Merry Christmas...really, really late.

This was supposed to be posted on Christmas night, but I had some issues uploading the pictures because of their size, so I had to send them over to my computer saavy sister and have her resize them. So anyways, here's the post that was meant for the Christmas season:

Tis the season to see all kinds of cute family photos enclosed in Christmas cards - smiling, cute children and their proud, happy parents. Well, unfortunately, our family seems to be completely incapable of producing such a picture. There is always at least ONE of us who looks weird in some way...
The Sunday before Christmas we tried, in vain of course, to get a nice family photo. The pictures that we ended up with were, well, at least entertaining, but not exactly Christmas card material. :) So, without further ado, I invite you to look at our blooper photos and have a good laugh!

Hey there.

We lovingly call this Maria's "Chandler face". Those of you who ever watched the show Friends will get the reference.

Seriously, why does her on-camera smile look like a grimace?


I thought this one was decent, until I saw the strategic placement of Josephine's fingers...

Again, Josephine, so charming.

Here is me trying to "make" Maria smile. It didn't work, by the way. And is Josephine conducting a choir or something?

Here is the Chandler smile again, and now Josephine is conducting with her eyes closed - impressive.

Aahhhh, there are no words...

It's official - now we ALL look like freaks. And by the way, did Lou become Amish when I wasn't looking?

Josephine is getting away!

So next time you think it's hard to get your kids to be cute for a picture, just think of the DeGaetanos, and you'll realize it could always be worse...

Let it Snow!

All of you who are living in warmer climates and bragging about your 60's and 70's degree weather...you can have it! I am 28 years old, and I still get excited everytime it starts snowing! It just all looks so magical and peaceful and beautiful. I wouldn't trade it for a sunny day down south if you paid me!

And hey, without snow, Lou and I wouldn't have been able to go sledding this past weekend with some friends - talk about fun!

Seriously, when is the last time you went sledding - it is AWESOME! We went down the hills over and over and over...


Oh yeah! You can't get these kinds of good times on the beach!! (although I will say, that, as you can see in this picture, going down face first is a good way to get a face full of snow, which can get quite cold...)

Isn't this a beautiful view? I love this place!

You just never get too old for this stuff! I happen to think that Lou looks pretty cute all decked out in his snow gear.

Lou and the other guys (Dave Hart, Ryan Gleed and Scott Johnson) reminded me of a bunch of overgrown kids, all trying to outdo each other with their crazy ways of going down the hill (standing on sleds, using two sleds at once, etc.)

What a great date night! I am thoroughly convinced that going sledding is a great way to stay young! The ride down is so much fun, and the walks back up the hill are GREAT exercise. Thanks again Johnsons, for inviting us out!

HOORAY SNOW!

Flashback!

I am going my 10-year high school reunion tomorrow night, and in honor of the occasion, I thought I would give you all a glimpse of what I looked like 10 years ago, at my senior prom. Yes, that is Lou there with me!

Okay, I promise that my hair started out the night looking really good. You see, the thing is, it was raining that night - pouring, in fact, and the rain, humidity, and all of that lovely hairspray in my hair did NOT mix well. What you see in this picture was the result...

Hey, at least my dress looked good!

I'm Domestic!

Years ago I was sitting on the beach with some fellow Moms during playgroup. They were all discussing all of their recent homemaking accomplishments, from making bags to finding a new wheat bread recipe to making their own hummus. I remember thinking - "are these women for real?", almost mockingly. I was still in school, and was too busy to even make dinner half the time (the only reason I was even at playgroup was because it was summertime, inbetween semesters). I felt like I couldn't relate to these women at all - these silly susy homemakers. Well, I think what I was really feeling was jealousy. I felt like I could never be the Mom who could sew and knead bread and can jellies, etc.


Well, I am eating my words today (no pun intended - hee hee), and am proud of it! Here are my latest feats:


I made curtains for the girl's room. Okay, okay, so my Mom had to walk me through the whole thing, but I did all the sewing, cutting, etc., myself!


Here they are closed (you have to get the full effect, of course!)

