Dryer Fire ---

On February 12th our dryer caught fire and threatened to burn the house down.

Jonathan was scheduled to work a third shift that night.  When he checked the dryer he noticed that his clothes had not quite finished drying, so he put them back in and pressed the button to start the dryer.  Immediately he heard and arc of electricity from the back of the dryer and the motor stopped.  He could see a whiff of white smoke from the back, so he looked around the back but could not see anything.  He checked the inside of the dryer but still did not see anything.  He felt the back of the dryer but felt no heat.  He let Jannai know what had happened, though she was already half asleep.

Jonathan went upstairs to put his shoes on and then came back downstairs to get his tablet from Eliza before leaving.  When he came downstairs he noticed about an inch of black smoke covering the entire ceiling.  Looking over at the dryer, he saw that it was engulfed in flames.  He ran closer for a moment to see how bad it was.  The flames consumed the tumbler and all the clothes within, as well as many of the clothes that were on top of the dryer.  The flames where already coming about two feet off of the dryer.  Jonathan ran to the bedroom to tell Jannai and Eliza to get out of the house.  At first they didn't know what he meant, as they were sleeping, and Jannai told Jonathan that she didn't know what was wrong with the dryer (remembering what Jonathan had previously said).  Jonathan started yelling, "I don't care, there's a fire!  Get out of the house!"

Now Jannai and Eliza noticed the smell of the smoke and got out of bed.  Jonathan asked if we had a fire extinguisher, but we did not.  Jannai started drawing water for Jonathan as Eliza went to wake Ella Grace.  Being upstairs, Ella could not yet smell the smoke.  When Eliza told her there was a fire, Ella said, "That's nice," and rolled over to go back to sleep.  Eliza then told Ella if she didn't get out of bed immediately she would punch her in the face.  At this point Ella evacuated with her sister.

With Jannai's assistance, Jonathan made four trips up and down the stairs with pitchers of water in each hand to put on the fire.  The first couple didn't seem to make much difference, and even though Jannai had already called the fire department, Jonathan felt that the fire would quickly consume the entire house if he could not get the fire down some.  The smoke was the biggest problem, and although he ran close to the ground and held his breath as much as possible, it was quickly becoming a lost cause.  On the final trip downstairs, out of breath, Jonathan gasped a few times involuntarily, but did not feel any oxygen coming in to his lungs.  As he exited the basement for the last time he ran straight into the computer table because he could no longer see through the smoke.  Running up the stairs he began yelling at Jannai to get out of the house immediately.  He tipped on the upper part of the stairs, but forced himself to continue up and out of the house.

Once outside, Jonathan looked inside the windows to see if the fire was spreading, but could not see any flicker of flames.  He wasn't sure if the smoke was just to thick to see it, but hoped that he had gotten the fire down enough to momentarily stop it's spread.  He knocked on the landladies door to inform her what was going on in case she needed to evacuate too.  She offered for the children to come over so that they wouldn't have to be outside in the cold.

When the fire department arrived there was so much smoke even on the first floor that they needed respirators to go inside.  They were able to extinguish what was left of the fire without needing their hoses.  This was a good thing because the layout of the house would not have lent itself to using hoses as the stairs are half way through the house, and the bulk head from outside to the basement is on the backside of the house (away from the street) and on the the clear opposite side of the dryer.  The firefighters hooked up large fans to the doors and began blowing the smoke out of the house, checking the oxygen levels with their instruments.  They were even good enough to remove the dryer from the house and put it in the backyard for us to dispose of later.


The EMT's took Jonathan's vitals and found his BP was 160/110 and pulse was 111.  Though his oxygen saturation was a normal 100%, as a precaution they gave him an oxygen tank and took him to L&M Hospital for smoke inhalation.  He already had a slight case of bronchitis so it was difficult to tell how much the smoke was causing him to cough or how much was the bronchitis.  He was checked out and showed no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning so he was released after an hour or so.

We were allowed to return to the house that night and despite the residue smell of smoke there was surprisingly little damage to the house, only a small burn mark on the sheet rock next to the dryer remained.  Even better was some friends who heard of the fire had a used dryer they were looking to get rid of and offered to give it to us, so we had a new dryer not two days after the fire.

The grey on his head is natural, the grey on his back is not.

