Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Dear Daddy,

We love you!

Last night, I asked Tyler what his favorite things were about his daddy. The first thing he said was watching his daddy coach on the ice (no question of whose kid he really is!). His second favorite thing is when daddy sings the Barney song about all the lemon drops and gum drops and goes "ah ah ah ah ah" all the time. But then he also remembered that he loves it when "daddy gives me lots of kisses". How sweet is that?



In your, ahem, 39th year, remember those things from your sweet son and it will make this next year even more wonderful than the previous ones before. We love everything about you-- your hard work, your love, and your silliness. I think Tyler did a wonderful job summing it all up for you!

Love,

Jennifer & Tyler

(Grandpa Perry helped get Frank last week at Red Robin-- the came, they sang, and they embarrassed him! Isn't that what birthdays are for?)

What a trooper! And other random thoughts.

This weekend it was finally quiet around the Genovese household. I do not say that in a bad way, I say that in a kind of sad way. After weeks of different house guests, the last ones left yesterday morning. We have been blessed with such wonderful people who want to come and visit and often time brave the Western Massachusetts ever-changing winter conditions to spend the holidays with us. Grandma and Grandpa Perry left on Monday, and Aunt Laurette, Uncle Jim, cousins Conor and Skylar, and Cortney and Hailey all came from New York to visit for New Years.

Knowing that the past few weeks would be very busy, we planned a family outing for last night. The Springfield Falcons we in town and we had been given tickets to the game and it would also be Holy Family Night, the organization that puts together Tyler's Learn to Skate Program. Frank also had a game down in Connecticut and Tyler and I were going to meet him there and then go to the Falcon's game. Sounds easy, right? Wrong.

On out way out of town, I stopped and got Tyler and Happy Meal. You can never go wrong with nuggets and fries. But yesterday you could. He took a few bites of a nugget and said "I don't feel well". Knowing that it had been really busy at our place, I gave him the option of just returning home to rest, or continuing out ride to the game. He was adamant about going to the game, so I carried on. As soon as we got off the exit in West Hartford, Connecticut, all I hear is retching coming from the backseat. Oh shoot!

I am stuck in traffic, my son is covered with vomit, and I have nothing to clean him up with. So I pull off into a Macy's parking lot, dig out about 4 wipes, and a handful of napkins. What good is that going to do? I am 45 minutes from home and really stuck! I did find some old clothes in the car and proceeded to strip my son in the trunk of the car and get him changed out of his puke covered jacket and pants, and into something clean. What really got to me was that there was a constant stream of people who parked around me, stared, and walked off. What is with people nowadays?

I also remembered that there was a Babies 'R Us right across the street. So I quickly used my handful of cleaning supplies, and went shopping. We got pants, a fleece, and a new car seat (what was I supposed to do?). I also asked Tyler about 300 times "How's your belly?" "How do you feel?". After awhile he told me I was "weird" that I kept asking him! I also gave him the option of going right home, but he still said he wanted to go to Frank's game. So we went.

After Frank's game (they won, 3-1), Tyler still maintained that he wanted to go to the Falcon's game. Here is my little guy, upset stomach, not in his own home, or in comfy clothes, and he still wants to go to this darn game! So we decided that we would go for a bit, but first we needed to get a new winter jacket, so we also found a Children's Place. Tyler is now the proud owner of his winter jacket for next year!

He made it halfway into the second period before he started shutting his eyes. He was not his normal self, very blah, but he was a trooper and would do anything for the love of the game of hockey. I on the other hand, learned a lot. Strangers can not always be relied upon, and if you really need something, ask. My 4-year-old is tougher than most of those people who passed me in the parking lot. After vomiting in the car, he still wanted to go root on his dad's team!

The good news is, is that it was a one and done deal (thank goodness! I spent this morning scrubbing the car seat and my seat cushions!). In the middle of the night he did wake up and Frank went to sleep with him. Frank however was awakened shortly after by Tyler who was singing in his sleep: "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..." What a trooper!

Sledding on Mt. Geno!

New Years Eve Day brought Western Mass yet another snow storm. This was good for a few different reasons: 1) I got out of work at 1P.M., and 2) It meant that the kids would all have something to do on New Years Day!

Our house has two hills on either side of it that lead into out backyard. Instead of trekking out and fighting crowds at the public hills, we thought we would give our yard a try. And are we glad we did! After some initial slow starts, the snow became more packed which meant faster and farther rides! After awhile, we were stopping short of the fence at the back of the yard!