And here is a close-up shot so that you can see what the fabric looks like, and also the cute tie-backs I made. I even got this fabric on clearance since it is technically an Easter print. I am so proud of these!

Here is my latest culinary effort - Pumpkin Cheesecake with a gingernsap crust. I had this at a restaurant years ago and fell in love with it, and finally had the chance to make one myself!

I made jelly for the first time! This is grape jelly (my favorite kind), made with concord grapes from the local farmer's market. My Mom's best friend Annie was gracious enough to come over and teach me how, and it turned out delicious!! I was so proud that I had to take a picture, as you can see...

Oh Mr. Jelly Jar, you are a cute one!

Tagged...like forever ago...

Yeah, I got tagged, like a month ago and completely forgot about it, so, lest I be rude, I will comply..

5 Things I was doing ten years ago...
1. I was at BYU...for one semester
2. I was working with a catering company
3. I was engaged...at 18 years old
4. I was a lost soul...no, seriously.
5. I got a tatto and died my hair Strawberry Shortcake red - it was hot.

5 Things on my "to do" list today...
1. Go to the grocery store - did it
2. Send a great conference article to my mother in law, and hope she actually reads it. - did it
3. Work out - did it
4. Send out instructions to the 2 people who now come to Park n Play - did it
5. Be awesome - yeah, didn't get to that one

5 Snacks I enjoy...
1. Tortilla chips & melt n' dip (a dip made by Lou that ROCKS!)
2. Fresh fruit (preferabley raspberries, blackberries or strawberries)
3. REALLY good chocolate - no nasty Hershey's bars for me
4. fruit snacks - the good kind, not those rubbery ones
5. Homemade cookies

5 Things I'd do if I became a millionaire...(after paying tithing)
1. Pay off student loans, for sure!
2. But an old house with a HUGE yard so that I can have an apple tree, and a cherry tree, and a pear tree, and grape vines, and, well, you get the idea
3. Invest a LOT!
4. Go to Costa Rica, Spain, Scotland, oh and so many more places...
5. Buy cool stuff for my family

5 Places I've lived...
1. Syracuse, with my parents
2. Provo, UT (BYU)
3. Solvay, NY (could be cute but isn't really)
4. Here in the valley of Syracuse!
5. Wow, I actually don't have a fifth place. Am I the only one without a fifth place?

5 Jobs I've had...
1. Salesperson at Finishline at the mall (that's how I met Lou!)
2. Bank Teller at Chase bank (I got held up by a robber and everything - really).
3. Sales/customer service for small business customers at AT&T (no, I was NOT a telemarketer)
4. Lifeguard at OCC and SU
5. Spanish teacher at SU

5 people I tag...
Jana Bailey
Linda Tolboe
Rachel Bryson
Christine Bondi
Cathy Duffy

One of those moments...

Being the parent of a toddler can be physically and mentally draining. That is why you need to really enjoy the lighter moments that come along, those times when, yes, you could get mad, but isn't it better sometimes to just laugh instead?

Take these next two pictures for example. Josephine had asked me for a snack and I told her that she would get one after I finished with my hair. Well, I was blow-drying my hair when I suddenly realized that Josephine was no longer in the room and it was waaaay too quiet in the house. I found her downstairs, in the kitchen, looking like this:

Yes, she got tired of waiting and helped herself to the mango sitting on the counter - she was eating the skin and everything! Tell me she doesn't look like a starving wild animal...

When she looked up and saw me watching her, she said "Oh hi, mommy, I got snack!" She was so proud of herself, and went right back to ravaging the helpless mango.

You would think from Josephine's antics with food that she doesn't get enough to eat or something. Today I was upstairs doing Maria's hair when Josephine shows up with a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in her hand (she had apparently found the rest of the Halloween stash). I told her that we were NOT eating candy at 10am and took it from her. I went back to doing Maria's hair, and did not hear Josephine sneak back downstairs. She appeared in my room again with her mouth obviously full of something. I asked her what she had, and she of course replied "nothing". I told her to open her mouth and of course it was filled with yet another Peanut Butter cup. I told her that she had been disobedient and put her on the punishment step. When it was time for her to get up, I asked her why she took it when I had told her no. She said, and I kid you not "I don't know Mama, I'm speechless!" Actually it was more like "speechwess", but you get the idea. I mean, are you kidding me? Where does she get this stuff?! They know just when to pull out the cute stuff - seriously, how can you be mad at a kid after that?!