We had let the fire fighters know that we didn't know where the cats where and they assured us that cats are very good at getting themselves out of harms way and that they would turn up eventually.  That night we found three of them, Fiesty, Georgia, and Cuddles, and the next morning Ciara showed up.  It appeared that none of them had left the house, and Fiesty was even found in our bedroom downstairs.  Apparently the smoke never got bad enough that he felt the need to move from where he was, though he was covered in soot, adding fire to the already long list of things that he is not afraid of.

After a few days, Jannai realized that four feet from where the dryer caught fire is our store of emergency water, about 20 gallons worth, that we'd been saving for our Disaster Preparedness Plan.  In the panic of the moment, it never occurred to anyone that we hadn't needed to run up and down the stairs to get water, all the water we could have possibly needed was sitting right there!

All in all we were quite happy with how everything turned out, as we quite possibly could have lost everything.  We also appreciated how well the family worked together in crisis and how resilient everyone proved to be in the following days.  Not that we needed any reminders on how important life and family are, but it was good to know that we were all here for each other.

Jonathan's Patriots jersey that was in the dryer at the time the fire started.

The fuse box right above the dryer.  You can see the burnt cobwebs.

Jannai celebrated Jonathan's Spidey-sense with a balloon.

The only damage done to the house.

Jonathan with raccoon eyes after unwittingly rubbing them with soot covered fingers.

Blizzard of 2013 ---

We were treated to our first blizzard in ten years, though this one was much more significant than the one of 2003.  Jannai is the only one who remembers the Blizzard of '78, which she remembers as being worse, but for everyone else this is the most snow they've seen dropped by a single storm.

The severity of the storm was particularly noticed when the power went out around 6:30 on Friday evening, as the storm began to intensify.  For us, no power means no heat as well.  The outage took out our entire block and the one next to us.  Groton Utilities was not initially sure when the power would be back up as we were the first ones to report it to them.  With the power out, we began to notice what we thought to be lightening in the distance, a rare, but not unheard of, weather phenomenon.

Jonathan took a walk around to see if it would be better to stay put or evacuate while we still could. While walking around the block, a power line shorted out overhead about ten feet ahead of him. At that point he decided it was probably best to head back indoors.  On the way, another power line shorted out in the distance, giving off a beautiful blue, green, and yellow color, followed shortly after by a shockwave that sounded like gun blast that ricocheted around the city.

Jonathan driving home from work Friday afternoon.

The family decided to stay put as the roads were still drivable, and the power was back on within two hours.  Thanks to the insulation of the house, the temperature inside and not yet dropped by a single degree.  The family was asleep while the worst of the storm hit.

Jonathan got up at 5AM to get ready for work.  It took two hours to shovel the driveway to the point that the car could be driven over the snow as there was simply too much snow to remove it all. Even this took two hours of work, and twice snow plows came by and blocked the entrance off again. There was an ice boulder that could not be broken up, about three feet wide.  Jonathan had to shovel around it and roll it out of the way. Even after all of this, Jonathan still had to rock the car back and forth several times to clear the car of the driveway.

This is still before the worst of the storm hit.

It wasn't until Jonathan got on the highway and saw the digital display on the Gold Star Bridge that read "All CT Roads Closed" that he realized there was a driving ban.  To keep from getting stuck in the snow, he reached speeds of 40mph until the car began hydroplaning on the back end of the bridge.  Route 32 was fairly drivable, although he did come across a snow plow that was stuck in a snow bank while another snow plow attempted to tow it out.

The back roads were a different matter, however, and Jonathan was thankful for the anti lock brakes. There was really only enough room for one car at a time, which became problematic when a truck with a plow came the other way and forced Jonathan to pull one side of the car into a snow bank to make room for it to pass. Thankfully the car was easily freed and he could continue, however the very next hill was the toughest of the road and it took three attempts to cope with it, twice sliding back down the way he had come. On the third attempt, the tire and skid marks left from the previous two attempts were helpful in maintaining some kind of traction, though it still took the cars full power to will it up the hill and navigate around a turn at the top.  Elated by the small victory, Jonathan was disappointed to find that the road he works on wasn't even plowed, making it physically impossible to drive.  The car was abandoned, parked on the side of the road, out of the way.  Jonathan hiked the remaining mile on foot, which was difficult as the snow came up to his knees.

Once at work, Jonathan would be there for the next 25 hours (sleeping when he could get the chance) until the roads were clear enough for relief to arrive. He was finally able to get home Sunday morning.

