Christmas Day 2012

OK, so I have been neglecting "Carroll Boys".  It's true, and excuses like getting ready for Christmas and upcoming birthdays, my work schedule, etc. don't cut it.  Certain readers are getting quite annoyed with looking at the Camp Lazlo post....  So, finally here we are......  It's Christmas Day!  Here is an update on what we've been doing for the past few weeks.

Thanksgiving - Sasha, Steve and I spent an overnight with Grammie and Grandad for Thanksgiving.  It was very pleasant, including a long walk through Wyncote and neighboring town(s?)  Kyra and Lucy were glad to see us, and we enjoyed Grandad's grilled turkey and Grammie's apple and chocolate pies.  Yum!  Then on Saturday, we had a second Thanksgiving dinner with Brock.....  Italian-style, with penne a la vodka aka "pink stuff".

Lost and Found - While going through our winter gear to figure out what does/does not fit, there was an incredible "find".  Sasha's fly boxes, lost since last December, were zipped into inner pockets of his winter coat for practically an entire year !!  It was been a long time since such joy has been known on Sharpe Street.  Here are the long-lost items  :-)

Tiger - Actually, there's not really much new with Tiger.  .... unless you consider some occasional crankiness, though he is never as out-of-sorts as "grumpy cat" looks (see picture above).  Tiger is taking "Natural Chicken & Tuna Flavored Joint Supplement" for stiffness in his back legs.  It gets sprinkled onto his food, and does seem to help.  Mostly though, he continues to be very fluffy and interested in frequent petting.    Here's a recent, adorable picture of our boy:

Christmas - I mailed out holiday cards, with a photo collage of you boys (Brock with Tiger, and Sasha at Harvey's Creek).  I really must show you the pics sometime soon....  Our Christmas Eve started with a late afternoon service at Grace Church in Kingston.  Sasha, you got to see Dr. Ferraro who delivered you almost 16 years ago (a formal introduction is in order, since you were a few minutes old and unclothed at your last meeting).  Steve navigated another Episcopal service very successfully.  And I grumbled about hymns being played too slowly.  Brock, you went to Dad's house instead - a good arrangement, especially given the length of the service (over 1 1/2 hours!).  This morning, Steve salvaged bacon before it became over-cooked and made french toast for us.  Tonight we had our traditional Christmas night dinner - wimpies and banana cream pie.  Our tree is pictured below.  Favorite gifts:

• Sasha - A Sage 9 foot, 10 weight fly rod - with which you hope to catch Susquehanna river monsters i.e., musky and pike.  Additional fly tying material also seems popular, as you have been busy making flies as the evening wears on.
• Brock - The PlayStation 3 game Far Cry 3, a "shoot 'em up" and "stab 'em through" game.  Probably not appropriate for a 10-year old.  But on the bright side, you are still not permitted to watch Family Guy at my house.

Most cheerful traveler:  Steve, who made 3 round trips from Scranton over the past 30 hours.  

Best surprise:  My gift of a Schwinn red and white bike from Steve.  It's beautiful!

My wish for you both this Christmas Day:  That you grow up to be happy, productive men.

Merry Christmas!

Camp Lazlo

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!!

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. 

                                                          

• 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.

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.

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!

October Events

Time to get caught-up on recent events in and around Wyoming.....

• Sasha is fully recuperated from removal of his wisdom teeth.  Meanwhile, Brock had 5 baby teeth pulled as well.  Like Sasha, he missed 2 days of school - and generally bounced back very quickly.  Here's a picture of Brock's teeth (which are now going to Dad's china cabinet for safe-keeping).  The tooth fairy kindly left $20, but did not take the teeth due to their excess weight.

• Our neighbor Sherry has been taking very good care of Mr. and Mrs. Leopard, and now she is also taking care of Baby Lep!  He/she (it's too early to know gender) was incubated at Pet Zone, and came home to Sharpe Street a few weeks ago.  Baby is colorful and growing nicely - eats small crickets voraciously, per Sherry.  Here's a picture of the newest addition to our extended family:

• In Scout news.....  as of the October pack meeting of Cub Scout Troop 366, Brock you have now officially graduated to become a Webelo.  We are very excited that you have finished all your Bear Cub accomplishments!  They included tying knots with Dad, and researching local history e.g., Frances Slocum & the Wyoming Massacre.  Also involved attempting to make a bird feeder with me, the remains of which effort are in a local landfill.

• The"Warrior Nation" is us:

1. Two weeks ago, you Sasha spent a cold evening at a Wyoming Area vs. Meyers football game.  Had a nice time with friends Gage, Conrad and Alexis1 (Gage had a romantic interest in Alexis1 when school started; quite recently, he switched his attention to Alexis2).  Temperatures were in the '40's, so in an effort to keep warm you frequented the nearby Dunkin Donuts.  Had 1 energy drink and 2 large coffees, then stayed up until 4 am Saturday while the caffeine wore off.  Read more about the actual game here -->  WA Wins 50-20
2. Brock, Steve and I spent a lovely evening in the '60's at yesterday's Wyoming Area vs. Northwest Area (i.e., Shickshinny) game.  Unfortunately, Sasha did not come along.  Brock, you were disappointed about not getting your hair spray painted green, but perked up when offered an LED flashing mouthpiece instead.  You had a great time playing/running with your friends especially Bryce and Michael.  Steve kept me company, including active prevention of cold hands, attempted translation of cheers, instant-recounting of plays that I didn't see, and a walk around the field.  And 5 years after the last Cookie Corner graduation, there's another use for your toddler sleeping bag - it's the perfect size to drape over bleacher seats!!  A good time was had by all.  Plus Steve wrote about the game on NCFE -->  Yeah Team!