Mean parents and shattered dreams

So, we were at my mother-in-laws for dinner on Sunday. Good old Grandma Louise gave Maria this Wizard of Oz wand to play with. It was one of those toys that flashes lights and plays a tinny sounding electronic tune. Lou and I hated it instantly - it was playing this warbly, high-pitched, truly horrible sounding version of "Over the Rainbow". The pitch and sound quality were offensive-sounding at best and immediately annoying. Well, of course Maria just loved it, and spent the rest of the evening walking around and playing it over and over and over and over...well, you get the idea. Lou was getting more irritated by the minute and would tell her to turn it off, but after a few minutes of blissful silence, we would hear the sickening sound once more.

Well, I was trying to fix something on Louise's computer and Lou was looking at the paper, when all of a sudden we heard a thunk and a crash - it almost sounded like breaking glass. I turned around to see what had happened, and saw Maria splayed out on the floor with the wand in front of her, looking like this:

Well, Lou started laughing hysterically, and I have to admit, I couldn't stop the smile that immediately spread across my face. I thought "Hooray, problem solved! No more obnoxious toy to listen to!" Meanwhile, Maria was almost in tears, saying "it's not funny, it's NOT FUNNY, Daddy! Oh, my beautiful wand..." Oh contraire, Maria, it was SO funny, that I started laughing myself. I couldn't help but think that Lou and I had almost wished this event into reality, and I just couldn't stop laughing at the irony of it all. If you just could've seen it - the annoying music over and over, then suddenly the crash and Maria's and Lou's subsequent antics...maybe you had to be there...

So my question is, is it awful that we found this so amusing? I'm laughing now just thinking about it! Are we the most evil parents ever?

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Well, this was our first year to have trick or treaters, and everyone told me that I needed to be prepared for the mass droves of costumed children who would be swarming my house to get candy. I heard talk of more than 200 trick or treaters. Well, I had only bought two large bags of candy, I so I freaked out and went out last minute to buy one more. I now had a total of about 10lbs of candy, which would technically STILL not be enough according to the estimates of everyone I talked to. Well, let me tell you - tonight I handed out about 20 pieces of candy...TOTAL! Now what the HECK am I supposed to do with all this leftover candy?!! And don't you dare say eat it...

Trunk or Treat

Last night was our ward's annual Trunk or Treat Halloween Party. We had a great time, but then again, how can you not have a great time when candy's involved?!


We had a royalty theme going on with Princess Maria and King Louie (I'd say prince, but when did you ever see a prince with a beard like that?! It's just not right...). They even won first prize in the costume contest for best family theme. Aren't they cute? Well, all except for Maria's infamous forced, half-wincing, looking away from the camera smile...

We also had a Wizard of Oz theme going on with two Dorothys, one scarecrow (my mom) and one flying monkey (Robin Bush). I realize I have kind of a weird expression on my face here, but in the other one, my Mom looked like a complete freak and Josephine had her finger shoved up her nose, so I took one for the team...

Here is Lou with his two girls!

Josephine was obsessed with Lou's cape (it WAS pretty cool - custom-made by Debbie Riddel), and kept hiding under it all night - can you see her here?

And here is our family all together, although not all smiling as you can see - sigh, maybe SOMEDAY we will all be smiling and looking cute in the same picture!

Anyway...HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Am I the only one this stuff happens to?

This is an image that represents what my children are like lately when we go to the store - seriously...
Usually my children are pretty well behaved at stores, but all of sudden lately, they act like wild beasts that have been uncaged for the first time everytime we enter any sort of shopping arena.