Eliza spent most of Saturday outside, having snow ball fights, building snow fitters, sledding, shoveling, and sleeping over at a friend's house where she watched Mary Poppins for the first time. She had a great time.

Ella Grace, and Jonathan, battled a head cold and mostly started inside, although she did get out to do some shoveling. She and Jannai enjoyed a day of doing their nails and relaxing.

On Monday, a little stir craziness began to set in, so the family went out to The Shack for breakfast and then did some shopping in New London and the Crystal Mall.  The roads were fairly drivable, and a rainfall all day helped to start washing some of the snow away, but there was a lot of compacted snow so dense that the plows could not get under it with their plows.

The corner store, we found, had run out of gas and we purchased their last gallon of available milk.  Other staples, like bread, were also noticeably absent. We're still not sure when school will resume, as it has already been canceled for tomorrow. Also, there is more snow predicted for this week.

What we here in New England call a "dusting".

[Pennsylvania Vacation Special Series, Part I] Red Sox v Pirates: Kids First MLB Game ---

***The family has been vacationing in Pennsylvania since Wednesday. It's hard to make updates on the road, but we're taking plenty of pictures and video and will posting as we go in our Pennsylvania Vacation Special Series. Enjoy Part I! ***

The family enjoyed their first Major League Baseball game on Sunday after morning after meeting. We've been to several AA games back when the CT Defenders where known as the Norwich Navigators, and Daddy's been to a game at Fenway, but this was the first Major League game the whole family attended.

As a Pennsylvania native, Mommy had a hard time deciding which team to root for. Her adoptive Boston Red Sox, or her hometown Pittsburgh Pirates. She split the vote and rooted for both, even buying a Pirates shirt on the way out.

During the game Eliza took a tour of the park and picked out Jonathan Papelbon in the bullpen. She was very excited to come back and tell Daddy about this, who went down and got pictures of Papelbon, Jason Varitek, and Daniel Bard. While browsing the gift a little boy, obviously a Pirates fan, came up and saw Eliza's David Ortiz jersey and said, "Oh, I can't look!" Eliza then wanted to leave the store because she felt awkward wearing her Sox jersey. Daddy clearly has some teaching to do regarding Red Sox pride. Eliza said of the game afterwards, "Awesome!"

Daddy enjoyed chanting "Let's go Red Sox!" with many of the other Red Sox fans at the game, until we got out-cheered by the Pirates fans. Also, he was wearing his black and gold Boston Bruins Championship shirt, whose colors are similar to the Pirates, so some of the Pirates fans were confused to see someone wearing what looked like a Pirates shirt and a Red Sox hat, until they stopped to get a closer look. Daddy also enjoyed being able to see Heinz Field where the Steelers play.

Ella Grace opted to read her book about half way through the game.

We had been hoping to get there early enough for batting practice and a chance at some autographs, but with the meeting in the morning and a long commute to the game we weren't able to do so. The family found PNC Park to be a very nice venue and the fans where enthused. Daddy was surprised to find the park so full, even if a quarter of the fans were Red Sox fans, given the low attendance they've had in the past. If the Pirates can continue putting together a winning season like they are presently, it should be a good time for baseball in Pittsburgh as there is clearly a devoted fan base to build on.

The weather was nearly perfect. It did slightly sprinkle around inning four, but otherwise it was picture perfect weather for baseball.

"We Are No Part of the World" Circuit Assembly ---

The family enjoyed a weekend together last week up in Natick, MA. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed some time together sans kids, as the children have grown up enough to have their own circle of friends and are old enough to go off on their own for awhile during lunch and after session.

Bunches of Pictures ---

Been far too long since our last post, so here's a bunch of pictures to fill in the gap a little.

Many Changes ---

Since last posting Eliza has joined Ella Grace at the Regional Multi-Cultural Magnet School and has been loving it. It's Eliza's first year there and Ella Grace's last. Ella is enjoying being in the senior class and has taken Eliza under her wing so that Eliza has quickly befriended many of the teachers that Ella has come to know.

Ella spent a week at Nature's Classroom which she enjoyed. She camped out for a week in Iverton, CT, learning about nature and conservation.

Daddy has started a new job, he got a promotion within the company. It has been a long and stressful first comfortable months there but things are coming along slowly but surely.

Mommy has been auxiliary pioneering for the last two months and has been greatly enjoying it. She has had great participation in the current campaign and has been putting in more hours per month than is required.

