Hurrican Sandy, Day 3

Happy Halloween! We've been holed up in the house for quite a few days now but we finally made it out today. Thankfully.

This morning, I took Jackson and the kids (in the double stroller!) out on a walk. We ended up running in to two different neighbors (who live two houses away from each other and barely even know each other - my street is so not friendly). So our little walk turned into a 45-minute walk.

We got home, played in the playroom, had lunch and then naps. Eli barely napped and Tali didn't. When they woke up, it was time to Trick or Treat! Since our town was still without power, we decided to take the kids to a mall in Connecticut about 40 minutes away. Since Tali doesn't really remember Halloween from last year, it was fine. They had a great time and Tali got a ton of compliments on her costume. Some even stopped her to take her picture because they thought she was so cute.

We got home, the took a bath, we ate dinner and then they went to bed. All in all, a much more manageable day.

Unfortunately, the damage is so bad out there that I'm not really planning to drive anywhere else anytime soon. The main road off of our street is full of downed trees and power lines. Some lines are touching the ground. Scary and dangerous. I'd rather go crazy at home. I can't believe I just said that.

Hurricane Sandy, Day 2

We were lucky. Very lucky. We woke up this morning to some minor damage - a few fallen trees, a few broken parts of barn fencing, minor damage to the barn, and the trampoline flew across our property. There was no damage to our house. And our generator is working beautifully. But even though the majority of the storm was over, it still rained most of the day. So, we stayed inside.

I gave the kids another pajama day. And I wore sweatpants (yes, I wore sweatpants) all day. This morning, we played in the playroom while H cleared a tree blocking the road and then got his work done. The kids had fun playing by themselves for a bit and then we had a ball party. We took out all the balls (we have a lot) and played various games for an hour.

Eli in his new favorite spot - on top of the bench to look out the window. He has to climb into his wagon and then onto the rail to get up on the bench. He's quite good at it now.

Tali playing dress-up.

Inside the toy cabinet.

Tali playing dress-up.

The rest of the day was more of the same. The kids had fun playing around the house. We tried to entertain them when we could. They each got a new toy today from our secret toy stash (various birthday/Hanukkah gifts that we've put aside and give them throughout the year when we need to). They took naps. We ate a hot lunch (grilled cheese with apples) and dinner (cauliflower macaroni and cheese) and I regularly, quietly thanked H and everyone involved for the generator. It really makes such a difference. I can't imagine how we'd be doing without it.

Now if only someone would come and entertain the kids for a bit. I have no idea when Tali will actually go back to school (it's estimated that it'll be 10 days - 2 weeks, at least, until we get power back and right now only emergency personnel are allowed to drive on the roads) and I need a bit of a break. We're all going to go stir crazy before this is over. I can see it now.

Fallen trees and a bit of the barn.

Some broken fence in the lower paddock.

Some of the damage to the barn. The door is off it's track due to the winds from the storm.

This is ONE tree that fell. It was all the way in the street but H spent a lot of time this morning clearing it from the road.

Another view of the fallen trees in the back near the barn. Cool to see the whole tree, roots and all, simply knocked over.

Tali's trampoline. All the way down at the bottom of our property. She was a little upset when she saw this.

Hurricane Sandy, Day One

Today was the first day of Hurricane Sandy. It went pretty much as I expected.

I let Tali stay in her pajamas all day, as a special treat. I also bought some Tootsie Rolls at the grocery store yesterday since they both love them. It's a special Hurricane Sandy treat and they got two today. Tali was very good most of the day. She played quietly by herself, mostly with her dolls and blocks.

Taking after her Aunt Cara.

Another view of Tali's dolls in their little town.

Eli was actually the difficult one today. He wanted to get into everything that he shouldn't: the fireplace tools, Jackson's crate, the artwork, my laptop, etc. The best was to keep him in the family so that's where we played for most of the day. 

The storm didn't really hit us until the afternoon and we lost power around 6:00 p.m.  There were a few blackouts before the power went out for good. I think I was more worried about the kids being scared than they were actually scared. But I'm not sure that they'll actually sleep through the night tonight.

The biggest news is that we have a generator. So, we are really fine. I feel lucky that we have one. It's honestly some of the best money we've ever spent.