Let me tell you a little story about my shopping trip yesterday. I had to exchange a couple of pairs of jeans that I bought for Lou (picky man that he is), and I had both of the girls with me. We were in Sears and I was looking for a different size for him. The girls were chasing each other around, but causing no real harm, and the store was dead, so I let them burn their energy out. All of a sudden I look up to see Maria crash straight into a clothing rack, knocking it over. On it's way down, it had a domino effect, knocking over the next rack, which knocked over the next rack, too. We now had three clothing racks (and one crying child) lying flat on the ground, with about 100 gazillion mens button-up shirts lying scattered all over the place. I was, as you can imagine, a bit peeved. I spent about 20 minutes helping the old lady employee put the whole thing back together again (in the fall, all three racks had come apart, and were lying in pieces).

After we exchanged the jeans, we headed over the to JCPenney to do another exchange. While we were there, Josephine peed herself, and, after announcing this, tried to climb one of the displays. Of course, she pulled the whole thing down on herself, manikin, metal bars, price displays, folded jeans and all. Another 15 minutes cleaning up that mess - all while apologizing profusely to the VERY annoyed salesperson helping me. At this point, I decided to forget about the exchanges and head home. Better to leave on your own than to be asked to leave, right? Sigh.

Fun in the fall!

Autumn is one of the times of year when I am so grateful to live where I do. The Fall here is just so beautiful - the trees, bushes, etc., all come alive with amazing colors, creating an absolutely breathtaking landscape to look at everywhere you go.

In the DeGaetano family, it's a tradition to go out to Beak and Skiff Apple Farm to pick Empire apples (they are the best!). It's perfect, because it's always right around the time when the Fall colors are in full force. The drive out to the farm shows off all the rolling hills in central New York, and left us all ooing and ahhhing at the beauty all around us - bright oranges, reds, pinks, greens and yellows...oh, how I LOVE the fall in New York!

We took the ceremonial tractor ride out to the picking spot...

...and Maria went straight to work!

Josephine, oh Josephine, what a face. She is always making the strangest faces at us!

Josephine kept taking the apples and chucking them in the bag as hard as she could, like she was slam-dunking them or something, so we had to show her how to place the apples gently in the bag.

Lou helped out by getting the ones that were WAY up high! Go, Daddy!

After picking an insane amount of apples (15 pounds, to be exact), we went to the snack shop and got some maple candy (can you say "yum"?) and some apple cider donuts (again - "yum!!").


And now...what to do with all these apples...any ideas?

More Autumn Bliss

After we were done apple picking, eating maple candy and apple cider donuts, we completed our annual treck out to LaFayette by going to the nearby pumpkin patch and picking out a few pumpkins for Halloween.

There are lots of "fancy" pumpkin patches out here where the pumpkins are huge and flawless (and $$$) and there are mini-carnivals going on in the background (rides, slides, corn mazes, hay rides, haunted houses, petting zoos, snack stands, etc.). Those are nice and all, but we like to go to the good old-fashioned kind of pumpkin patch. The place we go to is just an old farm with the patch where you actually go out into it and pick your own. The best part - because it's not a fluffed up establishment, you only pay $1.50 per pumpkin if it's a big one, and 25 cents if it's small. Now that's my kind of place!


Lou had this great scheme of buying tons of pumpkins and selling them at double the price in the city. I politely told him that we would NOT be doing that...

Josephine was amazed that there were so many pumpkins just laying on the ground. She kept saying: "Look, there's another pumpkin, and another one, and another one, and another one..."

Maria took a liking to the tiny ones. We tried to explain to her that they would be impossible to carve, to which she replied: "Well, then I guess I'll just have to get a big one AND a small one - there - problem solved." What a Maria thing to say.

These pictures are my lame attempts at trying to capture the beauty of the fall foilage.

My photos don't really do it's beauty justice (as any of you who have lived here well know), so if you really want to see some great pictures of the beautiful fall foilage this year, click on this link to see a beautiful slide show:
http://www.syracuse.com/slideshows/100708_fallcolors.ssf

Anyhow, I hope you all are enjoying the change of seasons, wherever you are!