The family has been spending a lot of time with cousins Emily and Dillon and invited them to come along to the Special Assembly Day last weekend. Though it was only a one day assembly, we left Friday day to enjoy Saturday and Sunday up in Natick, MA, using the swimming pool and relaxing in general.

A Month of History ---

Ella Grace, Eliza, and Daddy got to dress up for a gathering for the children at the Johnson's. Mommy spent a lot of time putting together their costumes which was greatly appreciated. Ella Grace represented King Solomon, Eliza played Pharaoh's daughter (the one who saved baby Moses), and Daddy was young Timothy. A great time was had by all.

Pictures here.





Ella Grace and Daddy got to spend a day together at Plimoth Plantation where they learned a lot. There are no real exhibits at the museum, the characters simply go about their lives as though it were the 16th Century and will answer questions if asked.

Daddy chaperoned for five students, including Ella Grace, all of whom enjoyed learning about the time and feeding the goats. Daddy and Ella found Bible's in all of the homes among the settlers and where even able to find Jehovah's name in one, spelled Iehouah, at Psalms 83: 18. We also learned that among the Wampanoug people there was no specific age when a child became and adult, nor did they specifically give their children chores to do. The children chose which chores to take on so as to enjoy the rewards of their work. When a boy had taken on enough responsibilities he was then considered to be a man, regardless of how young or old he was.

Pictures here.

This last weekend we enjoyed Uncle Bob and Aunt Delorma's 50th Wedding Anniversary. We took a weekend trip to Brattleboro, VT and Richmond, NH. In Brattleboro we stayed at a motel where the kids enjoyed playing in the pool and went to the Kingdom Hall where our friends Maureen and Kyle attend, though we saw neither as they were out of town that day. We had a great time with the friends anyways, and Ella Grace made a new friend.

After the meeting we headed over to Richmond for the anniversary and had a great time with the family. It was nice to catch up with family we had not seen in awhile, and to get some of our family history. We particularly liked one gift given, a copy of the New York Times that was printed the day of Uncle Bob and Aunt Delorma's wedding.

Pictures here.

The Changing Seasons ---

There's been lots of fun of late as we get into the winter. Our first snowfall was good for sledding and making snowballs, Ella Grace and Daddy got to do both on a pleasant Friday afternoon after a doctor's appointment. The snowball fight was lots of fun as they could throw the snowballs about as fast as they could pick up the snow, due to the snow being so wet.

The family talent night was also good fun. Ella Grace and Eliza helped out by being background clouds in a poem recital. Ella Grace also continued her fine work as a camera person.

Great-Grandpa came home from the rehab center on Friday, Daddy and Ella Grace had the privilege of helping with that. Great-Grandpa is doing much better now that he is at home according to all reports and has even been able to stand up out of his wheelchair with assistance, which he wasn't able to do before. Daddy and Ella Grace enjoyed running around the woods behind Great-Grandpa's house and making fake footprints in the snow for fun.

This last Saturday the whole family did some house cleaning, throwing a lot out and finding things we'd been looking for in some cases. Ella Grace is planning to help Daddy work on video editing for the family, and Mommy has been doing a spectacular job putting up family photos around the house.

The family also purchased a 2003 Honda Civic with only 27,000 miles on it to replace Daddy's deteriorating Volkswagon. Daddy was sad to part with the VW but is enjoying the Civic greatly. The dealership, Cardinal Honda, was immensely helpful in helping the family secure our transportation needs for what will hopefully be a long time.

Pictures scattered here until Daddy can organize them.

John, Lisa, and Layla visit Groton! ---

Wednesday through Sunday we had a lot of fun with the Yarmosh's; John, Lisa, and newest member Layla. Layla takes after both parents and we couldn't help but notice that she has John's smile.

They arrived Wednesday afternoon, Daddy and John stayed up that night playing around with Civilization just like old times. Later on they got Daddy's computer and John's computer playing Civ together (one upstairs one downstairs) to complete the reminiscence of times gone by.

Thursday was kind of a lazy day as everyone caught up on rest and got situated. The meeting was a lot of fun as the friends got to meet Lisa and Layla and we could introduce some of our newer friends in the congregation to our long time friend.

Friday we enjoyed breakfast at Oh Boy's! and took our first trip to the mall, which Lisa enjoyed. Later on in the day we enjoyed Smokey Bones for dinner. The women got great deals shopping at The Christmas Tree Store as the men window shopped Best Buy and Border's Books.

