December snowflakes aren’t ripe yet

It's our first full December in New York! This feels momentous. I am enjoying the way we're incorporating our old, family traditions while adding new flavors and experiences that are specific to Rochester. The last night of Dinovember included a five-year tradition: The Dino Nativity!


On the first weekend of December, I took the kids to the RH Singers Pancake Breakfast fundraiser, because I obviously have to start grooming my kids for the RH music program ASAP! After a very small and disorganized breakfast, I took the kids for a stroll around my old high school. I haven't been inside in years, and I haven't been upstairs in that building since I graduated. It was like being able to visit a childhood home (none of which I have access to, so this is an equivalent). I loved it.

Same old Henrietta mural in the cafeteria

The kids with Comet, the mascot.

Santa was in attendance! 

Hall that contains my locker, looking into the A-Wing upstairs. I also peered into the Chem Lab and was temporarily dragged back in time. 

Very appropriate student-made mural upstairs at RH. 

Until recently, there has been near constant snowfall. We're in a rather sad rainy thaw, but I'm hoping and expecting to see flakes again soon. The luxury of being back in NY is that we don't have to make a huge fuss about every snow. Snow is a fact of life here, so we don't have to race outside and attempt to sled in 2 inches of snow, because there will always be more. I can exhale.

Made the greens at church! We probably wouldn't have managed on our own, so I'm grateful for the organizers of the craft event. I'm grateful for St. Thomas' in general, actually. 

On the second Sunday of Advent, we got our tree from Gro-Moore! As is appropriate. My dad was so kind as to come with us to take our family photos! We got some great shots. Maybe one of these days we'll actually get around to making the card and sending them out. Don't hold your breath though, guys.

Christmas trees are a whole lot cheaper when you buy them in a place they actually grow! That and apple cider might be the only things that are cheaper in New York.

As we prepare for our first Christmas and our first winter as New Yorkers, I've come upon an unexpected blessing: I get to ice skate for free at work! There's a lunchtime skate every day that's free for RIT employees. I've gone twice now and plan to go again today. It costs to rent skates, but only $3. This is so worth it for me, as it gives me the exercise and good vibes I need at a job that involves a lot of sitting around.


We added another treat to this year's holiday roster: A Christmas Carol at Geva! I have extremely happy memories of seeing this as a child and as a teen, so I was thrilled to finally share it with my kids. I've been reading them the book for a couple of Decembers running now, so they were in a perfect state of readiness for the stage production.

Both kids' enjoyment was intense. They laughed at Scrooge's caperings, they cowered from Marley's Ghost, they shivered at the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, and they clapped along with the dancing at Fezziwig's. They stood up at the end and clapped with so much fervor I thought it must hurt their hands. It's so lovely when you have high hopes for something, and then the experience of it exceeds them.

This past weekend we had a novel experience: Tuba Christmas at the Eastman Theater. Of course, we'd experienced Tuba Christmas before in Blacksburg, but that was about 30 tubas at the farmer's market, not 200+ in the gorgeous Eastman. The kids loved it; Miles was especially attentive, as he's taking French Horn this year and is very keen to improve.


And last night we got our blessing. We finally attended Beer and Carols, an event hosted by Matthew and Leah's church. I've watched it go by, year after year, and always wished to be there for it. It was a supreme satisfaction to be there in a booth in the flesh, have my carol book, and waste the last of my singing voice (I've got a mean cold) singing all the verses of "Good King Wenceslaus" and of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and of "Lo How a Rose" and "Here We Come A-Wassailing" and a million more. The kids stayed for an hour, and they sang energetically. Adele walked around with cousin Abby, proud in her new Christmas heeled shoes.

I saw old friends, and sang Christmas carols until I was hoarse, and basically soaked up all my favorite vibes. We're making a new life and a new home in my old home, surrounded by elements of my old life. I am content.

In which my Pepper Dutchess turns seven

November is a big, full month. I cannot hear tell about Christmas in November, especially this November. Somehow between being fresh from the Halloween push, doing DiNovember, preparing for Adele's birthday and parties, planning for Thanksgiving, and working both these jobs, I am already in survival mode.

Still, so far our execution has been sound! The dinosaurs continue to carouse through our house every night.

They've made cookies,


menaced Optimus Prime,


gone bowling,



attempted flight and many other things so far. We're on Day 21 tonight.

We got Miles and Adele's school pictures recently. We also re-measured them against our measuring plank, and between these two we can say definitively: They Have Grown.

Adele is really flowering socially this year. She's got neighborhood buddies, bus buddies, classroom buddies, and cub care buddies. Her teacher posted these of the classmates at recess:

This past weekend, we pulled off The Party. I had been researching party venues in September and October and found that they're just not affordable here. We made the leap to commit to an in-house party of our own creation, a party that would be, by Adele's request, Harry Potter themed.


The Dinosaurs helped us out on Friday by getting out some decorations:


I made Pin-the-Nose on Voldemort at work:


We did a wand-making craft:


Wegman's came through with the cake...


