...and then this

Sam in a Sombrero 

Another Vacation Highlight

During our week of Disney, I spent a fun day with our granddaughters chilling at the hotel.

I wanted to give their parents a day to play child-free.

We did the laundry and you know, riding in the elevator,

putting quarters in the washer and dryer and 

watching the clothes spin around

proved to be great fun!

I enjoyed the air conditioned comfort and the girls enjoyed

hotel furniture gymnastics.

We went down to the pool grill for lunch and enjoyed some

On Site

"DINNING"

(This made me a little crazy--you know how I am about grammar and spelling)

Technically, it was On Site Dinning when 

baby June wanted a drink of Norah's smoothie,

there was some very loud protesting...

And then Norah kindly shared with her by accidentally dumping it in her lap.

But, since we were just an elevator ride away from a bathtub,

not a problem!

After naptime and an afternoon snack, we met up with the rest of our gang for dinner. 

The next morning when Nicole got the girls up for another day of The Magic Kingdom,

 she told me they asked,

 "Can we stay here with Nana again? That was fun!"

So when it comes to entertainment, Nana's right up there with Disney.

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Remember when I used to keep a blog? 

Yeah....

 I begin posts

of questionable importance and then I get interrupted 

and they are left to hang out in the archives gathering dust...

Here's one:

We went to Disney World.

This was a long over-due promise kept.

When Shane and Sam were wee young-uns, we planned a family vacation to Disney World.

A few months before, we were at the Oregon coast on a very busy holiday week-end at a very crowded beach and Sam decided to find his own way to the restroom. 

(We had been momentarily distracted by Seth on a beach bike, running

 into a poor, defenseless elderly lady.) 

Sam, being the independent three-year-old that he was, didn't feel any need to ask for adult supervision to negotiate the crowd and made his way alone to the bathrooms far, far away.

Just as I was in full hysteria and Andy had recruited the life-guard to help us look for him, Sam came sauntering nonchalantly across the sand..

That was the moment I realized I could not handle eight children in a crowded amusement park.

But six seemed doable.

So, for their safety and my sanity, we got an awesome babysitter to spend the week with the little boys. And we  promised  we would take them when they were a little older. 

So, fifteen years later, promise fulfilled.

Whew! 

Anywho, we tagged along with Scott, Nicole and those adorable little granddaughters.

We enjoyed all of the Disney fun in varying groups and worked the Fastpass system with

great precision thanks to the Gale Force Logic Team.

The little girls did the Princess Tour

I think my princesses are pretty sweet!

It was a real Princess Palooza! 

Their Daddy was cast in the role of Palace Guard during

 the theatrical performance of

Enchanted Tales With Belle--

he was a good sport and quite the actor:

And Bailey had a starring role as Belle's father.

She gave a stunning performance--shivering in prison.

Sam and Shane's childhood Dream-come-true

(If you wish upon a star...makes no difference who you are!)

Getting a hug from Tigger!

And we conclude this post with a cute picture of the ever-adorable

June.

Sitting in a Dinosaur Restaurant.

In Disney World.

With a dinosaur hat on her head.

Good times.

Christmas Clearance

One of my late Christmas presents was a new laptop. New technology in the hands of an old person. So far I have managed to get my pictures from my phone onto my new laptop, but I don't have the editing program that I had on my old laptop so my pictures from the new laptop are posted "as-is" and not very satisfactory to my way of thinking. In the meantime, I have been going back and forth between laptops and I found some pictures from Christmas on the old laptop that need to be shared for the sake of history and posterity and etc. etc.

So here is a baker's dozen in Christmas leftovers--hopefully not too far past their freshness date:

The Christmas cover from our cute small-town newspaper...

Uncle Tyler (and the ipad) entertaining the nieces

Adorable little June practicing her walking skills with Nana--

she has since gone pro and runs around like a superstar.

Miss Norah and Miss Bailey opening Christmas gifts

Twas a few days before Christmas and all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Because Ninja was on duty.

Just a funny picture of Ninja's "Cat From Outer Space" impression

We had three join our family since last Christmas:

One daughter-in-law and two granddaughters.

As per tradition, they all get stockings that match the Gale Family lineup.

The General Store was decked with boughs of holly and

looked very festive. Best sandwiches in the town!

Another festive place in our town:

The gazebo Christmas tree in The Pleasance --a beautiful park on Main Street.

Some Christmas crafting with Nana

Our little chef enjoying one of her Christmas gifts:

real chef tools--while sporting her hand-painted Christmas apron and

PopPop's chef hat!

Sam instagramming The Lumberjack from King's--

our favorite place for a hardy breakfast.

And our mailbox bit the dust one last time. 

We finally solved the mystery and solved the problem.

But that is a post for another day...

Some Ballet in the Big City

As I mentioned in my previous post, Siara and I went into New York City to see 

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, performed by the New York City Ballet.

The grand-daddy of all Nutcracker Ballets.

Her hubby Tyler went with us and we had a fun adventure in the big city.

We took the train from Fairfield Metro to Grand Central and

 the Subway to Lincoln Center. 

It was a rainy day but that didn't dampen our spirits a bit.

We had lunch together and then Tyler went off on his

own to explore some museums while Siara and I enjoyed the ballet.

It was spectacular--the Christmas tree grows up from under the stage into the rafters

and it's huge! At the end Clara and her Prince fly above the stage in a sleigh.

