Outrageous Joy!!

You've seen an image like this before and know what it is...


Did you notice whose name is at the top?! (though, both first and last names are misspelled!)

That's right! By now, you have figured out that the little peanut pictured above is my grandbaby! Yup!! For real... Woohoo!!! I jumped for joy when I heard the news, and, of course, both Joe and I got all teary-eyed... oh, that little one is loved lavishly already!!

Kristiina and Nic received the news on December 23rd. Kristiina had to go to the ER late that evening because of severe pain in her chest (likely a broken rib - but no idea how it might have happened - since she's a snowboarding maniac... it probably happened on the slopes). She had had it for weeks and saw a doctor previously, but that's a different story... the bottom line there is, it was getting worse. So, they naturally wanted to take an x-ray (she didn't have one before), but when Kristiina told them what she suspected, they gave her a pregnancy test instead. The nurse came back and simply said "Yes!" "Yes, what?" they replied. {{grin}} Since it was unexpected (even though it was suspected) it took a little time to sink in.

They called us on their way home from the hospital. It was very late, and "Not exactly the way I would have liked to share the news." Kristiina said. But, I was leaving early the following morning with mom to head up their way for Christmas and they wanted to tell us together. That was good... I'm glad I was with Joe when we heard so we could celebrate it together. What a fantastic feeling... oh my goodness; nothing like it, really. We're absolutely elated. We fell asleep that night dreamy-eyed and smiling. (And, now that they've had the first pre-natal visit, it's okay to go public). :-)

It's stalled the North Carolina plans. We both feel a strong tug toward Vermont, now!! You can imagine... since most of you know us... you know we're hands-on, hugs-and-kisses kind of people and can't really fathom doing the thing long-distance. Since we're pulling up stakes here in Florida anyway, it just seems like it might be the time to get close to the kids, again. It's not definite, though. There are lots of things to consider, of course. There are pros and cons for both NC and VT. We're currently gathering facts and "waiting and seeing." {{sigh!!}} We know we're going, but don't know where and don't know when. Oy!

I'll keep you posted on that, but in the meantime, go check out Kristiina's blog (regularly), as she has posted about the pregnancy, and will update it often!!

Oh, by the way... her rib is doing much better. It only hurts if she "stretches really deeply." So, for now, she's avoiding stretching really deeply!!

Sightseeing in Newbury, VT

Last day in Vermont... tomorrow we drive to Boston - in a snow storm! Finally, it's gonna really snow (I've wanted to see it falling, not just flurrying), and it's on the day we're leaving. Oh well. At least we'll see it.

Today, we drove an hour north to the very little town of Newbury (pop 700). The drive up there was gorgeous; even from the interstate!

At the "far side of the green " we took a left onto Scotch Hollow Road. Drove up the hill (gentle slope) for about three miles, and came upon a lovely old colonial house.

We had the opportunity to do a little exploring...


Here's a shot of the front yard, driveway and Scotch Hollow Road from the front porch.


Standing at the top of the driveway looking at the "Old Colonial" with attached barn (far left).


Top of the driveway looking further down the street and all that property.


A closer peak at the side/back yard.


A peacock strutting his stuff on the front porch.


A different angle of the main house.


From a distance. The three story house was built in 1850, the single story portion was built in 1830, and the attached barn (far left) was the first building on the property.


This is the "front and side yard" showing the fenced pasture.


Now we're leaving and heading back down Scotch Hollow Road (mom got some pretty cool pics of the inside; I wasn't able to). You can almost see the house. (Can you tell we were intrigued?) Look closely... I've marked where "The House" is on the right.


Okay... all of the rest of the shots (except the last two) are of scenes on Scotch Hollow Road. The sights were magnificent.


This is someone's driveway... a winter wonderland!


Check out that mountain in the distance. You'll see more of that!


Still on Scotch Hollow Rd. We were thankful for a blue sky today. This was beautiful ride!


Here's that mountain again. We gasped when we turned the bend and saw this.


And a little to the left... we have kids sledding.


Now, we've finally reached the interstate and are headed back to Windsor.


It's not Florida!

We really enjoyed ourselves today!

The Project

Nic took us up to see The Project today.


We saw some awesome sights along the way... through the fog!


When we got up there, though, it was perfectly clear. Look how far the cabin has come! Mom and I were amazed. Nic is doing such a good job... what an undertaking!


Then we went down and checked out the pavilion. Sure looks different in wintertime!


The property...