A fruitless fishing trip

Lou and I took our second annual Salmon Fishing Trip this past weekend. Last year, I caught my first Salmon, a 40-lb male that was HUGE!! Take a look at this picture taken from last year's trip (don't mind the horrible expression on my face - that sucker was HEAVY and I was holding it up with a thin rope that was cutting into my hands...)

This year's trip was sadly not so successful. We caught...well, nothing. Not even a nibble. It was a huge bummer, but we still had fun just being together, having some alone time away from the girls. Obviously this means that I have no impressive fish pictures, but I do have some entertaining ones nonetheless.

Here is Lou...well, being Lou I guess

And here is me acting like an idiot - what else is new? :)

Lou built us a great fire on Friday night (it was FREEZING outside!), and one of the logs he found was hollow, so the fire was actually burning inside the log. It looked really cool. I don't know if you can really tell in this picture how cool it was, but trust me, folks, IT WAS COOL. I can't stress that enough. Really.

Anyhow, although we came home with no fish, we did have a good time hanging out, talking, being silly and freezing our buns off together. Better luck, next year, I guess!

Raspberry obsession

Raspberries, raspberries - oh how I love them! We went picking back in the beginning of September with our play group, and got a ton! We figured out that when you pick them yourself (versus buying them in those tiny overpriced packages in the grocery store), you pay 1/3 the price! So we took full advantage and picked to our hearts delight!


Maria did a great job, and even filled a good part of her bucket (the last time we picked berries, they all ended up in her stomach)!

We ate them plain, put them on cereal, on vanilla ice cream, made smoothies, and I made a Raspberry Streusal Tart (Rachel, you totally have me hooked on photographing my fancy desserts!), a recipe I've been dying to try for quite some time, but couldn't justify the cost. Well, with our great abundance this time, I finally got my chance. Oh, was it good...

I was craving them again lately, and so I went picking again last week with Kaytlyn Flansburgh. We ate through them all in less than two days, and I have been wondering if I am overdoing it by going just one...more...time...

Oh, how I love my raspberries...

A few of my favorite things...

I have had a lot more one on one time with Josephine now that Maria's in school for most of the day. I have really enjoyed this time with her, and I am finding myself falling in love all over again with this sweet, mischeivous, adorable little girl! So here are a few of my favorite "Josephine" things..


I love how she's a minimalist when it comes to clothing. She is constantly stripping off layers and poking herself in the bellybutton while saying "boop!" Also, I love her little half innie, half outie belly button.

I love how she is just so wild and happy. She's all girl - she loves her dress-up stuff to be sure - but she also climbs every type of ladder and monkey bar type contraption (the kind you walk on/crawl across, not the kind you swing from) at the playground with the best of them. This is just such a fun age!

I love how she is such a ham - always making faces to make people laugh. Her latest thing is this knock-knock joke she tells over and over. It goes like this:

"Knock Knock"

"Who's there?"

"Cowee" (her silly way of saying "Cow")

"Cowee who?"

"QUACK!!"

And then she starts laughing hysterically. I don't know where she got this, but she seems to think it's the funniest thing ever, and never gets tired of telling it, and I have to tell you, the way she tells it, it is rather humorous...

I love the things she thinks of to get into (okay, admittedly, I don't love it at the time, but when I look back on the incidents, they really are funny). A couple of weeks ago, she got into the peanut butter jar. I was making dinner at the time, and when I discovered her, I found her reaching in the jar, pulling out handfuls of peanut butter, and eating it. She had peanut butter nearly up to the elbow on both arms (as you can see in the picture) as well as on her clothes and somehow, (I'm not sure why or how) all over her feet. Yes, she is crying in this picture - at the exact moment that I discovered her, she seemed to have arrived at the conclusion that peanut butter smeared all over her felt really gross, and she started crying and saying "Get it off! Get it off!" Let me tell you, peanut butter is NOT easy nor fun to clean off of a child...

That's okay, we just love our Josephine, messes and all. She adds such a sweet, unique spirit to our family, and I am so grateful that we have her in our lives!