Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! We had a quiet little Christmas at home this year. We did lots of video chatting and phone calls with extended family but it was kind of nice to have just us at home this year. It was especially nice Christmas Sunday morning singing songs and remembering the birth of our Savior at church this morning. We should have Christmas on Sunday more often. This was Lily's first Christmas which meant one thing...toys! Tim and I have never had so many boxes under the tree before. I know it is only the beginning but wow. I was pretty good about keeping to my three present rule (something to read, something to wear, and something to play with). Of course extended family and Santa added a few more boxes to the extravaganza. Lily got books, puzzles, clothes, toys, and a few different types of blocks. I think Tim might be having more fun with the blocks than Lily at the moment. Her big gift from Santa this year was a piano. The piano was my personal favorite (I have visions of Schroeder dancing in my head). it seems that Lily's favorite toy came from her great aunt Debbie in North Carolina. She sent a small collection of seasonal plush toys that make crinkly noises and jingle. They are just the right size and weight for carrying all over the house too.  We hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas too!

A trip to NC

Lily and I made a quick trip to North Carolina last weekend for a very special occasion. My oldest niece, McKinley, recently turned eight years old and was getting baptized. We had a great time and made a few whirlwind stops at grandparents' homes and even a stop at McKinley's elementary school on Friday for lunch. It was a very quick trip but fun to see family and let Lily get to know her Southern relations a bit better. Sadly I did not think to pull out my camera for most every visit so photographic evidence of this trip is slim. You will have to take my word for it I guess.

McKinley requested that I come and be one of the speakers at her baptism. I was thankful and honored to be able to give a short talk about the gift of the Holy Ghost. The baptism got an unexpectedly late start but turned out to be a lovely gathering after things got going. Where would we be without Mormon Standard Time?? it was really nice to see so much of McKinley's family there to support her in her decision to be baptized. I know it was a special day for her. I am grateful that I got a chance to be there to witness such an important event her life.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We have many things to be thankful for this year in the Sallay household. Our most obvious blessing this year is the addition of Lily to our family. The adjustment to parenthood has been a challenge but the love she has brought to our home is immeasurable. We are so blessed to have this little girl in our family. OK on to the food. As many of you are aware, Lily has several food allergies/sensitivities (dairy, soy, egg, cinnamon, strawberries). She is still too small to indulge much in the revelry of Thanksgiving dinner but I, a nursing mother and the maker of the feast, am not. Our eating habits have been revamped and my cooking skills challenged this year. I can honestly say that this has been a bit of a blessing in disguise as I am much more confident in the kitchen (but still far from a pro) and our family eats much healthier now. Hello veggies! Tim is also a huge help and thankfully enjoys cooking. He is such a great support and cook! All of the allergy considerations meant that Thanksgiving dinner was also getting a bit of a makeover and made completely from scratch at home. It was a challenge but a tasty one. I only regret that I have no photographic evidence of the feast. Our Thanksgiving feast included, a brined turkey; gravy; rolls; cranberry sauce; lemony green beans;  maple-roasted sweet potatoes; pear, prosciutto and hazelnut stuffing; spinach and potatoes, and even chocolate pecan pie. It might not sound like much but Tim and I enjoyed cooking our feast together. I think we both deserve a huge pat on the back for absolutely the tastiest meal of the year. Just in case you were wondering... Lily is a HUGE turkey fan. We are definitely looking forward to thanksgiving sandwiches tomorrow with leftovers but for now we will count our many blessings and revel in our full bellies.

The big storm

The end of October brought us a little weather surprise. A big surprise actually. Hartford received over 12 inches of snow on October 29th. Needless to say we felt a little unprepared for such a massive storm so early in the season. The wet heavy snow came before trees had fully dropped their leaves causing a LOT of downed trees and power lines. Basically the entire state of Connecticut (and most other areas of the Northeast) were shutdown and in a state of emergency on Sunday morning. We are very thankful that we only had a few branches down with no severe damage. It will take some work (including the purchase of a chainsaw) to get everything cleaned up but we made it through the storm relatively unscathed. 

You can't really see it in the photo below but that is actually the top of a HUGE tree that fell on the backside of the neighbor's house (right side of the photo). It did not look like there was any damage to the house but their van was blocked in the driveway and their other vehicle was completely underneath the tree. That tree made a horrible, loud cracking noise as it was coming down. It was eerie listening to branches creek and snap in the darkness of the snowy night. Sadly similar images could be found all over the neighborhood. With all the damage all over town the power was of course out for more than a week and sadly Halloween was canceled in West Hartford.

We lost power around 10pm on Saturday night and decided to pull the mattresses from the guest room into the living room in front of the fireplace for a family camp out. Lily thought this was great fun and decided not to sleep much at all.  Yeah fun for Mom and Dad. After one cold night without power Tim and I decided to take our little family to warmer climates. Thankfully we had a car with a full tank of gas (few gas stations had power and those that power had lines with at least an hour long wait) and relatives within a few hours drive willing to let us show up for a surprise visit. We went to Virginia and spent the week with Tim's brother and family (hooray for Tim being able to work from "home" for the week). Instead of sitting at home in the dark and freezing cold for the week we had a lovely visit with John, Valerie, and Miss Nellie. The boys worked during the day and the girls played and had a few small shopping excursions. We even squeezed in a family day at the National Zoo during our visit. Lily loved it. She even got to hear the Lion roar while we were paying him a visit. Lily attempted a hello roar in return of course.

