Fun in the Cold & Snow

It certainly was a fun day, and it certainly was a cold and snowy one. But we were prepared. The new space heater was perfect (once we got it working), and it really did provide noticeable heat. Too bad i couldnt take it to the seat with me.... Anyway, since it was the weekend before Thanksgiving it seemed onyly logical that we would have a Thanksgiving feast. We deep fried a turkey, and had all of the fixings - stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberries, pumpkin pie, etc.

And the we expressed thanks for the PSU football team, which feasted on Michigan State.

The "compound"


Staying warm in between the space heater and the deep fryer.


The "compound" interior view - looking from the dining room into the kitchen.


Mmmm....

Halloween

We went with a kids' story theme for Halloween this year, with Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood. Sofia really got the concept of trick or treating this year, as compared with last year, and Annabella just enjoyed being able to carry a basket around (she loves to carry bags and baskets).

Vacation 2008

It now has been more than a month since we returned from vacation, but I finally made some time to go through the pictures. We had a great time in the Outer Banks, NC. Going in late September meant that the beaches were pretty empty, so the girls had plenty of space to run around and have fun.

Enjoy this sampling of pictures.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ahh, the fall. The changing leaves, the crisp cool weather, and ... of course, football. And with football comes tailgating. We love to tailgate and really enjoy trying different menus. This time, Tiff thought up the menu of ribs, and we had corn on the cob, apple pie, and all sorts of nice sides and desserts. After lunch, of course, Penn State feasted on Oregon State.

Enjoying the Sunday Gravy

With names like Sofia and Annabella Fanelli, it only makes sense that our girls would enjoy the gravy. So I was proud when my daughter not only was excited to hear she was getting gnocchi for dinner but also asked for a meatball to go with them.

Annabella, who is a better eater anyway, loved hers as well, but I am not sure whether she enjoyed eating all of it, wearing it, or both.











and even the dog got his share....

Why I Support Animal Cruelty

Early College Visit

We took Sofia and Annabella on their first unofficial college visit recently, when we took them to State College to visit Penn State. Actually, we were there for the Arts Festival, but we had to stop at the Creamery and the Nittany Lion Shrine. Sofia has a book in which the Nittany Lion visits both sites, so she was quite eager to see them.

Of course, once we got to the Creamery, the line was QUITE LONG. This picture only shows the part of the line that was outside. This was all after it snaked all through the Creamery building itself. Waiting in line with two little ones was sooo exciting!


Sofia was so excited. Not about the ice cream so much, but because there was a mural of the Nittany Lion on the wall. What 2 year old runs away from a bowl of ice cream to see a picture of the Nittany Lion?

Yeah, mine.






We then went on to Lion Shrine and waited in line again with Annabella and Sofia (who wanted to get in everyone else's pictures), only to have Sofia and Annabella cry and try to crawl away once we did get an opportunity to take some pictures.






All in all, it was a great time with them. Especially when Sofia turned to her mother, as we left the Creamery, and said, "Mommy, I'm going to go to school here." I don't think she even was prompted by anyone to say that. Maybe.