Saturday, November 24, 2012

Camp Lazlo

Camp-Lazlo-cartoon-tv-05.jpg


One of the shows Sasha used to watch on Cartoon Network was Camp Lazlo.....  it brought back memories of my time as a camper and later working as a lifeguard etc. at Camp Lackawanna.  It does seem like quite a while ago since I've seen it, which is explained by the fact that it ran only from 2005 though 2008;  see more details here  -->  Camp Lazlo.  My favorite camper is definitely Raj, the elephant (above, with the propeller fez).

The YouTube video below is the episode I happen to remember best.....  probably because I had a retainer and enjoy canoeing.  It certainly makes me laugh a lot!  Hope you too have pleasant memories of this show!!


Saturday, November 17, 2012

One Year Anniversary

On November 11, we passed the 1-year anniversary since starting "Carroll Boys".  Over the past year, nothing especially dramatic has happened.  Sometimes that's a good thing, but to recognize this milestone here is a brief retrospective.

  • Sasha - You turned 15, and in fact will be 16 in a few weeks.  You finished 9th grade, enjoy fishing in warmer weather and air soft gun "stuff" in cooler weather.  You seem to like your 10th grade class schedule (no Spanish!) and particularly are enjoying Economics with Mr. Belles.  Over time, I notice you spending more time out with friends (including Gage, Steven, and Jason).  I think that mid-teens are a challenging stage of life, as you are very much "in between" being a child and an adult.  Are you feeling receptive to guidance from grown-ups?  As a general suggestion, try to remember that everyone has a different point of view and be respectful of other people's perspectives and feelings. 
                                                          Airsoft : Cartoon Boy and Girl play airsoft guns

  • Brock - You turned 10, and have now finished 3rd grade.  You say you don't especially like your 4th grade homeroom teacher, Mrs. Przybyla, however do like your science teacher Mrs. Bonomo.  Regardless, school is going well and you have become quite a reader (this week, you finished "The Hunger Games").  It's great that you are enjoying Cub Scouts - and were away for a week at Camp Acahela!  And soccer too....  You have some nice friendships, for example with Adam, Bryce, and Kyle.  Earlier this year, you remarked that if I were a goddess I should be the goddess of families (what a wonderful compliment!).  Remember that your entire family is important and that you are loved & appreciated.
                                                                    
                                                                
  • Tiger - Since moving here in January, Tiger put the finishing touch on making our house a true "home".  Tiger is so very social and affectionate, always wanting to be held (and fed too!).  After we returned from our Delaware vacation, Sterling's aunt mentioned that Tiger had been howling at the front window in our absence.  He likes it when anyone dangles kitty feathers and other toys for him.  Besides the food/water bowl area in the kitchen, some of Tiger's favorite spots are looking out the front screen door and porch window, perching on the laundry room window sill overlooking the back yard, your gaming chair, any surface with a blanket or other soft items to lie on, and sleeping at the bottom of beds (where he gets annoyed if his companion sleeper rolls over).  He is our best boy - and here is a recent picture of him freshly bathed with a bow provided by Grooming Cottage:


  • Steve - Steve is very connected with us, and interested in the two of you as well as (of course!) his three girls.  We have dinners and outings together on a regular basis.  When Steve arrives at Sharpe Street, Tiger immediately begins meowing as he knows petting will commence shortly.  Steve has been quite busy with work, occasional travel including trips to West Chester where Becca has been at college, and frequent postings on NCFE.  "Carroll Boys" would not exist without his effort to create the blog and ongoing encouragement.  It also helps a lot that Steve keeps electronics in good repair including our computer, printer, Brock's iPod, etc!  Over the summer, Steve was recognized on a local TV channel for publishing NCFE.....  you may be interested in linking to the video below:

             WBRE - Blog of the Week

As "Carroll Boys" carries forward into Year 2, I still find it enjoyable and worthwhile.  Thank you to Grammie and Grandad, and especially Steve, for interest in it and more importantly for caring about us.  It is lovely to walk together on the path of life.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Our Neighborhood

This morning I've been thinking about our pleasant town, Wyoming, and decided to write a short post about the kids you are growing up with here......  Dad and I live only about 2 blocks apart, so our neighborhood encompasses both 7th Street / Monument Avenue, as well as Sharpe Street.  In no particular order:

Around Dad's house:
  • Keith and Kynia, immediately next door
  • Matt and Josh, next to the back alley.  We've gone picnicking, swimming, fishing and sledding with these boys.
  • Carlisle, across the street.  Carlisle has played with Brock, and is also in Cub Scouts with him.
  • Bryce, when he's visiting is Aunt's house and more recently has been a pal who Brock runs around with during Wyoming Area football games.
  • Alli,when she's at her Dad's house (a former sweetheart of Sasha's)
  • Leah and Jenna.  Jenna loves a man with a vehicle i.e, 3 year-old Brock when he as riding the electric dump truck.
  • Aaron and Olivia.  Aaron and Sasha used to practice catching & throwing baseballs in the back yard with Aaron's Dad Tim.
Around Mom's house:
  • Kyle, Ashley, Emily, Natalie and baby Tyler, next to the side alley.  Kyle is in 10th grade with Sasha.  Ashley is in 4th grade with Brock.  Emily and Natalie like coming over for bananas, candy, etc.  And, to Brock's dismay, to play PlayStation and DSI games when the opportunity arises.
  • Sadie, immediately next door.  Brock and I have occasionally enjoyed Sadie's back-yard pool, and you boys were thrilled with her trampoline (until Sadie's cousin Sean broke his wrist jumping on the trampoline with Sasha and Kyle - after which the trampoline was taken down).
  • Alex and Jeremy, next door on the other side.  Jeremy is also known as "JP" or, unfortunately "Jermy".
  • Jocelyn aka "Jocie" and Kyra, who used to live at Jermy's house.  Jocie is also in 4th grade with Brock.  And Kyra is in 2nd grade, and was quite a character as a pre-schooler i.e, used to get in trouble playing the hose in the backyard, stealing rakes and attempting to run away.
  • Sterling, next to Alex and Jermy.  Sterling is the friendliest "big" kid, and is seen walking all over town.  He used to spend a lot of time with us e.g,. playing PlayStation, Nerf gun battles, and jumping into Sadie's pool with Brock - both of you fully clothed.
Along the road of life, you will make many friends.  But the kids you're growing up with are extra-special, and I do hope you'll have many good memories of them.

Friday, November 9, 2012

October Drama plus Pictures

As an update on what's been happenin' lately....

Hurricane Sandy:  Last week, we were fortunate to have a relatively light brush with effects of Hurricane Sandy.  .....although Brock did manage to get our Ikea blue & yellow umbrella blown inside out(!)  The wind was fierce, but rain was not so bad.  In the metro Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, there were minimal issues with power outages - in fact, we never lost power.  You boys missed 2 days of school, which isn't bad compared to some local districts that closed Monday-Friday (you were sorry last week, but will probably be happy about it come June!).  It was very, very different in New Jersey, where many of my co-workers live (some of whom lost power for over a week and are having to wait in long lines for gas).  You may have noticed some early morning and evening emails & phone calls, as Steve and I tried to get information out to people we work with.  By the end of the week, I was very glad that things were almost back to normal.

Halloween:  This year for Halloween, Brock dressed as a Spartan - and picked out the image below showing armor & sword just like his costume.  Brock wore his costume to the October cub scout pack meeting.  When Halloween did arrive, we went trick-or-treating with Dad, after rehearsing the Halloween verse:
     "Witches, ghosts and goblins, Walking down the street.  Knock on every doorway, "Trick or Treat".
We also heard this joke:
     "What did the abominable snowman give to the vampire?  'Frost bite!'"
Lately, there are very few houses where kids have to have to sing, do a trick, tell a joke etc. in exchange for candy.  There are also lots more people giving out healthy stuff like pretzels - eek!


Norse Gods:  We are now reading the D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths.  Am not certain I pronounce many names correctly, but we do enjoy the stories.  You boys especially like troublemaker Loki (pictured below).  We had a big laugh about the Vanir beheading the wise Mimir, and sending his head to Asgard.  Odin brought Mimir's head back to life, then kept it around for future consultations.  And you guys love the idea of Valhalla where warriors spend the after-life fighting all day, then feasting all night after re-attaching various severed parts.  We have lots of interesting stories to go!



Some Recent Pictures
  • Steve and I visited Grammy and Grandad last month.  We had a lovely time at Longwood Gardens, which you probably think is incredibly boring.  Longwood Gardens was originally an estate owned by the du Pont family.  You can read about the owner here  -->  Pierre du Pont  ...  sound familiar?  The du Pont family started a gunpowder mill in the early 1800's, and it has since become a huge chemical company.  Steve took many beautiful pictures, including the next two below.

                I went to Longwood Gardens as a girl and remember these sculpted bushes. 

                                          Grammie especially liked the waterlilies.

                                          And here's all of us "old folks"!
  • Last, here are some of my pictures.....  our house at Sharpe Street on a pretty fall day.




Hurricane Sandy brought down the last of the pretty leaves, and now it's on to November.  Holiday time is coming up before long!