Tag Archives: Ali

Autumn Arrived Before I Knew It

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Wow, time has just flown this year, so far. The summer was over before I knew it and once the school year started catching my breath seemed a luxury. It seems like all of my personal interests and projects have taken a back seat, including the old frtizwinkle. So here is a quick catch up.

We had two birthdays by summer’s end, which was great fun. Fritz turned two and had a Sesame Street birthday party, complete with Oscar pinata, Elmo birthday cake, and the two characters in matching cupcakes. It was quite an affair.

Photo: Oscar Pinata Photo: Hanging Oscar Pinata

Photo: Elmo Birthday Cake

Photo: Presents from Grandma

For the face cut-out we went with lovable roomies Bert and Ernie, which generally prompted all kinds of couples conversations on who was who in the real world relationship. Between Ali and me, Ali is Bert.

Photo: An Unsure Ernie Photo: This Party is Wearing Me Out

All in all it was a great time had by all, despite Fritz throwing a technicolor yawn right after blowing out his candles. Fortunately, he missed the cake. Too much chips and water we think.

Photo: Making Wishes

Photo: I Don't Feel So Well

Then as the summer drew to a close and the school year started, it was Hadley’s turn for festivities. This time it was a pirate theme, arrrr! Ali crafted a magnificent cake again and could elaborate given the theme.

Photo: Treasure Chest Birthday Cake

Photo: Treasure Chest and All the Booty

The weather couldn’t have been better. Like all of our themed parties this one involved a treasure hunt, as well as the customary pinata, this time a Jolly Roger.

Photo: Jolly Roger Pinata

Photo: Opening Gifts Photo: A Pirate Princess

We departed a bit with the face cut-out and created our own characters for a change. We freestyled a pirate, in Captain Morgan likeness, and mermaid, inspired by a figurehead we found. It still seemed to be a relatively popular photo spot.

Photo: Taking a Rest Photo: Captain and Mermaid

Best of all no one got sick and a fun time was had by all. I even made a short video to test out the new iPad I got from work. I was able to complete the whole video only using the iPad, shooting, editing, sound, and music. It was pretty fun for a first time effort with the thing and a good excuse to make something quick.

After that it was right back to school and the beginning of the fall, although I will have to track back and share some of my brother’s wedding experience, albeit a little out of order.

Photo: A Pirate Princess with Her Booty

Catching Up with a New Summer

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Well, summer is officially upon us in New England, after a shaky and uncertain start. If ever more evidence was needed than this photograph, I am not sure.

So despite the fact that I have a couple more days of work at school, everything has taken a decidedly summer feel since Memorial Day. Even the grass seems to have excitedly come to life like never before, growing at a mutant-like pace, although I think that has to do with my wife’s tinkering with a secret chemical cocktail of fertilizing agents. That being said, the lawn has never looked better. Now all I need to do is wrap up school and some National Writing Project work for the real summer to start.

In fact, Ali and Hadley already kind of got started with Keri in the now annual Girls’ Trip 2011 (Version 4.0 in its current iteration I believe.). This time the three ladies headed north to the Green Mountains of Vermont for Ben and Jerry’s and Cabot Cheese tours among other sites. The slideshow below bears a nice witness to the trip.

[slickr-flickr tag=”girls trip11″]

Since then we have had a lovely Mother’s Day. In fact, Hadley and I awoke early to make orange-cranberry muffins, only to discover that neither kids would eat them once they were baked. Hadley decided it was the cranberry that she opposed. Still, it was a beautiful day, rendering one of my favorite recent pictures of my girls.

This weekend Father’s Day arrived, which has been another lovely day. French toast and bacon for breakfast and a few small gifts made for a great morning. Yet even more impressive was my daughter’s second race on Saturday. Shortly after Ali and Keri ran a 5K, Hadley participated in a kids mini marathon for the second year in a row. Last year she did well, but was a little intimidated with all of the people and action surrounding her. This year, however, she performed wonderfully and very nearly beat everyone to the finish line, if not for slightly tripping over another little girl near the halfway point.

[slickr-flickr tag=”hkminimarathon11″]

Of course, none of us was worried about winning, but she was pretty impressive on the track. She certainly was proud of herself, although I think her mom and dad might have even been prouder.

Snowpocalypse 2011

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Nary two weeks into the new year, New England experienced another major snowstorm, dubbed locally as the snowpocalypse. This on the heels of the what I called the Boxing Day Blizzard. This storm was considerably more substantial, however.

Photo: Kids at Play Photo: Lost the HandleBeginning in the wee hours of the morning the snow arrived and continued to fall for about eighteen hours or so and left us with eighteen inches. In the early morning rush hours two to three inches were falling an hour. The severity was anticipated and, of course, school was canceled. Snow day!

Photo: Tastes GoodPhoto: ShovelingThe kids loved it. Staying home with the family was a nice reprieve. The house was a nice cocoon from the showdown for most of the day. Ali made pancakes for breakfast. For the rest of the morning the kids played inside and I did some work. After lunch and naps the outside play began.

Photo: SnowmanPhoto: Snow Angel