Lily loved the fish. I think it was her favorite thing she saw all day.

Tim was attempting to setup this picture to make it look like Lily was eating the elephant. It did not work but you've got to love the Sallay humor.

It was a great family day at the zoo.

Thanks again John, Valerie, and Nellie for letting us visit and providing a warm place to sleep!

For the Record

I am really good at starting projects but I have not been the best at completing them lately. Perhaps it is genetic. That is beside the point. I have to take this opportunity to document my small accomplishment. I knit my daughter a hat and actually finished it when she was still small enough to wear it! Hooray me! Let the record show that I completed a handmade gift for my daughter BEFORE her 18th birthday. She looks terribly cute if I do say so myself.

I love a parade

   Saturday morning our little family took a walk down the street to the Park Road parade. It is just a little neighborhood parade put on the businesses located on Park Road. It happens at the beginning of every October and exudes that small town feel that I love. There were fire trucks, Shriners in small cars, a couple of school marching bands, a little girls' dance school, a local church, a few street vendors, plenty of people handing out flyers, dog obedience school graduates, businesses with signs on fancy cars, and even a small group of Mini Coopers to bring it all to a close. People were tossing candy and handing out pencils. ING was handing out cow bells.  Butter even got a doggie treat from a group in the parade. Lily was intently studying all of the festivities. I think she had a good time. I love parades and I love that I have a husband who indulges my need for such things. After the parade was over we walked home and got in the door just in time for the beginning of conference. What a great start to the weekend!

Base Ball

Tim has not played much ball this summer for various reasons (weather, business trips, small adorable distractions, etc). This morning I think he finally ran out of excuses reasons not to go play. It was a long day because they always play two games but it was nice and sunny outside and I think everyone had a good time. The playing season is a little longer this year so hopefully we will all make it out to the ball field once or twice more before the winter. I do love to see him dressed in his uniform. He is just a good looking man.

Lily's favorite toys

 I am so glad I spend so much time and effort finding the perfect toys for my child (note the sarcasm). Turns out she prefers a cup and bowl from the kitchen. These have been her favorites for the last week. As long as she is entertained...

Eight months already

My baby is growing up way to fast. Where is the stop button on the clock?!

 Here is a list of the baby highlights:

• She is now a professional army crawler. Lily apparently has no interest in getting her belly up off of the floor. She prefers rolling and the army crawl.
• She will sit for as long as you like but has never tried to sit up on her own. You have to put her in a sitting position. It is a little odd but I guess she is just content in whatever position she finds herself. Lets hope that attitude spills over into other aspects of her life.
• Lily loves food. We have yet to find something this child will not eat. I am crossing my fingers that this continues. Her favorite food seems to be sweet potato (which was also her first food). Her favorite finger food is sweet peas. If you take something off of her tray and eat it, she starts eating faster with BOTH hands. Sharing might be one of those tough life lessons coming up. Lily loves puffs and cheerios. She usually eats with her left hand but keeps her backup puffs/cheerios in her right hand. The backup cheerios get eaten only after all other food is gone.
• She does an excellent job with her sippy cup. I decided to go directly to the sippy cup since she is nursing and skip the bottle all together. She can drink from it all by herself (basically just water for now).
• Lily is a people watcher. 
• She loves riding in her stroller everyday morning and afternoon during the ritualistic dog walks. She loves her dog Butter and looks for her outside of her bedroom door every morning when she wakes up.
• Lily loves music time during primary at church (Tim and I team teach a primary class). Music time is practically the only time during the block that she is not fussy. How does church always seem to fall during nap time?
• Daddy is still the favorite. 
• Tim and I are both completely in love with this girl.

Is it Fall yet?

There is a faint hint of Fall crispness in the morning air and youth football at the fields down the street in the afternoon. The leaves will be changing color any moment. The weather was nice today so we decided to indulge in a little of the end of summer bounty and go pick some fruit at a local farm. It was a very tasty way to spend an afternoon. We picked apples and raspberries. I have never been so happy to have my fingers stained from berry juice. We also brought home peaches, corn, and honey. Yum yum. The last bits of warmth and bounty of the Summer combined with the crispness and activity of the Fall. This has to be the best time of year. Too bad it is so short. Better make the most of it!

 

A visit from Irene

I was feeling a bit left out when I heard that my family in North Carolina were preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene last week. Turns out there was no need to feel left out. Who knew hurricanes (technically downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit us) would travel all the way up to Connecticut. Luckily I have been in a few hurricanes before and knew what prep. work needed to be done. I even asked Tim run to the store so I could put together a batch of hurricane mix (mini marshmallows, rice chex, small pretzels, raisins or dried cranberries, m&ms or chocolate chips, nuts, and whatever else sounds good). For all of my hard work I was expecting a decent storm. But alas we didn't really see much wind at all. I was literally looking out of the window on Sunday morning and waiting for the storm to start. We got plenty of rain though and I know other parts of Connecticut and the Northeast received substantial damage. We will count our many blessings that one little downed tree branch is all the hurricane damage we received... plus all the spoiled food in the freezer and refrigerator. Did I mention that our power was out for three days? Yeah I thought that was a little excessive but what can you do. It is all over now and it was a good excuse to bring out all of the candles, play a game, and go to bed early.