Saturday John and Daddy got haircuts while Lisa and Mommy enjoyed a morning out in service. Daddy was beginning to feel fatigued at this point, which would culminate in him getting sick that night. Mommy, Eliza, and Layla would all come down with something before long. We shopped some more at the mall as Uncle Micah joined us, catching up with his long time buddy. That night we hosted a gathering of friends including the Bliven's, Champlain's, Bailey's, and Benson's, as well as Sister Martin. Uncle Pepsi brought Scene It, a DVD board game, and everyone had a great time, even John who suffered an accidental black eye during the night!

Sunday there was one last breakfast with friends before the Yarmosh's headed back to Pennsylvania. Thanks to the Internet John and Daddy can still play Civilization together. Everyone had a great time and we are making plans for another visit sometime this summer.

Pictures here!

The Family Pulls Together ---

The last few weeks have been difficult for everybody, but as a family we've been getting through our various trials and have enjoyed each others love, company, and support.

First there was Grandpa's heart attack. Everyone was supportive and understanding as Daddy spent many a day at Yale New Haven Hospital with Grandpa, Grammie, Auntie Rissa, and Uncle Map.

Grandpa was brought to the Pequot Walk-In by Grammie and Uncle Map were he received medication in an effort to open his blocked artery. That having failed, Grandpa was then flown to Yale via the Lifestar helicopter and received a stent to open the artery. It was determined that a triple by-pass would be necessary to prevent another attack from happening in the near future. These proved to be trying days for the family as Grandpa was in a lot of pain but everyone held up and held together through it. It was impressed upon Daddy and Uncle Map that they needed to look at their own health condition more seriously.

The family enjoyed a visit by Brother Brainard, our substitute Circuit Overseer while Brother Crispen was away. Daddy had a great day out in service with Brother Brainard and felt the love and support of the congregation through the difficult times. The whole family, including Naughny, enjoyed a morning out in service with Sister Brainard as well.

Ella Grace received new glasses for reading and watching TV and has been enjoying them. She did not get them in time for her first talk but she didn't seem to need them as she did a wonderful job with it. She was relaxed and natural while giving it with Mommy and seemed as though she had been giving talks her whole life. Most importantly she was herself, fluid and natural.

Ella Grace did get her glasses before the Special Day Assembly however and enjoyed showing them to everybody. The family did well and we were able to get to the hall early as we were planning. Even though the Assembly Hall was renovated only about ten years earlier it had already become difficult to schedule everyone for Assemblies as the Organization grows quickly. While there we enjoyed association and meeting old friends. One Sister whom we did not know personally stopped us at the hotel the night before the Assembly and said that she always looked forwards to seeing what we would be wearing the next day as Mommy always does a wonderful job arranging our clothing around a particular theme. Mommy and Daddy had the privilege of helping to keep the bathrooms clean during and the session. Ella Grace and Eliza had fun running around and taking pictures in the wooded park behind the small lake on the property.

Great Grandpa fell and broke a couple of bones, so the family visited him as much as possible at the Windham Hospital were he was recovering before being moved to the Mansfield Rehabilitation Center. Ella Grace made a card for him selecting Winnie the Pooh stickers to help cheer Great Grandpa up and invited the rest of the family to join in. Eliza is writing her name now and enjoyed adding it to the card.

We also got news that Uncle Map was in the worst pain of his life regarding one of his teeth. We were glad to hear that he was doing better but it was hard to hear that he was going through so much pain.

Recently Daddy and Daddy Poppy were able to get the web-cams working between Daddy Poppy's computer and Ella Grace's. The whole family enjoyed being able to see each other live on the computer.

Through it all the family has been enjoying each others company and the time we get to spend with one another.

Pictures of the Assembly are here.

Groton Day 07 ---

The family enjoyed an afternoon at Washington Park for Groton Day. Naughny-Na, Daddy-Poppie, and Auntie Ann were also there for hamburgers, hot dogs, and moon bounces. We collected a lot of freebies from the various kiosks of local companies. The free sno-cones were much appreciated on the hot day! We left as the mosquitoes came out in force but Ella, Eliza, and Daddy snuck in a ride on a horse drawn wagon first.

SailFest 07 ---

Saturday was our first SailFest at the new house and we were happy to entertain family and friends for the day. Grammie, Grandpa, Aunt Fran, David, Alex and Erica attended, as well as the Glovers who were able to make it in time and cousins Dillon and Emily along with mother Sarah. We got the grill running for the first time this year and Grandpa helped out getting things ready for a BBQ. The kids played in the lopsided pool (the terrain isn't flat enough, a problem we'll be working out later) but the kids got lots of fun out of it before it collapsed later in the evening.

