Snow Day!!

Monday was a snow day for the boys here at my sister's house. We also ended up hanging out with Aaralynne for a few hours so my mom could go into work and get some stuff done she couldn't do from home.

My sister's family is spending their first winter here in Northern Michigan, and from what they say it's quite a bit different than Wisconsin. The amount of snow we got over the past three days has made it to the total accumulation that they normally get in Oshkosh. Her husband seemed like he was in his typical mode, making sure the driveway was snow-blowed several times (he said he did it five times in one day!) and figuring out what to do about the snow on the roof that would lead to ice which can damage the roof itself. All of these things I've never had to consider thinking about, but they are in keeping with a typical Northern Michigan winter.

So what do we do on a snow day? Why play outside of course! Well, not us Alfords, but my sister's boys sure did make some plans about building a snow fort and going sledding. Her oldest started on the snow fort with his friend, and her middle son was playing at a friend's house for a while.

Us Alfords did what we normally do. We played inside (the cold winter is not conducive to a baby's survivability) and Genny discovered scissors! My sister's middle son had been practicing his cutting, and Genny took up where he left off. I taught her how to hold the scissors and she spent at least a half hour cutting paper. She also discovered colored pencils and had a blast coloring. I think I know what Santa may be putting in her stocking...

Genny sure does love her yogurt!

Glenn's new favorite pastime, pulling to stand. (especially on the dishwasher)

Santa At The Fire Station

Since Genny's uncle Chris works at the local Fire Station, we went there today to see Santa. We also saw Sparky, a giant dog (man in a dog's costume) which scared the living daylights out of Genny. She subsiquently was on the constant lookout for Sparky and had to be in my arms clutching me when he was within ten yards. But she did seem to enjoy Santa, so we were able to get a good picture of her and Glenn.



Genny driving the fire truck with Aunt Christine in the background

Glenn driving the fire truck

Genny traumatized by Sparky

Aaralynne's B-day Party

Today was Aaralynne's Birthday party and it was pretty busy in my mom's house. I nicknamed her house The Dollhouse because it's cute, but small. It is perfect for my mom and Aarralynne, but on days like today, it's a bit snug. But all the better for getting to know everyone and playing together! I think that every child was told at least once, "give that back" or "leave her/him alone". Well, except Glenn. He, however, did get to sit on Aaralynne's lap when she decided to pick him up. It was cute, but made my heart race a little. :) Genny had her hair in pigtails for all of five minutes before she took them out and exclaimed "no hair ties" when I tried to put them back in. *sigh* Ok then, I guess you'll have a mullet hairdoo.

It's so nice to be in my mom's house. There are so many pictures and items that remind me of happy times. Plus now that it's Christmas, her house emulates the season.

Fundraising Walk

I have decided to do a Fundraising Walk to help a little boy who can't help himself. It will be on New Years Day, and I haven't decided how far I can make it in the cold Northern Michigan weather yet, but any suggestions will be weighed!

Dan and Emily have a son (step-son to Emily, biological to Dan) and he needs our help. He's caught in a situation that no child should be in, yet some find themselves in. His home life has been woven with abuse, neglect, and the death of his older brother (which he witnessed). The extremely unfortunate thing is that the court system sides with his mother. This is a wonderful normalcy in most courthouses, since (in most circumstances) the mother is the best choice when deciding which parent to place the child[ren with]. But sometimes mother's don't deserve the title they hold, and this is one of those situations. Dan and Emily have fought tooth and nail for custody of Dylan, and have racked up a sizable debt in the journey. They can't appeal until they chip away that debt and until then, -scratch that, until they have Dylan safe in their home- they can't rest. They have sent out a plea to their friends and family to donate as much or as little as they can, and I'm taking this plea and bringing it to my friends and family. I can't imagine neglecting my children, or claiming they're liars when they confess abuse. Children deserve to be loved in a safe, happy home.

We donate to charities all the time, not seeing the effect the money has on it's cause. Granted, this is not a tax-deductable donation. But this is a cause with a face, with a story. This is a chance for us to try to right the wrong, to fix the broken, to heal the wounded.

Please leave me a comment on this blog or on my facebook wall if you are able to donate even a small amount. They have $20,000.00 of lawyers fees to pay down and every dollar helps get them closer to fighting again for Dylan's safety. Dan and Emily are frugal in every sense trying to pay this down to fight for Dylan. Again, this isn't a case of credit card debt or flashy vacations when you can't afford one. This is a mother and a father trying to give their child a fighting chance of a normal childhood even after all of these horrible things have happened to him.

If you are unable to donate, (or even if you are) prayers are such a blessing at this time to help the family.

Here is the link to Dan and Emily's blog:

A Kitchen For Genny

After a day of living here at Christine's house, I realized that Genny needs a little more girl in her toy selection. She's done well using her imagination with construction cones as ice cream cones, and a cylindrical toy as a bottle. She did, however, need something a little more... I had thought about getting a few girly toys off craigslist, or checking out any garage sales in the area, but then something from Toy Story 3 made me think of making her a kitchen. In Toy Story 3, the boy uses boxes as space ships, stores, pretty much any large item. So I thought I could recreate the kitchen she has at home. With a cardboard box. It worked! She's used it several times since then, and baby Nickel loves to use it to climb on (much to the dismay of his mother).


This is just about the crudest kitchen you'll come across, but it does the job! (that's a microwave on top!)

This Little Girl

Misses her Daddy.




She just wanted to be next to Uncle Chris tonight and in the second picture she's twirling his hair.

She's been very interested in Uncle Chris lately, and it made me tear up tonight to think of what love she has for her father and how enamoured she will be with him when he comes home; I can see her emulating that with Chris.

Thank You, Cherry Republic

One of the best things about Traverse City (or northern Michigan) is it's cherries. We have Cherry Festival every year around Independence Day and sometime in the years I've left TC they've acquired a store dedicated to cherries and their goodness. Cherry Republic is a store downtown TC and it features a variety of cherry products. From their traditional dried cherries to their spicy cherry salsa, you can find a gift for anyone (unless they don't like cherries!). I found gifts for a few people, starting with my aunt Kathy who hosted Thanksgiving this year and graciously let myself and my two children stay with her for a few days while we were visiting. With the help of my sister, I chose a few items for her, including the cherry salsa (something I would never try/like).

In the mood for giving, I chose some dried cherries and cherry jam for someone back home [California] but have since opened them both, enjoying the cherryness of this trip. I will no doubt make another trip to Cherry Republic before I go home!