• Last Tuesday, we were over-scheduled with 1) therapist appointment at 3:30, 2) soccer practice at 5:30, and 3) appointment for flu shot at 7:45 (note:  first and third items are at the same location, Pediatric Associates in Kingston).  At 7 pm, I sent the following semi-desperate text;  "R fell in the mud at soccer, came home & put him in the shower, changed shower head to fire-hose setting he wanted, came downstairs to finish dinner, bathroom floor flooded, burned rice, A tells me over dinner that he needs dress-up clothes for tomorrow and I left my jacket at the therapist office."  As it turned out, things improved slightly - I found my jacket upstairs on the ironing table.  We did still make it to the flu shot appointment and  got khaki pants & attractive shirt at BonTon.  After school Wednesday, Sasha reported this English presentation for which dress-up was required went Very Well!  Wish I had gotten a picture before he left in the morning, as it will probably be a couple months before there is a chance to see him in duds other than t-shirt and hoodie.

• The Pioneers fall soccer program wrapped up this week, with Brock's last game held on Thursday evening.  The end-of-season party was this afternoon at Fort Cafe.  The wings and pizza were popular, and I was a bit surprised to hear "You hurt my wienie!".  You later informed me, Brock, that your teammate Steven (a 3rd grader) was the injured party.

• With Halloween approaching, tonight Dad took you Brock to the "Trails of Terror" sponsored by the West Wyoming Fire Department.  (During your outing, Sasha and I went clothes-shopping at Sears and looked around at Best Buy.)  You are now sitting and the front porch with Ashley, serenading Sasha and me by playing your recorder.  With Hurricane Sandy aka "Frankenstorm" approaching, there is talk of trick-or-treating tomorrow night (Sunday), rather than on Halloween night (Wednesday).

And to wrap up, here are two of your current favorite songs from YouTube.  Here are 21 Guns  by "Green Day" and Welcome to the Black Parade by "My Chemical Romance".

Fall Happenings

The pictures below help tell the story of early autumn happenings.  Recent sightings:

• City "Wildlife" - After having dinner last week with friends at a restaurant in Dunmore, I drove back through downtown Scranton.  On my way down one of Scranton's hills, was stopped at an intersection and watched 2 adult raccoons run across the street in front of me.  A bit unexpected!!!

• Forty Fort Pioneers - As a continuation of the town's legacy, the Forty Fort Pioneers U-10 team has been making history of sorts over the fall season.  Since late August, I believe your team has won one (1) regular season game and one (1) of three games during the Luzerne County Soccer Festival.  Brock, you have been playing very well, and are becoming a good defender including stints as goalie (which are a bit stressful for me and Dad).  Saturday mornings at local soccer fields have been very pleasant.

• Osiris Skate Shoes - Available at Zumiez, these are Sasha's favorite sneakers.  You're wearing at least your third pair.  Steve has recently called them "Moon Shoes", as they look like the anti-gravity boots featured on Star Trek.  

• Dr. Bergey - Unfortunately, Sasha's 4 (fully and partially impacted) wisdom teeth had to be extracted last weekend.  Dental surgery is certainly not a pleasant prospect.  After a few anxious days of anticipation, it was all over quickly.  Unlike me, you got to sleep through the entire procedure!  Recovery was aided by vicodin, plus missing 2 days of school.  Brock is next, as he must have 5 baby teeth pulled in a week or so.  Meanwhile, look at Sasha's rather large third molars...... !!!

• Hyland (last name not necessary, as we know only one) - I went along with Steve to test drive cars yesterday, and we ended up at Nationwide Car Sales.  Guess what, we met up with our old pal Hyland !  He was happy to see us, as car salesmen typically are when customers arrive.  After a couple orientating questions as he figured who I was, Hyland inquired about our asphalt-camouflage Camry, how you boys are doing, and whether you liked the car.  My replies were that the car has been low-maintenance for the past 2+ years, you are both fine, and "not really" as you preferred the red Ford Fusion that we test drove.

• Steve's New Car - Following quickly upon the Hyland reunion, Steve drove 3 vehicles and then bought a Nissan Rogue.  As a wonderful bonus, there was a DeLorean on display in the showroom.  You can see this cool post on NCFE  -->  Life is Nearly Complete   Brock, you are quite disappointed that he didn't buy the DeLorean, and even stated that you like his Kia Rio better than the Rogue (yes, the Rio has crank windows!).  Here's Steve with the shiny, 'Cayenne Red' Nissan.

More adventures to come!