Grammie and Grandpa also got us an anniversary cake, a chocolate one, that was delicious. Thank you! The burgers were good and so was the wine. We started a fire for roasting marsh mellows but the kids weren't interested, probably shouldn't have given them smores just the day before. :)


It was nice to not have to fight with traffic, before or after the fireworks. Everyone enjoyed a game of Apples to Apples and some Walmart fireworks before heading down for the real show about 20 minutes before it began. We got a real good view, probably the best I can remember, of the show and everyone enjoyed it from beginning to end. Afterwards we all sat out in the front swapping stories while we watched the traffic slowly clear out. The kids enjoyed sparklers.

Pictures here!

Follow the Christ! District Convention ---

Sorry! No pictures! We forgot the camera a couple of times this past week. On Wednesday we took our annual STA trip to Six Flags and for the most part had a great time. Daddy was becoming ill with some kind of respiratory infection and had a splitting headache which kept him from the rides, to his disappointment, but he got to rest by the pool with Daddy Poppy and enjoy some good conversation. The kids enjoyed the pool greatly and later on in the day went on rides, Eliza enjoying the new Wiggles section of the park, enjoying the kiddie rides. Ella Grace got to run around with the big kids for awhile go on big rides that she loves so much.

Thursday it was on to Amherst for our Convention. Things were not going well at first as Daddy Poppie became ill and missed the convention, but our prayers were with him. Daddy also became more ill Friday night and ran a high fever as his lungs seemed to try to hack their way out of his chest. But Jehovah provided, Daddy woke up on Saturday feeling much better and was able to continue the convention. The convention itself was one of the best we'd ever been to, it really emphasised Jesus love for humanity and for each one of us.

The girls of course enjoyed the pool. It was outside and freezing but they didn't seem to care. The children did very well all weekend and made their Mom and Dad proud. They got to spend time with cousins Emily and Dillon who sit very nicely. Dillon did get lost at one point but Daddy found him in bathroom, apparently he had to go and then waiting for someone to come find him! :)

Anjuli's Graduation Party ---

The family spent a wonderful evening at the Denobrega's house Saturday night helping to celebrate Anjuli's completion of high school. It was a fine night of volleyball and dancing along with good food and lot's of laughs. Ella and Eliza got to play on the rope swing in the backyard as well.

Daddy and Uncle Pepsi also got to reminisce about high school days, learning that Alex Denobrega also went to Grasso Tech, as they had. They also got to play several games of foozeball.

Mommy and Daddy had a blast dancing to several swing songs, and Gene taught us the Cotten-Eye Joe dance. It's obnoxiously fun. Ella Grace got in her first game of manhunt, and Eliza did pretty much a little bit of everything.

Pictures here.

Parties Galore! ---

It's been a busy week in the house, lot's of fun! Eliza had an end of year party at Headstart that Mommy and Daddy attended with her. Then on Saturday Eliza had a tea party. A couple of her friends weren't able to attend for reasons beyond anyone's control, but Emily and Dillon made it and had a great time. From balloon popping to cake eating there was never a dull moment.

Friday Uncle Micah came over and we got a new toilet to replace the last one that never stopped running. We also got the screen door fixed (mostly) so now we can leave the door open in the summer time, as well as finally getting some glass on our side door so we could take off the plastic baggy that was covering it. Daddy also brought up one of the air conditioners and a window fan.

Eliza's tea party

End of year party

Suessical ---

We attended the Suessical musical at the Garde Arts today and enjoyed it, though Eliza got up for a couple of minutes near the end as she got a little bored. The play takes a number of Dr. Suess books and combines them into one story and sets the whole thing to music. It was well done and imaginative, and Daddy remembered how creative imaginations can be once you get wrapped up in a play, your mind filling in all the blanks made by the limitations of what you can do on stage. All the limitations movies spoil us by filling. It's more fun letting imagination do the special effects. Mommy loved it but was a little bothered by the fact that the Cat in the Hat had no tail. :)

At home the family has been enjoying reading the Bible together as we prepare for the Memorial of Christ's death on Monday. Ella Grace was amused by Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple.