The costumes were beautiful and the dancing exquisite.

Is that enough adjectives for you?

It was truly an experience. 

The Subway poster for the Nutcracker

Some amazing Subway entertainment

I love the beautiful Subway mosaic art...

Looking at the overpriced souvenirs during intermission.

Siara, my stylish ballet attending companion....

You will be proud of her, as I was, that

She didn't jump up during the overture and

shout "Let's get this show on the road!"

She's come a long way since her exuberant, spunky little girl days.

Oh, she is still exuberant and spunky--

just a little quieter when the occasion calls for it. 

The Hurrier I Go, The Behinder I Get

Sweet Little Trio of Girlies

Gentle Reader, I realize my blogging has been scarce as of late--it's just that we have been inundated with disasters and storms and family milestones and drives to New Jersey and grandchildren arriving from heaven in need of snuggles and cheek-smooshing and other grandchildren in need of story telling and song singing. Not to mention homeschooling decisions and early college admissions in addition to church callings and career considerations and so on and so forth. 

It's always something.

Winter storm Nemo brought us about two feet of snow.

The snow-plow driver destroyed our mailbox (again).

I beat the storm to New Jersey and waited it out there with our son and his family. They were going to bless new baby June that weekend but Pops and Uncles were snowed in in Connecticut. So that has been rescheduled. 

Perhaps for next Spring.

If the snow melts by then.

We caught the fringe of the storm in Jersey and got about four inches of snow.

So the girls bundled up to play in it. Bailey decided her Tinkerbell pjs were just the thing to keep her warm.

 Norah had done some avantgarde face painting with a dry erase marker. Her installation included the office carpet. She's kind of a free-range artist.

Ready to head out. Cinderella Barbie was part of the entourage.

Back indoors, the girls found many ways to entertain themselves and Nana. Here you see Norah in her cat costume jumping over a box (their Dad is doing some remodeling--like father, like son) riding a horse. Bailey's(imaginary) horses are named Lula and Scarlet. When one gets tired, she rides the other. 

Baby June-bug all dressed up for church. June is the most pleasant of baby companions. She is content and laid-back and only fusses when absolutely necessary.

 She is surrounded by love and she is thriving  in it.

The last day I was there, Bailey woke up and stretched and announced

 "Let's have  a Valentine's Party today Nana!"

So we did. She decided  the agenda:

Make Valentines

Decorate

Dance

Tell Stories

Have Treats

So we did.

A good time was had by all.

One day playing "School"

Norah: "Close your eyes and say the magic word."

Me: "What's the magic word?"

 Norah (whispering): "Kitchen."     

When it was Bailey's turn to be the teacher: 

Bailey: "You can call me Miss Bailey or Miss Gale. Or you can call me whatever you want."

Me: "Can I call you Silly Sue?"  

Bailey: "MISS Silly Sue!"     

That's about it for now from our neck of the woods. 

Life is good.

If you need a little enchantment in your life, remember the magic word.

Kitchen         

The Calm Before the Storm

Tonight we have Hurricane Sandy bearing down upon us. Sandy is such a friendly name it doesn't seem ominous enough to match the dire warnings we are getting:

Worst Storm in the History of Recorded Devastating Storms.

 We have done what we can to prepare. We have a wood stove and plenty of wood if we should lose power for an extended time. We have a generator to keep our refrigerators and freezers going. We have flashlights and an abundant supply of batteries. We have plenty of hot chocolate and canned goods that can be heated on the wood stove. We have UNO cards to keep the youngsters occupied without electronics to entertain them.

So, before the power goes out, I thought I would post a few pictures of our recent family goings-on.

Let's start back with our trip to Jersey and Philly:

We enjoyed the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the

Franklin Institute. Pretty fascinating to look at the scraps of

scrolls and the jars they were stored in for hundreds of years.

Sam and I like to look at every artifact and read every

plaque. The rest of the family--not so much.

Here's a link to fill you in on some interesting facts about the scrolls.

I liked this ancient bathtub:

Here we are posing with a colossal likeness

of Benjamin Franklin: 

Little Norah trying some engineering experiments:

Miss Bailey launching rockets:

The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background:

Being right there in the birthplace of our freedom, 

I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the freedoms that we take for granted. 

We are so blessed to live in this country and we need to do our part to

preserve those freedoms for future generations.

We enjoyed some lovely performance art by Bailey with an Autumn Branch while

we were waiting for our turn in Indepencence Hall:

This is the very room where our Constitution was debated and signed.

I was so emotional thinking of those who pledged their lives,fortunes and 

sacred honor in the name of liberty and freedom. 

Mason came to visit with Mama Shanna:

Our three precious grandbabies all enjoying

breakfast (chocolate Cheerios!) at the fun picnic table: 

Mr. Mason behind bars:

Norah's angelic little self

having fun on the swing:

A Princess Kitty Pumpkin carved for 

Bailey by Aunt Shanna and Uncle Shane:

The other cute pumpkins we carved one for Mason and one for Norah 

along with Bailey's:

The Gale boys never outgrow the ridiculous

shenanigans/wrestling that is

their form of brotherliness:

Oldest and Youngest Brothers: Scott and Shane

Pops and Mason testing out the new wagon/wheelbarrow...

And finally...Mason earning his keep:

The wind is picking up so I guess this is for real. I will take some pictures and

let you know how it goes here.

We are well prepared to weather the storm so I'm sure we'll be fine.