Tyler and Frank made sure they took a turn together.

Wipeout! Conor took a turn right into a face full of snow!

Tyler, Skylar, and Conor all took a turn together as well.

Conor was even thoughtful enough to offer a ride to Hailey, who at 1 1/2 years was a real trooper out in the snow!

Uncle Jim tried to sneak away for a ride by himself! Silly Uncle Jim!

Tyler and Skylar were little popsicles after awhile despite wearing a lot of warm layers. But it was nothing that a little hot chocolate with extra marshmallows couldn't take care of!

Ringing in the New Year!

This year we rang in the New Year at home with friends and family! What started out as a little get together for our family and another turned into four different families and all of the kids. It was a wonderful time for everyone! We cooked 3 different types of wings, meatballs, pigs'n'blankets, stromboli bread, and tons of other food to munch on through the night!
Tyler helped me decorate with the "2009" confetti I bought. Frank was not so sure about the possible mess, but with 6 kids all under 6, I was sure that this would be small in comparison with what could happen!

A closer shot of my confetti!

I bought a few decorations to make the basement look festive. Maybe next year I will be able to do more. the holidays were a bit crazy this year and I plumb ran out of time!

As soon as people started arriving, the kids began playing. Conor and Tyler quickly started playing with Santa's gift to Tyler this year, the air hockey table, while Derek, Olivia, and Skylar all made good use of the slide in the playroom.

All the kids, in the same spot, standing still, and looking at the camera all at once! A New Years miracle! From left to right: Derek, Olivia, Skylar, Hailey, Tyler, and Conor.

We got the kids all sorts of New Years accessories: Happy New Year tiaras, 2009 glasses, and plenty of noise makers. Funny, but everyone left their noisemakers behind. Coincidence?

Skylar and Livie on the Sit'n'Spin. I am so bummer I don't fit on it anymore!

Frank and Aunt Laurette, with full bellies, and big smiles!

Glen, Livie's dad, even pitched to the kids so that they could play baseball before bedtime!

Right before we took the kids up and changed into pajamas, we helped the kids ring in the New Year with some confetti champagne poppers! They had so much fun, there were none left for the mom's and dad's to use!

These two girls had a great time playing together and decided that they wanted to ring in the New Year with the rest of us. They were so great and we didn't even know they were still awake! Happy New Year!

Watch out Sidney Crosby!

On Tuesday I found out there was no one using the ice before my team's practice. Instead of letting good ice go to waste, I brought Tyler to the rink for some extra practice. We packed a stick, grabbed some pucks, and went to town!
Tyler posing with his stick and puck, preparing to take a shot on goal. Just him and me alone on the ice for an hour. Nice form, great smile!!!

Since the balance is not quite there yet after some of his shots he ended up on his belly. Hey, as long as the puck goes in it all right, right? Tyler was so into chasing after the pucks that he forgot that he usually needs the walker to skate or at least he thinks he does. Thus proving, he really doesn't. Once he figures that out there won't be any stopping him. Unfortunately, Jennifer sent us to the rink without any extra batteries and these were the only pictures we got before the camera went dead.

During my team's practice, Tyler watched the whole time from the stands. He ate his lunch that we packed (peanut butter and fluff was on the menu that day) and took in every drill we did. What a fun afternoon!

I love my...

New bathroom!

For awhile now, our master bathroom has been steadily falling apart. When we first came and looked at the house before buying it, I really did not fall in love with this room, so I can not say I was sorry when the pink floor tile started buckling and coming up with the vacuum! Frank and I asked around and found a friend's dad to help out with the job, so we happily went to work demoing the room. Unfortunately, the job took a lot longer than expected, but the end result was well worth it! All in all it took 3 weeks to finish and a lot of sweeping, mopping, and patience on our part!
Frank doing his part as my demo man. He was happy to get in there and de-pink the room!

As you can see, the toilet was pink. The sink-- pink as well! The wall paper was pink and white striped, but I quickly pulled that from the walls the first month after we moved in! The floor titles were those itty-bitty tiles, all individually laid. It broke my heart to get rid of them and all the workmanship that went into laying the floor. Not!

This was the scene day 1 after the experts arrived. This is a shot of the shower stall. Turns out that the shower has been leaking long before we ever moved in and the wood was rotten. Read: cha-ching! New shower frame, coming right up!

Ahhhhhh, no more pink sink, no more pink toilet. I really appreciate the old owners, but what man would allow his wife to purchase a pink sink and matching toilet?