Assembly, Cars, and Snow ---

Unfortunately our camera was not with us as we trekked up to Natick for our Assembly. I think we just forgot it with everything that was going on that day. Daddy's car wasn't well as an exhaust gasket had come detached (the bolts holding it together had rusted out) and Mommy's car went into the shop because it wasn't shifting again. When the guy called Daddy back he simply said "Your transmission is, ahhh... is no good." This turned out not to be true (Daddy was a little suspiscious how the mechanic would know that definativly just by hooking it up to the computer) but it did mean we were without car for the weekend. Not to worry, Daddy and Mommy had a car rental in line and picked that up for the trip.

The Assembly was on the subject of not storing up material riches, which was perfect for the weekend, and putting first things first we got through the weekend and had a great time. The kids went swimming, the food was great, and a good time was had by all. Ella Grace continues to make friends at every Assembly (they kind of attach themselves to her like barnacles on a ship as she walks around the Assembly Hall), and this time earned the privelege of sitting with one of her new friends for a session. Eliza was Eliza and pretty much ammused herself wherever she went.

After the Assembly, on the referral of a good friend, we got Mommy's car fixed at Stop and Go Transmission (the transmission was fine, it was a little black box outside the transmission that caused the trouble). It wasn't cheap but not too pricy as far as car repairs go. As Daddy can't free two of the bolts from the gasket to repair his car he spend $6 on C-clamps and put the pipe together that way. It's running fine for the time being.

We enjoyed the snow and tried to put together a snow man but it was difficult with the limited snow we've had this limited winter. The last snowfall was better and both the girls had a blast sledding down the hill at Fort Griswold, which is only a short walk from our house. Daddy had a good time too until the snow got into his shoe and melted, his nervous system is a little bit more developed than when he was a kid so the cold is more of a nuisance now.

Snow pictures are here.

Special Day Assembly 06 ---

This is late but we have pictures from the Special Day Assembly we took on the second of this month. A good time was had by all, though Daddy had to leave right at the end of session to get back for work (one of his co-workers was good enough to stay and wait for him to show up). Enjoy the pictures of Eliza sulking, taking after her old man. Fortunately she's got her mother's resilience and she bounces out of it a lot faster. :) Can't keep a good girl down.

Ella Grace swims like a pro now and continues to grow into very much her own person. She continues to be a social person and so enjoys the crowds at the Assemblies.

Pictures are here.

Family Trip ---

We had a great time this last week, traveling down to see Grannie Vick Vick and then to see the most recent addition to the burgeoning Yarmosh family. The proud dad can be seen in picture holding little Layla.

Eliza had a great time with Grannie Vick Vick (where the Victoria in Eliza Victoria Rose comes from), as did we all, and Grannie Vick Vick said Eliza gets her personality from her, Naughny-Na, and Daddy. Eliza talked everybody's ears off and held school in the living room several times a day. Ella Grace had fun with old fashioned video games (of the Atari 2600 variety) and Mom and Dad got a chance to relax and do nothing.

We attended their bookstudy on Friday and met some of the friends who were very nice and many of them surprisingly knew exactly where Groton is, something that doesn't happen too often. That night we spent at Nan's playing cards. They were supposed to be teaching us but Nan and Grannie Vick Vick kept swapping hands because they didn't like their own, so it got a little confusing. Ella, as usual, took lots of great pictures. She's quite good at catching people off guard.

Eliza crashed when we first got to John and Lisa's but was then up half the night. Layla was alert and entertained by all the attention Ella and Eliza gave her. She's got her mothers looks but her fathers expressions. We spent most of the evening at Eve's as she, as usual, outdid herself with a delicious dinner. We got to see Darryl and Justine again and the four of the kids spent a lot of time playing with each other.

John's in-laws were nice enough to let us spend the night at their place (which is right above John's) and John cooked us all breakfast in the morning.

Pictures can be found here.

Clyde's Cider Mill ---

As Jan's father is up visiting from Pennsylvania, we took him down to Clyde's in Mystic to watch them press the apple cider. This was the first time the kids got to see them press the cider, although we've been at least once a year. We've always made the mistake of going too late in the year, when they start pressing as needed rather than on a schedule. Right now you can see it on the weekends, at 10AM, 1PM, and 3PM. The kids enjoyed it, and got to see a steam engine at work.

Then it was on to the store to get all manner of goodies, cider, candy, apple crisp, and more. It's very crowded this time of year, as it's not that big a store, but it was well worth all the gentle pushing and shoving.

More pictures are here.