The winds have picked up as the night has gone on. But here is a sample of what it looked like around 8:30 p.m.

Why I Have To Plan An Extra 10 Minutes in My Morning

Without fail, this happens when we are leaving for school every morning. And since I don't want Tali to be late, I now have to give ourselves extra time so that I can pry them from the toys. At least they are having fun!

My Little Gourmand

This morning, Tali created her own breakfast sandwich: lemon curd and mascarpone on a lightly toasted whole wheat English muffin. 

Since I'm a supportive mom, I decided to try it for myself. It's actually very good! I'm hoping that in a few years, she'll move on to creating dinners and I can just offer to do the dishes (and help her with the knife).

Eli's Girlfriend

Eli has a girlfriend. The feeling is mutual. They both smile when around each other. Who is this little lady? Well, it's Tali's best friend and it's so cute! (It's a good thing that they are all too young to really remember this and that it will probably pass before anyone gets old enough to let it bother them.)

Yesterday, they held hands and walked from school to the parking lot together (it's a bit of a walk). She walked slowly to stay at his pace and stopped whenever he needed to catch up. He had a blast walking with her. They are just adorable together.

First Trip to the Zoo

On our way into the zoo.

Last Monday (it was a holiday), we took the kids to the Bronx Zoo. Tali had been before with H, but this was my and Eli's first trip there. Tali had the whole day planned out before we even left the car. Her biggest request was that we go on the monorail (or the "train" as she called it) first. So, that's what we did. Big mistake. Poor Eli had been sitting in the car then the stroller for a while so all he wanted to do was move around. He spent the majority of the ride playing on the floor (gross!).

Waiting in line for the monorail.

On the monorail.

After that, we went to look at some lions and get lunch. Mistake number two. The food was pretty bad and the service was terrible. Next time, we'll bring our own.

Then, off to the merry go round where both kids had a blast. After the ride was over, we stopped and purchased some Dippin' Dots ice cream for everyone. Mistake number three. Kids and dot ice cream is a recipe for disaster. Not sure why that didn't occur to either of us. The ice cream got everywhere! At least the kids had fun.

On the merry go round - all the seats were bugs!

On to a quick trip to the seals and then the kiddie zoo. Tali and Eli had a blast! But it was getting late and the kids were getting tired. So we zipped through the kiddie zoo in about half the time we would have otherwise spent there and headed back to the car.

In the kiddie zoo.

Climbing the spider web at the kiddie zoo.

As we were leaving the zoo, we decided to check about a membership. It was cheaper to purchase a membership now (which would include the cost of this day's trip) then to pay for one more trip to the zoo. So, we got one.

Both fell asleep in the stroller while H bought a zoo membership.

And now that we've made all the rookie mistakes, we'll have a much different plan next time. 

Oh, and I must add that this zoo is amazing! It's absolutely huge and beautiful. I grew up with a pretty good zoo and am usually disappointed in other zoos, but I can truly say that I am impressed.

Eli and the Stool

This afternoon, Tali brought out her stool to help me make a smoothie. It was left out in the kitchen the rest of the afternoon and after dinner, Eli decided it was his turn to use the stool.

First, he brought it into the middle of the kitchen to practice climbing up and down. He must have gotten up and down about 30 times and only fell once. When he was confident that he had that skill down, he pushed the stool over to the oven to try to turn the knobs. I promptly stopped him before something bad happened.

Next, he went to the counter to try to grab one of the water carafes. Luckily, I was able to grab it before he did.

Then he went to the fridge. He got up on his stool and grabbed a hold of the handle. Unfortunately, our fridge door is very heavy and he was not able to get it open. No matter. He went to the kitchen table to see if he could grab whatever was left. Couldn't reach.

So off to the laundry closet. He placed the stool right in front of the doorknob. He climbed up and pulled the knob. It opened slightly. He got down, moved the stool away and pulled the door the rest of the way open. He walked inside, took a look, then walked out and shut the door.

Satisfied with his success, he proceeded to the family room. He pushed the stool over to a chair and simply climbed into it. He was so proud of himself that he was beaming.

A very successful evening for my little monkey.