving the practice!!! This is very sad news for me, because I have been extremely happy with his care and will miss him dearly. He is like the old fashioned family doctor that doesn't seem to exist anymore. Plus it means change for us - and I don't want the headache. One plus is that we will see him again before he leaves (for Jordan's 12 month apt), and it sounds like we can stay with Dr. Bero, my doctor. Which is ok, I guess, just not my first choice! Poo, huu - pout!

In Loving Memory

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Stephen's maternal grandmother, Marion Mayhew today, February 5, 2009. Her health had been declining for several months following a stroke early in 2008. She would have been 93 this coming May. I have many found memories of Gram. She welcomed me into the family as if I was one of her grandchildren. She had great stories about when she was raising a family on the farm. Her beutiful hand work will be missed. I am so grateful for the sweater set she made for Jordan just before the stroke left her unable to continue. I will miss her phone calls and her beautiful spirit.

Greetings from the frozen tundra...

Check the January 2009 album. To help minimize download time, I’ve removed the albums from previous months. You can always visit them by following the Perry Web Albums link found in the side bar of this blog.

January has nearly come and gone, and it looks about the same outside as it did in early December. We are under many layers of snow and ice, not having a significant thaw since the snow started in November. Stephen has logged more than 40 hours on the tractor from plowing the driveway this season alone. He is finally throwing in the towel, and buying a full size plow for the Tahoe. It is being put on as I write this - just in time for a 2-day snow storm that has kept the kids and I housebound (once again). I feel like this has been one of the coldest winters in a long time. This month brought SEVERAL days in a row that the thermometer didn't get above zero! Poor Jake, he puts his nose to the window and begs to 'go out'. When I tell him we can't, he starts climbing the walls (literally) - driving the rest of us insane with him.

January has brought one unexpected delight. I have discovered Facebook. Mike Perry introduced it to me, and I signed on not really thinking it would be useful to me, but thought it might be handy to keep in touch with the young adults in our family who are graduating and moving on with their lives. Well - an unexpected benefit has been a reconnection with dozens of other people who are on Facebook, namely many of my classmates from high school. It has been wonderful to take a peek at the lives of folks I haven't spoken to in nearly (can you believe it?) 17 years!! So good to hear from Doreen, Elaine, and Sheri and Danielle! OMG! We are all mothers now - which I find an absolute hoot! I am really excited about keeping in touch and hopeful they all are too. For anyone not on Facebook, I highly recommend it. You would be absolutely amazed at who is on there!

Jordan, now in the final quarter of her 1st year (tearful whimper), is growing like a weed. She is getting increasingly sure footed. She makes her way hand over hand from one end of the couch, around the coffee table and to Jake's toy work bench on the other side of the room. She amuses herself for extremely long periods of time, going from one toy to another all the way around the room. She has started to pick up Jake's bad habit of clinging to my leg every time I sit down to the computer. Hope she drops that quicker than he did! Also, suddenly I’ve noticed she is becoming a better sleeper. She is going down at naps and bedtime with no trouble at all – so nice! She is still getting up multiple times during the night, but that even seems to be less troublesome than before. She is nearly done nursing (again, tearful whimper). Not sure if it’s me or her – but neither one of us seem to have much time for it anymore. Jake nursed until he was 12 months – so this is a little early. But I guess that’s the way it goes. She waves enthusiastically to new comers, and she tells us ‘soooooo bigggg’ with her hands over her head. She also started this head shaking thing, which I’m not sure what it means (if anything), but she thinks she is cool when she does it and we give her a reaction so she keeps doing it. She listens when Jake talks to her, and she tries her darndest to keep up. She climbs on him, grabs at him and wants to wrestle with him! Gives me a heart attack because let’s face it – we know how Jacob is! So far, only minor bumps and she keeps going back for more, so go figure. You’ll see in the pics – he loves to push her, and she loves to get pushed.

Jacob’s hair is getting long, and so are his legs. I feel like his paints are too short, and yet the waists fit fine. He is suddenly showing a little more interest in things like play dough, shaving crème, painting, coloring, and writing. Maybe because of the long winter days, or maybe he is getting old enough, but that is a fun development. He knows all the letters of the alphabet solid, and he is on his way to naming the first letter of words by sound. He will be reading long before kindergarten, I’m sure of it. Still not potty trained, and I was ready to divorce him last week after music class. The kid is absolutely unbelievable. Like we always say – when he is good, he is sooooooooooo good. When he’s not, run away! He has mastered the computer games I have for him, and the one Alice gave to him for xmas. He listens to his CD’s without end, and knows which songs are on which CDs by the picture or the color on the CD label. He tells us which ones he wants to listen too. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, sometimes he demands a different CD in order for him to go back to sleep. He tells us “the duck one” or “the bird one”. Ridiculous! He loves to help cook, and he actually helps me set the table for dinner. Today, he made his AND my bed as a surprise, while I was in the shower. Like I said, when he is good he is sooooooo good!

A stomach bug made its way through our house like a freight train. We all had it, so hopefully its behind us now. Stephen is back on days since the beginning of the year. He hates it, but taking it one day at a time. A nice bonus will be the extra in his pay check which is always appreciated. Next month, Dad is planning to be here to finish the mud room! We all can’t wait. Of course, we’ll send pictures. Take care and have a happy valentines!

This is what we do for fun these days...

Everyone has a blast as we make our way down the road. It's not fancy, but it works. Well, I guess that sled is pretty fancy. We just have to get the dogs some 'official' gear, and we'll be flying!

New Year's eve

I thought you’d enjoy this one Alice. We dressed the kids up and took them out on New Year’s eve to Deer Valley Trails. We had a nice dinner and lots of fun trying to keep Jacob contained. In an attempt to coax him into his best behavior, I told him he could have the Jello from Grandma Alice for desert when we got home (he and I made it earlier in the day). From the moment I told him that, he didn’t eat another thing at the restaurant. He didn’t even touch his entre of turkey and mashed potatoes. Once we got home, he ate 3 bowls of Jello. Jordan out ate him at the restaurant! That dickens! Cheers, hope you have a good one.