Then we went up to the resort at Mt. Ascutney to see about having some lunch up there.

Another awesome day! Now, it's time for Kristiina's homemade pizza and a cozy evening in front of the fire (wood stove) while we watch a movie.

Have a good evening...

Okemo Mountain Resort

Ooooh, such a gloomy day. It didn't deter us, though. We headed up to the mountain, anyway... Okemo Mountain, it's where Kristiina works; their friend, Louie, too. Kristiina is in the real estate department, and Louie is a Lift Foreman.

Here's a peek...



This is what we saw from where mom, Kristiina and I had lunch... a couple of the lifts. Louie was manning the one on the left.


Some of the lodges at the resort.


Little kids getting ski lessons.


Jackson Gore... another portion of the resort.


The units that are for sale at Jackson Gore.


There I am. I was actually too warm and stepped outside with my coat off to cool down a bit. It worked in no time!


Kristiina at work; and wearing the sweater from Great Grandma and Grandpa (she loved it!).


Showing Grandma the artist's rendering and describing the amenities.

Nice day!!

Our Day in Woodstock

So... today mom and I headed to Woodstock. We visited there in June and it was so beautiful, we wanted to see how it compares in Winter. It didn't disappoint!


Here's a shot of the Woodstock Covered Bridge.


Turn around, and get a peek at the government buildings on The Green.


A glimpse up the street... There are many art galleries on this street. Behind us is the gallery/home of Robert Caulfield. We visited his gallery and studio, and enjoyed chatting with him and his wife for quite some time. What a nice couple; and his artwork is beautiful.


After perusing The Green and poking in many of the shops, we decided to stop for lunch at Bently's Restaurant. It was really good, and very cozy.


Here's mom standing at the Woodstock Town Crier; it tells all that is happening in town in the coming days. Notice the temperature is in the mid-20s. It was 12 degrees when we woke up this morning. We were dressed appropriately, though, and not cold at all!


Here's another angle of the government buildings.


Mom spotted this shot... it's quaint, isn't it?


This, too! Sights like this are so typical.


After spending several hours at The Green, we decided to head over to Billings Farm. They provide horse-drawn sleigh rides!


Such beautiful property. Mom saw this one before me, too. I was making a beeline for the barn (I heard there were animal babies in there!), and mom stopped me, "Hey, look at that!"


Ah, yes. I heard correctly. This little calf is only 4 hours old!


They let us get close and pet them. This sweetheart is just about a month old. He really liked mom!


Leaving the farm and heading back to the parking lot... the charming sights were endless!

It was a very enjoyable day. We got back home about 5 o'clock. When Kristiina got home from work, we ran an errand at TJ Maxx, then went out to eat.

Tomorrow, we're headed to Ludlow and Okemo Mountain. We'll get to see the resort where Kristiina works. Nic will get a head start to the mountain to do a little snowboarding.

Till tomorrow...

Merry White Christmas!

Here's what it looked like when we woke up this morning! There were gentle, wispy flurries falling all day.


Indoors... this is the fattest Christmas Tree I've ever seen! Nic and Kristiina picked it out and cut it down themselves.


I spotted this happy ornament. It was a milestone Christmas... so is this one.


There's my sweet darlin' and her adorable Kaelyn.


Mom is loving on her, too! We were cozy in our PJ's and robe while we had coffee and leisurely opened presents. In keeping with tradition, we got out the garbage can and basketball hoop for the wrapping paper... dad would have been proud of Nic; he had an awesome percentage this year!


Okay... time to get dressed and head back outside for a bit. Here's my slippered foot in the snow, peppered with debris from the pine tree in the front yard.


A glimpse from the front porch. Notice how the snow is up to the fence. They said it was even higher yesterday before it rained. (In the pic above I was standing in the "shoveled" sidewalk.)


Back indoors (it was getting a little nippy!) to play Nic's new Wii game... Snowboarding!! That was fun.


And then... back outside. This is the view of the farm from the backyard.


More of the backyard view in the late afternoon light.


Sleepy girl had to have an afternoon nap. She was tired... and Kaelyn made a compfy blanket. I did take pics of Sophie, too, really!

It was a great day. Despite missing dad and not having Joe up here, it was one of the best Christmas' ever. I'll elaborate more on that later (the best-ness of it).

Tomorrow we may head up to the job site to get more beautiful winter pics... which I'll take with my new SLR camera. Man, do I have a lot to learn!!

Nighty-night.