This is one of many holes in the wall. Turns out that when you pull tile from plaster, you also pull lots of wall. The top hole is where the ugly medicine cabinet was. We are making progress!

New floor tile!

New shower stall with new tile!

The final product! Wainscoting all around, cherry vanity and matching medicine cabinet, and lovely neutral tile all over. Just my taste! But the highlight of our new bathroom:

Our new toilet! We are so excited by this! It is chair height, low water flow, and WHITE! I love this room!

Fermi Hockey

Today we took Grandma and Grandpa to Frank's hockey game. Today the Fermi Falcon's were taking on Conard High School in Connecticut. This season is especially important to Frank, he is hoping to make it to the 100 win mark! After today's 3-2 win, he is on his way!

A shot of Frank, waaaaay over there, coaching! His second home is behind the bench.

Tyler's friend Olivia joined us at the game as well. They had a great time watching the game from the front row. This was Olivia's first hockey game and like a true gentleman, Tyler explained everything that was happening on the ice to her.

In between posing for me Ty and Livie ate popcorn, chips, drank hot chocolate, said hello to passersby, and snuck away from the stands. Give these two a few years and both their middle names will be spelling T-r-o-u-b-l-e!

The Best Christmas Ever!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Grandma and Grandpa came to Massachusetts again this year to celebrate with Tyler (okay, with all off us, I suppose!). With my new job, I worked right up until Christmas Eve at 4:00 P.M. this year, but we managed to make the best of our time when I made it home. The Perry tradition is to have appetizers on Christmas Eve and to watch Christmas movies and spend time together. After a short photo session, we were all ready to chow down!
Tyler was in a great mood. I wonder why? I think he had visions of Santas dancing in his head.

Grandma and Grandpa posing with their favorite grandson! Grandpa and Tyler took a few moments to work off a bit of the holiday pounds and danced to "Feliz Navidad"-- not once, but numerous times! I was tired just watching them!

When Grandpa and Tyler were dancing, the cat ran-- right under the tree! Poor Puck!

Our annual family shot. This one is extra special because Puck is in it! I don't think we ever had a shot of all four of us!

I forget to visit Santa this year and tell him what I wanted for Christmas! Lucky for me this strapping young Santa stopped in for a quick visit before heading to work for the night!

Tyler made sure that he laid out his cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. That night, Tyler slept great! After reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas", we were worried that he would be too excited to go to bed, but he settled in like the tired little guy he was. He did call me up once, though. A plane had flown overhead and he heard the noise. Tyler asked me if it was Santa coming! I reminded him that Santa was still in South America according to the map on the computer (Who would have ever thought that we would be tracking Santa online?). In the morning, there were only crumbs left on the plate and next to the plate was a great note that Santa left for Tyler.

Tyler waited no time in opening up his stocking. Unfortunately, I was able to only to capture a his initial reactions by camcorder! He was just too quick for me! Maybe if I had some coffee before I came downstairs? Tyler was so excited to see what Santa brought him. In his stocking he had small Lego sets, hockey trading cards, and bubble bath. While he moved on to the gifts under the tree, I put the Lego sets together!

"Wow! Bumblebee Transformer! Just what I always wanted!" What a smile! I love this shot! Tyler was so excited to open all of his gifts. It did take him awhile to realize that there were a lot of gifts to open and we were not going to have time to put the all together right away. However, by the time Christmas day was over, not a toy had been neglected! At one point during the day Tyler proclaimed this the "best Christmas ever in all his life!"

Santa heard Tyler's wish for the Hot Wheels Fireball Raceway. What a great looking toy! Unfortunately, it took a lot of elbow grease to put together, but totally worth it to see how excited he was opening it up and playing with it!

Santa really spoiled Tyler this year, again! His big gift was an Air Hockey table for the basement. He was so thrilled to see it and remembered that he had played it this summer in Wisconsin! Frank spent the better part of the afternoon putting it together! Way to go, daddy!

Another one of Tyler's favorite toys was the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. He played with the ship and all of the guys the entire afternoon!

Santa even brought Tyler new slippers this year. How cool are these Tyrannosaurus Rex slippers? He tried to sleep in them Christmas night, but they got in the way under the covers!

For dessert after our huge turkey dinner, birthday cake for baby Jesus! The theme this year? Star Wars with M&M's, two of Tyler's favorite things!

By mid afternoon, the air hockey table was ready for some action! We had time to play some games and so far Tyler is undefeated!

Three generations of Perry/Genovese's sharing a Christmas hug!