Jon was Potions Master! He found all these ingredients from various sources, bottled them, and labeled them.

He prepped the measuring devices and led the children brilliantly in making Amortentia, Felix Felicus, and a beautification potion. The kids were equally interested in all three!




He handled that rowdy crowd like a boss.

Adele and her friends had a blast. One of her friends came up and hugged me during hour three and said, "Thank you much for inviting me. This was the best day ever." Two of them cried when it was time to leave. Things got a bit wild at times, but no children or objects were damaged, so I'm gonna call it a win!

The haircut professional who trimmed her hair braided her hair for the party. 

It is a delight and an honor to watch Adele Cynthia Gail grow up. She is a self-styled Ravenclaw who loves math and coloring and cats and Harry Potter. She loves to read and to create, and incorporates so many adult turns of phrase into her discourse that it's often hard to see my baby in there. But I'm here for it, loving every minute. She's burning so bright right now.


We had a family party the next day, with Grandpa Jim, Mercedes, Leah and Matthew and the cousins for brunch and chai and cake. This meant that Mimi and Jon, who are soulmates, got to have an adorable reunion. I just love their bond.


After the family party, we hit the theaters for Crimes of Grindelwald. We wore our gear and were totally fangirling and fanboying all over it. Still... I have questions. And thoughts. And Feelings. And I can't wait to find more people to talk to about this film. And, of course, to watch it again!

We're gearing up for Thanksgiving, which will include a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Grunert! November has brought us so many good things. And still- Advent is coming.

Fall Festivities

A new tradition is born! I was so delighted to discover that there was a Wizarding (read: Harry Potter) festival in Ithaca every fall, and I set my mind to going back in August when I heard about it. And we made it! Conveniently, my kids were both planning to be Harry Potter characters for Halloween, so we just made it a cosplay. Here you may see Rowena Ravenclaw, diadem in place:



Here may be seen Lucius Malfoy, Death-Eater. He bares his Dark Mark menacingly:



And I am channeling Molly Weasley, my idol. This is also in honor of her birthday, which is today, October 30th. Happy 69th, Molly!!


It was wet and stressful and hard, but I'm so glad we went. What we got to absorb was so much fun! I taught for VIP Kid as usual, so by the time we were in costume and ready to leave it was 11. We drove in the most determined rain I've ever seen, so it took us till about 1:20 to even arrive in Ithaca. By the time we found a parking spot and arrived (with ALL our props, Miles!), it was 2. By the time we found a bathroom and had lunch, it was 3. You can see how our time slipped away.

Miles regards his Lego double. 

We met Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore in Center Ithaca. 

I missed this city. 

About three, we finally found the main tent and learned that quidditch would be starting in 15 minutes! We did a bit of wand shopping in the meantime. Everyone got a wand! I got Molly Weasley's, Adele got Fleur Delacour's wand, and Miles got APWB Dumbledore's. We were all thrilled to bring home that bit of magic.

The quidditch may have been my favorite part! Cornell played Ithaca, and won 160-80. The snitch, a neutral person wearing a yellow flag-football belt, refereed through most of the game, and then took to the field to be pursued on foot by the seekers. As Pearl pointed out, it's delightful that this actual sport with rules, played by college students, suddenly devolves at the end into a game of glorified tag! with broomsticks. 

After the quidditch, Adele melted down completely. She was not wearing enough under her costume, and the rain had only been getting colder and more insistent. She refused to move for a spell of time, and then we managed to convince her to put a foot in front of the other and go to Trader K's. I had not intended to go to my favorite clothing store that day, but there be bargains! We got Adele another coat. And I just want to point out: she brought her own coat to the van, but refused to wear it out of the van. And since I wasn't willing to carry it along with the umbrella, accident bag, purse and shopping we picked up along the way, I let her leave it in the car. This was a lamented inefficiency, but I rolled with it as the price you pay for trying to attend an event like this with kids.

They were adorable playing chess at Autumn Leaves during a bathroom stop, but I didn't let them finish their game as I was hoping to soak up some more of the festival.


At 5:00, unfortunately, the majority of the booths and tents were closing. We were able to use 0 of our game/activity tickets that we bought. Most of the time we were there we were trying to get fed, find bathrooms, or warm up, which was a shame. But we got to enjoy the quidditch, do some great shopping (I bought a robe, too!), cosplay-watch, and enjoy some entertainment at the performance stage.


We have big plans for next year.

I wasn't gonna be satisfied if we didn't get to Gro-Moore before Halloween. We juuuust made it. The weather was still utterly miserable, but we got hot cider and cookies, took in some music while sitting on hay bales, and brought home our pumpkins. Jon says they're better quality than grocery store pumpkins. I say, of course. :-)



The pumpkins are carved and are currently on our bookshelves.  They'll come out to play soon, and we'll have more pictures of our first Halloween home in Henrietta. 
I still can't believe this is real.